Estate planning is important, but what happens if no one can find your important documents? All that hard work could be for nothing, leaving your family frustrated and unsure how to deal with sorting out your assets.
It’s important to keep your will in a safe place, where it will be found after your passing. Don’t hide your will under a desk drawer or in a secret compartment. If you do, no one will find it unless they know where to look. Make sure you tell your executor(s) where to find your will when the time comes.
Ideally you should have your original will handy. However, a copy can be used when your original can’t be found, but there are additional hurdles to getting a copy admitted to probate. You can also save a digital copy and email a copy to your named executor(s) if you don’t mind them getting an advanced look at your will. If you have privacy concerns, at least tell your executor(s) where he or she can find a copy.
If you can’t find the original will or a copy, you can call the estate planning attorney who prepared it. They may still have a copy on file, but don’t count on it.
It’s important to keep in mind that assets change over time. The stuff that we had when the will was made can change. You regularly buy and sell vehicles, homes and other property. You save money then spend it, change banks and investments over time, and do a whole host of things that potentially change your asset list. It’s important to keep an up to date list of assets in one location somewhere for record keeping.
The most effective way to take advantage of estate planning resources and tools is to seek representation and work with an experienced attorney. When you work with Pear Sperling Eggan & Daniels, P.C., you’ll be in great hands. With over seven decades of combined experience, you’ll be guided through the complex estate planning process by someone who has seen it all and can help you make the best decisions for your family. We understand the many facets of estate planning, including how beneficiary designation assets can benefit your estate. Let our estate planning attorneys in Ann Arbor help you take the right steps to avoid extra taxes and expenses and to ensure that your assets end up in the intended hands.
At Pear Sperling Eggan & Daniels, P.C. , we always strive for the best verdicts, judgments, settlements, and outcomes for our clients, and we’ve succeeded in thousands of cases. Contact us online or call us at (734) 665-4441 for a consultation.
Resource: Ryan T. Webster
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