An estate planning checkup is your opportunity to review your life circumstances and the existing strategies and documents you’ve pulled together to protect your interests while you’re alive and your assets after you pass away. Estate planning is essential to ensure that everything you have worked so hard to obtain and protect over your lifetime is passed on in the manner of your choice.

Most people don’t realize that estate planning is not something you visit once by making a will with the help of an estate planning lawyer. It’s a good idea to set calendar reminders, to look at your estate plan at least every few years, to verify that all the information inside is updated and accurate.

If you have experienced major changes in your life, such as divorce, marriage, a move to a new state, or the birth of children, you may need to make substantial changes to your existing documents.

This is a relatively straightforward process, particularly when you already have a relationship with a knowledgeable estate planning lawyer, you’ll be looking for things such as changes in the state or federal law, residency updates, power of attorney concerns, healthcare power of attorney reviews, such as documenting your wishes about do not resuscitate provisions, updates to revocable living trusts such as changes to successor or trustee appointments, edits to your last will and testament such as if a guardian has passed away and to determine open gifting opportunities within your estate plan.

In all of these circumstances, it is the support of an experienced and dedicated estate planning lawyer in Massachusetts that makes a difference in helping you to accomplish your individual goals.

 

 


Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. For legal advice specific to your situation, please consult with a qualified attorney.

Tiffany A. O'Connell, JD, LLM, CELA, AEP

About Tiffany A. O'Connell, JD, LLM, CELA, AEP

Tiffany A. O'Connell, JD, LLM, CELA, AEP is the CEO and Founding Partner of O'Connell Law, an estate planning and elder law firm serving clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. She is one of a select group of attorneys in Massachusetts certified by the National Elder Law Foundation as a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA). Tiffany focuses her practice on estate planning, trust and probate administration, Medicaid planning, long-term care planning, Alzheimer's planning, charitable planning, and retirement and wealth strategies. She has been helping families plan for their futures since opening her practice in 2010.

Credentials: JD, LLM, CELA (Certified Elder Law Attorney — National Elder Law Foundation), AEP (Accredited Estate Planner)

Licensed in: Massachusetts

Areas of Practice: Estate Planning, Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Probate & Trust Administration, Alzheimer's Planning, Asset Protection

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