Estate planning checklist
25 items in five steps: the documents to prepare, the beneficiary forms to check, the papers to gather, the protection to put in place and how to keep it all current.
Only 24% of U.S. adults have a will, and 43% of those without one say they "just haven't gotten around to it" (Caring.com, 2025). Start with one section this week.
1. Prepare the core documents
Most people need the first five. An estate attorney can draft and sign them correctly for your state.
Says who receives your property and who settles your estate (your executor). Without one, your state's law decides who inherits.
Named in your will: the person who would raise your children. How to choose a guardian
Names someone to make financial decisions for you if you cannot.
Names your health care proxy: the person who makes medical decisions if you cannot communicate them.
Tells doctors which treatments you would and would not want. Most states provide advance directive forms free, and you do not need a lawyer for them.
A trustee holds and passes on property for you. Whether you need one depends on your state and what you own. Will vs trust
A signed form lets your doctor, bank or insurer talk with the person helping you.
2. Check beneficiaries and titles
These assets pass outside your will, to whoever the form or title names. Your will cannot override them.
A primary and a contingent (backup) beneficiary on every policy, including coverage through work. Life insurance review checklist
In most employer plans your spouse must be the primary beneficiary unless they sign a waiver.
On bank and brokerage accounts. They pass to the person named, whatever your will says.
Jointly owned property often passes straight to the co-owner. Check that each title matches your plan.
Insurers will not pay a child. Name a trust or custodian for children instead. Minor beneficiaries
3. Gather the papers
Put originals or copies in one place so the people you name can act quickly.
Birth, marriage, divorce, citizenship and adoption certificates; military and education records.
Banks, investments, pensions, IRAs and 401(k)s with account numbers, plus your Social Security information.
Life, long-term care, home and car, with policy numbers and your agents' contact details.
Mortgage, loans and cards with how they are paid; your deed, car titles and the latest tax return.
A list of accounts and how a trusted person could reach them, for example through a password manager's emergency access.
Your lawyer, accountant, financial and insurance professionals, doctors and close family.
4. Protect the people you leave behind
Documents decide who gets what. These steps decide whether there is enough, and whether your wishes are known.
Enough to cover debts and your family's costs for the years they would depend on you. Free financial needs analysis
Service, burial or cremation, and any traditions you want honored. Give copies to family.
Register when you renew your driver's license or state ID, or online.
From kav.solutions/resources/estate-planning-checklist. General education, not legal, tax or financial advice.
Common questions
What are the essential estate planning documents?
What happens if I die without a will?
Do I need a lawyer for estate planning?
How often should I review my estate plan?
Keep reading
- Will vs trustWhich one your family needs, with a worked probate example.
- How to choose a guardianWho would raise your children, and how the money follows.
- Minor beneficiariesWhy insurers won't pay a child, and the better setup.
- What to do when a spouse diesThe first-year checklist for the person left to act.
- Financial vs medical power of attorneyWhat each document lets someone do, and when you need both.
- Caring for aging parentsThe documents and money conversations to have early.
Sources
Make sure the money side is covered too
Documents decide who gets what. A free 45-minute needs analysis checks whether there is enough, from life insurance to beneficiaries.