Estate Planning Mistakes - Number Nineteen

It is important the original Will is maintained in a secure place. If my clients keep the original, it must be either in a safety deposit box or a fireproof safe at their home. Otherwise, the attorney preparing the Will may maintain it. The original is needed at the time of death.

BUT, what happens if the original Will can not be found. You have to overcome the court's presumption that the Will was intentionally destroyed by the deceased. You would have to show that the original was not with the deceased. Further, you would have to present a photocopy is available and have person who wrote the Will, the attorney, available to testify as to the contents of the Will.

SO, you DO NOT want to misplace the original Will. It will cost you if you do. Contact us so that we can guide you through the estate planning process.

Hiring an Estate Planning Attorney - 10 Things that Matter Most

THIRD, you want to know what role the attorney plays in keeping your estate plan current. Once you have completed your initial estate plan, it is important that it is revisited periodically. You also want to be kept apprised of any laws that may impact your estate plan. Your estate planning attorney should have a process in place to address these concerns and explain to you any costs associated with changes and updates to your plan. It is important to most people that they can make changes to their plan. Knowing that changes can be made to any initial plan helps people to move forward in getting their estate planning done. What's keeping you from moving forward with either getting an estate plan or updating an old one? Blog about it here, we can help.