Estate planning is centered around making sure your family knows how you want your assets and affairs managed in the event of your death. But starting the estate planning process can be overwhelming — which is where estate-planning attorneys come in. These professionals can guide you through the ins and outs to help make sure that your wishes will be followed.
Here’s how you can prepare for your meeting with an estate planning attorney in Tampa, FL.
Step 1: Get yourself organized
While this may come as no surprise, the first thing you will want to do before your meeting is gather all the documentation you will need to get a complete picture of all your assets. While the list will vary from person to person, there are certain things you will specifically need. Here are a list of things you should start to pull together ahead of your meeting with your estate planning attorney broken up by topic.
Accounting of debt
- Mortgage
- Loan documents
- Credit card statements
Policies and declarations
- Real estate deeds
- Vehicle titles
- Beneficiary designations
- Birth and adoption certificates
- Divorce decrees
- Life insurance policies
Assets
- Bank account statements
- Pensions and retirement account statements
- Investments and brokerage statements
Step 2: Speak with your family about your wishes
As you are handling your estate planning, it’s crucial that you have conversations with your loved ones about your own passing, even if it feels uncomfortable. You can choose to break it up into smaller chats — who will be your beneficiaries, who will manage your money, and who will act as your executor.
You should also have these conversations before you speak with an estate planning attorney so you can clearly outline who is going to handle what when it comes to your incapacitation or death.
While these talks can be uncomfortable, they are vital and often form the very foundation of your estate planning.
Step 3: Prepare questions for your estate planning attorney
Once you’ve organized your documents and begun speaking with your family, the last step before you speak with an estate planning attorney is coming up with a list of questions to ask. Some questions you should plan to ask include:
- What are the tax implications of my preferred estate plan? How can I minimize my tax burden?
- What assets should be part of my estate?
- How can you ensure that my will and wishes are carried out correctly?
- How long does the estate-planning process take?
- Where should all of my important documents be stored?
- How do you update my estate plan?
- Do you conduct periodic reviews on my estate plan?
Your estate-planning attorney should welcome any questions that you ask and provide answers for you in a way that you understand and feel comfortable with.
Contact us to book an appointment!
You can book an appointment with Candela Law Firm today to meet with a Tampa estate planning attorney. We’re proud to serve our neighbors with estate planning and other end-of-life planning. Give us a call at 813-417-3645 to book your appointment. You can also send a message using our contact form to send your inquiries.
