Signing your estate planning documents is an important step. But from what I’ve seen through my work as a notary, there is another part of estate planning that deserves just as much attention: what happens after the signatures are complete?
A will, trust, power of attorney, health care directive, or other estate planning document can put important decisions in writing. But those documents can only help when the people who need them know they exist, know where to find them, and can access the information they need.
That is the part of estate planning we don’t always talk about.
The “after” part of estate planning
When I meet with clients to notarize estate planning documents, my role is focused on the notarization process. I’m not an attorney, and I don’t prepare or advise clients about their estate planning documents.
But over the years, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to see how much thought goes into putting a plan in place.
And it has made me think about what happens afterward.
Imagine that something unexpected happens and a family member suddenly needs to step in.
Would they know that an estate plan exists?
Would they know where the original or important copies are kept?
Would they know who prepared the documents?
Would they know who to contact with questions?
Would they be able to find other important information they may need?
The answers to those questions aren’t necessarily contained in the legal documents themselves.
Having a plan is one thing. Making it findable is another.
Estate planning often gets reduced to a checklist of documents: Will. Trust. Power of Attorney. Health Care Directive.
Those documents are important, but the practical side matters too.
A beautifully organized plan doesn’t help much if the people who need to act on it don’t know where it is.
That doesn’t mean you need to hand everyone copies of your private information or share every detail of your finances.
It simply means thinking ahead about what information someone may need and how you want them to find it.
For example, you might want to make sure a trusted person knows:
- Where your important legal documents are kept
- Who your attorney or other professional contacts are
- Where to find insurance information
- How to locate important financial information
- Where you’ve documented important wishes or instructions
- How to access information you’ve intentionally chosen to leave for them
You can decide what makes sense for your situation and who should have access to it.
Start with one simple question
If you aren’t sure where to begin, try asking yourself:
“If someone I trust had to step in for me tomorrow, what would I want them to know?”
You may immediately think of several things. Or you may realize there are a few gaps you haven’t thought about.
Either way, you don’t have to organize your entire life in one afternoon.
Estate planning can be a series of small steps.
You might start by locating your existing documents. Then make a list of the people and professionals your family may need to contact. Then think about where important information is stored and whether someone you trust would know how to find it.
One step at a time is still progress.
A resource to help you get started
I’ve created an Estate Planning Starter Checklist to help you think through some of these practical questions.
It isn’t a substitute for legal advice, and it isn’t designed to tell you which documents you need. Instead, it’s a starting point for gathering information, identifying questions, and having more productive conversations with the appropriate professionals and the people you trust.
If estate planning has been on your “I really need to get to that” list, this can be an easy place to start.
And what about all the information beyond the documents?
This is also one of the reasons I became interested in Legacy Vault.
Estate planning documents are only part of the picture. There may be other information, instructions, contacts, and details that your family would need if you were no longer able to provide them yourself.
Legacy Vault provides a secure place to organize that information and make it available to the people you choose.
I use Legacy Vault myself, and what appeals to me is the practical side of it: helping connect the documents you’ve put in place with the information your family may need when the time comes.
It isn’t about expecting something bad to happen.
It’s about making things a little easier for the people who may someday have to help.
Estate planning is about more than signatures
As a notary, I spend a lot of time around signatures and documents. And those signatures matter.
But I’ve come to appreciate that the real purpose behind estate planning is much bigger than getting paperwork completed.
It’s about making your wishes known.
It’s about giving the people you’ve chosen the authority they may need.
And it’s about making important information easier to find when someone needs it.
So this month, rather than thinking only about whether your documents are signed, consider the next question:
If someone needed to help me tomorrow, would they know where to start?
If you’re ready to take one small step, start there.
Please note: Precision Notary does not provide legal advice, prepare estate planning documents, or determine which documents are appropriate for your situation. For questions about your estate plan or legal documents, consult a qualified estate planning attorney.
DISCLOSURES:
Precision Notary and its employees are not attorneys licensed to practice law in this state. We are not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.
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All legal documents offered are provided by Everything Living Trust.
Document translation & interpretation services are provided by Idiomatic Language Services.
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