Getting Started
An Estate Planning Conversation Checklist
A few practical questions to guide a calm first conversation about your wishes, your responsibilities, and your family.
Estate planning works best as a conversation, not a paperwork drill. A few honest questions answered up front make the documents that follow fit your family instead of a template.
Start With What You Own And How It Is Held
Walk through what you own and how each asset is titled. A jointly held home, an account with a payable-on-death beneficiary, and a retirement account that passes by its own designation are three very different things from an estate planning point of view — and knowing which is which shows what your documents can and cannot control.
Name The Right People For Each Role
Financial authority, healthcare decisions, and the people who carry out your wishes are separate jobs. For each, pick a first choice and a backup — someone steady, nearby, and clear on what you are asking of them.
Say Where Each Thing Should Go
Decide whether shares pass outright or are held for someone who is young or needs oversight, and say what should happen if a person you named is no longer there. Answers spoken out loud are easier than ones guessed under stress.
A Few Things Worth Bringing
A Practical List To Bring With You
- A simple list of what you own and how each asset is titled
- Names of the people you would trust for financial, healthcare, and personal roles
- A backup for each role in case your first choice cannot serve
- Any existing will, trust, or directive you have already signed
Educational, not individualized advice
Keep Going
Where To Go From Here
A first conversation often points to one of these. Each is a place to start.
Foundational Documents
Wills
A clear, written expression of your wishes — who inherits, who decides, and how the people you love are looked after.
Learn MoreFinancial Authority
Powers of Attorney
Name trusted decision-makers for your financial life so bills, accounts, and responsibilities keep moving if you cannot act.
Learn MoreMedical Wishes
Healthcare Directives
Put your treatment preferences and care advocates in writing, separate from financial matters, so your voice is heard.
Learn MoreA Thoughtful Next Step
Ready To Have The Conversation?
Start with a conversation about your priorities and the questions you want to clarify. We will help you see where to begin and what can wait.