Your estate plan is essentially a road map that you leave for your survivors. It helps your loved ones understand and fulfill your wishes for the handling of your final affairs.
Make sure your plan will be carried out as you intend by getting an attorney’s help in your estate planning process.
If you live in Alaska or Montana, it’s important to consult with an estate planning attorney who specializes in the laws of your state. This attorney will make sure all your required documents are in place and properly completed.
When you meet with your Alaska or Montana attorney, you’ll need to discuss how you’d like the following components of your estate to be handled:
- all of your assets
- your property and belongings
- your debts
Use the list below to prepare for your appointment.
5 things to bring to your meeting with your estate planning attorney:
- A list of your (intangible) assets and your debts
Your attorney needs a good overview of your entire financial situation to know which documents your estate plan will require.
Intangible assets are assets of value that can’t be physically touched, things like:- bank accounts
- investment and retirement accounts
- brokerage accounts
- stocks
- bonds
- mutual funds
- money market funds
- insurance policies
An easy way to compile this information is to gather all your latest account statements from both your assets and debts. Bring these statements to your appointment.
- A list of your property
Bring a list of physical property you own and the deeds to any real estate.
To prepare, make an inventory of your tangible assets.
Include:- houses
- condos
- real property
- vehicles
- boats
- your possessions worth more than $100
- any possessions that are valuable for sentimental reasons
- Names of the people you wish to designate to handle your affairs
It’s crucial to designate a trusted person (or people) to handle your affairs- in case you should become incapacitated
- after your death
- A list of any specific bequests you’d like to make
A bequest is a gift you make to a person or a nonprofit organization.
These gifts generally take the form of tangible items or sums of money.
A bequest will be given to your chosen person or organization regardless of who your primary beneficiaries are. - Your wishes for yourself
Provide your instructions about what you want for yourself:- if you should become incapacitated – for example, would you want extensive medical interventions to prolong your life?
- upon your death – for example, do you want to be buried or cremated? There are a number of decisions to be made in this category. Come to your estate planning appointment prepared to discuss your choices.
Contact your Alaska or Montana estate planning attorney today for peace of mind about your estate plan.