Estate planning public guide
Organize information for an estate-planning conversation
Learn the general roles of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health-care documents, beneficiary designations, and asset records.
General legal information. A licensed attorney can apply it to your facts.
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Existing documents and state law may control who can act. Hospitals, emergency services, and a licensed local attorney can help with time-sensitive decisions.
Your first useful result
Build a estate planning starting roadmap
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What each roadmap covers
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I am creating a first estate plan+
Inventory people, assets, beneficiaries, decision-makers, care wishes, and the documents commonly discussed.
The roadmap organizes:
- List family members, dependents, intended beneficiaries, and possible fiduciaries or backups.
- Inventory real estate, accounts, retirement plans, insurance, business interests, and valuable property.
- Record current beneficiary designations and ownership for each asset.
- Use state-specific execution and tax sources during licensed review.
Records:
Asset and account list · Beneficiary designations · Deeds and business records · Family and fiduciary contact list
A marriage, divorce, birth, death, or move changed things+
Compare existing documents and designations with the current family, property, state, and decision-maker picture.
The roadmap organizes:
- List every change in family, residence, assets, business ownership, health, and intended beneficiaries.
- Gather all current estate documents and amendments without marking or discarding originals.
- Compare beneficiary designations, titles, and fiduciary appointments with current intentions.
- Identify documents signed under another state’s law for licensed review.
Records:
Current will, trust, and amendments · Powers of attorney and health directives · Current titles and beneficiary records · Marriage, divorce, birth, or death records
Health, incapacity, or caregiving is the priority+
Organize existing authority documents, health wishes, financial access, care contacts, and backup decision-makers.
The roadmap organizes:
- Locate health-care directives, financial powers, releases, trusts, and guardianship documents.
- List current agents, backups, doctors, caregivers, financial contacts, and document locations.
- Record health and care wishes in the form used by the relevant jurisdiction and provider.
- Confirm document execution, acceptance, and continuing validity with licensed local help.
Records:
Powers of attorney · Health-care directives and releases · Trust and guardianship documents · Care and financial contact list
Business, tax, special-needs, or multistate property is involved+
Separate ownership, valuation, beneficiary, control, tax, and jurisdiction facts for coordinated review.
The roadmap organizes:
- List each business, trust, property, policy, account, and jurisdiction separately.
- Record legal ownership, beneficiary, control rights, valuation source, and governing documents.
- Identify dependents receiving public benefits and any existing special-needs planning.
- Coordinate legal, tax, financial, and insurance questions rather than treating one document as the whole plan.
Records:
Business and operating agreements · Trusts, deeds, and account titles · Tax returns and valuations · Benefit and insurance records
Published by DocketBuddy · Roadmap content reviewed August 9, 2026 · State pages carry their own source verification and review dates.
How the process is usually organized
People and responsibilities
Consider who may serve in fiduciary, caregiving, health-care, financial, and backup roles.
Assets and beneficiary designations
Create a current inventory and note how accounts, insurance, real estate, and jointly held property are titled.
State execution requirements
Witness, notarization, signing, and document rules vary; improperly completed documents may not work as intended.
Check current state transfer-tax treatment
Choose a state for source-linked estate-tax and inheritance-tax treatment, plus the facts that can change the answer.
Browse all 51 published state guides
Official and public sources
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For estate planning attorneys
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