Make a will.
In a will, you state who you want to inherit your property and name a guardian to care for your young children should something happen to you and the other parent. For more information, see Making a No-Frills Will.
Consider a trust.
If you hold your property in a living trust, your survivors won't have to go through probate court, a time-consuming and expensive process. For more information, see the Living Trust FAQ.
Make health care directives.
Writing out your wishes for health care can protect you if you become unable to make medical decisions for yourself. Health care directives include a health care declaration ("living will") and a power of attorney for health care, which gives someone you choose the power to make decisions if you can't. (In some states, these documents are combined into one, called an advance health care directive.) For more information, see Health Care Declarations and Powers of Attorney for Health Care: How They Work.
Make a financial power of attorney.
With a durable power of attorney for finances, you can give a trusted person authority to handle your finances and property if you become incapacitated and unable to handle your own affairs. The person you name to handle your finances is called your agent or attorney-in-fact (but doesn't have to be an attorney). For more information, see Do You Need a Financial Power of Attorney?
Protect your children's property.
You should name an adult to manage any money and property your minor children may inherit from you. This can be the same person as the personal guardian you name in your will. For more information, see Leaving Property to Young Children.
File beneficiary forms.
Naming a beneficiary for bank accounts and retirement plans makes the account automatically "payable on death" to your beneficiary and allows the funds to skip the probate process. Likewise, in almost all states, you can register your stocks, bonds, or brokerage accounts to transfer to your beneficiary upon your death. For more information, see Ways to Avoid Probate.
Consider life insurance.
If you have young children or own a house, or you may owe significant debts or estate taxes when you die, life insurance may be a good idea. For more information, see Using Life Insurance to Provide for Your Kids.
Understand estate taxes.
If you and your spouse together own assets worth at least $1.5 million, you may want to consider taking steps to reduce federal estate tax that will be due at the second spouse's death. You may want to make tax-free gifts now or consider an AB trust. (For more information, see Tax-Saving AB Trusts.)
Cover funeral expenses.
Rather than a funeral prepayment plan, which may be unreliable, you can set up a payable-on-death account at your bank and deposit funds into it to pay for your funeral and related expenses. For more information on prepayment plans and alternatives, see The Perils of Prepayment Plans.
Make final arrangements.
Make your wishes known regarding organ and body donation and disposition of your body -- burial or cremation. For more information, see Final Arrangements FAQ.
Protect your business.
If you're the sole owner of a business, you should have a succession plan. If you own a business with others, you should have a buyout agreement. For more information, see Owner Buyout Agreements: Plan Ahead for Changes in Ownership.
Store your documents.
Your attorney-in-fact and/or your executor (the person you choose in your will to administer your property after you die) may need access to the following documents:
- will
- trusts
- insurance policies
- real estate deeds
- certificates for stocks, bonds, annuities
- information on bank accounts, mutual funds, and safe deposit boxes
- information on retirement plans, 401(k) accounts, or IRAs
- information on debts: credit cards, mortgages and loans, utilities, and unpaid taxes
- information on Totten trusts or funeral prepayment plans, and any final arrangements instructions you have made.
For more information, see Get Organized Now.
Copyright 2008 Nolo