Complete Legacy Planning Checklist

If something happened tomorrow, would your plan protect the people you love?

Many people believe they have time to deal with legacy planning later, so they put it off…sometimes until it’s too late.

But without a clear, up-to-date legacy plan, decisions about your life, your assets, and your legacy may be made by default, not by you. For families with over $1M in investable assets, even small oversights can have amplified consequences.

• Your assets may not go where you intended. Outdated beneficiaries, improperly titled accounts, or missing documents can cause assets to pass to the wrong people, or in the wrong way.
• Your family may face unnecessary stress and conflict. When wishes aren’t clearly documented, loved ones are left guessing, often during an already emotional and difficult time.
• Court involvement and delays become more likely. Without proper planning, your estate may be subject to probate, increasing costs, timelines, and public exposure.
• Unnecessary taxes can erode what you leave behind. Poor coordination between legacy, tax, and investment strategies can reduce the amount your heirs ultimately receive.
• You may lose control during incapacity, not just at death. Without powers of attorney and healthcare directives, decisions about your finances and medical care could be made by the court, not by people you trust.
• Life changes quietly invalidate old plans. Marriage, divorce, children, grandchildren, relocation, or changes in net worth can render existing plans ineffective without regular review.