Estate planning checklist

No one wants to think about dying. But if you don’t plan for your final days, it could cause additional stress to your family and friends, especially at a time when they’ll be grieving.

So use this checklist to create a “just-in-case” file. And make sure your executor(s) know where this information is stored.

• Vital statistics (self, partner, children and other beneficiaries)
• Information about Powers of Attorney for financial and personal care

• Contact details of advisors, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals
• Location of the original will and partner’s will
• Details about funeral arrangements and cemetery plot
• Safety deposit box information
• Other important documents, including: birth certificates; marriage certificates; separation/divorce papers; citizenship and passports; medical records; income tax returns; banking, mortgage, loan, real estate and investment records; vehicle ownership; prenuptial, separation, cohabitation agreements; and custody/adoption records
• Household accounts (include provider, account number, and contact information), including: bank account information; investment account information; pension plans; annuities; valuable personal assets; real estate; business interests; insurance (life, disability, CI, long-term-care, etc.); loan and credit line information; and credit cards

Also, if you’re married or in a common law relationship, both you and your spouse’s wills must detail what should happen in the following situations:

• If your spouse or partner predeceases you;
• If you predecease your spouse or partner; and
• If you both die at the same time.

Courtesy: Invesco Estate Record Keeper

Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.