The best thing about vacation is that you don’t have to think about anything. You can set your daily cares aside and enjoy a relaxing time on the beach or the excitement of exploring a new country. However, when you return home, everyday worries can quickly come rushing back. One way to transition smoothly from the carefree vacation mindset to your regular routine is to focus on organizing important aspects of your life. Maintaining your estate plan can help you feel in control, providing a sense of stability and reducing the tension that often accompanies the end of a vacation.
By ensuring that your estate planning is up-to-date, you create a structured approach to manage your affairs, allowing you to carry some of that vacation relaxation into your daily life
How to Maintain Your Estate Planning Process
There’s no time like the present for getting your affairs in order. Here are a few essential steps for estate planning:
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- Take inventory of your assets. Most people don’t have a good sense of their own assets. In fact, you may have many more valuable items in your possession than you think. Make a list that includes tangible assets such as a house or a car and valuables, as well as, financial assets including savings accounts, retirement accounts, and investments. This inventory will be the basis of your estate plan.
- Take stock of your goals. What do you want to achieve with your estate plan? Sure, you’ll want to ensure that your loved ones are well taken care of, but that’s just the beginning of estate planning. Maybe you want to leave a legacy by gifting assets to your favorite charity. Or perhaps you want to establish a specialized trust. Knowing what you want out of an estate plan is essential for making it work for you.
- Make a list of your beneficiaries. Your primary beneficiaries may be obvious: your children, your grandchildren, a lifelong friend. However, you may not want all of your assets to go to the same place. Making a comprehensive inventory of your beneficiaries is an important step in the estate planning process.
- Contact a professional estate planning attorney. You don’t want to go through the process alone. Estate planning is as complicated as it is important, and without the assistance of a trained professional, you can easily overlook some important documents or legal loopholes. A professional estate planning attorney will ensure that you get the most out of your legacy.
- Draw up essential documents. Once you’ve taken inventory of your assets, goals, and beneficiaries, you’ll work with your estate planning attorney to plan out and draw up the necessary documents. These may include not only a will or trust, but other essential documents such as a healthcare directive and a durable power of attorney. You will want to review the beneficiary designations on your various financial assets to make sure they are in line with your estate plan.
- Store your documents in a safe place. A document is only good if you have it in your possession. Too many people end up misplacing a key item in their estate plan which creates, at best, unnecessary headaches. Storing all of your documents in a safe place where you know you will be able to find them is the key to resting easy.
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Contact the Estate Planning Law Group of Georgia
Maintaining your estate planning process is essential to achieving peace of mind. If you’re ready to begin securing your legacy, do not hesitate to call the experienced professionals at the Estate Planning Law Group of Georgia. Give us a call at (770) 822-2723 and ease back into your life knowing you and your family are protected.
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