End-of-Summer Checklist: Is Your Estate Plan Up to Date?

James Nici

As summer winds down and kids head back to school, it’s a natural time for a reset. While you're organizing your calendar, closets, and to-do lists, there’s one more area worth reviewing: your estate plan.

 

An estate plan isn’t a “set it and forget it” document. Life changes—and your plan should change with it. The end of summer is a great time to take stock and make sure your plan still reflects your current goals, relationships, and financial situation.

 

Here’s your end-of-summer estate planning checklist to help ensure everything is in order before the year speeds up again.

 

✅ 1. Review Your Will and/or Trust

 

Have there been any major changes in your life since you last reviewed your will or trust?

  • Marriage or divorce?

  • Birth or adoption of a child or grandchild?

  • Death of a beneficiary or executor?

  • A significant change in your assets?

If so, your documents may need to be updated to reflect your current wishes.

 

✅ 2. Check Beneficiary Designations

 

Some of your most important assets—like life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and payable-on-death (POD) bank accounts—pass outside of your will or trust. That means the beneficiary designations on those accounts control who gets them, regardless of what your will says.

 

Make sure your designations are:

  • Accurate

  • Up to date

  • Aligned with the rest of your estate plan

✅ 3. Update Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Directives

 

Can someone you trust step in to handle your finances or medical decisions if you’re unable to?

Now’s a great time to:

  • Review your financial power of attorney

  • Confirm your healthcare proxy/living will reflects your current wishes

  • Make sure the people you've named are still willing and able to serve

If your documents are more than 5 years old, it’s wise to consider updating them—even if your choices haven’t changed—because institutions are sometimes hesitant to honor older documents.

 

✅ 4. Take Inventory of Your Assets

 

Summer is a great time to do a quick check of your financial picture:

  • Have you acquired new property, investments, or digital assets?

  • Did you sell or gift any major assets?

  • Are all assets properly titled in the name of your trust (if you have one)?

Keeping an updated list of your assets (and how they’re owned) helps ensure a smooth transition later—and makes life much easier for your loved ones.

 

✅ 5. Talk to Your Family

 

Estate planning isn’t just about documents—it’s about people. If your wishes have changed, or if you’ve created or revised your plan recently, it may be helpful to communicate with your family about your intentions.

 

Open conversations now can prevent confusion—and potential conflict—later on.

 

✅ 6. Schedule a Meeting with Your Estate Planning Attorney

 

Even if you don’t think anything’s changed, it’s wise to review your estate plan with your attorney every few years. We can help you:

  • Spot legal or tax issues you may not be aware of

  • Make sure your documents still comply with current law

  • Adjust your plan to reflect your evolving goals

Don’t Let the Year Slip Away Without Reviewing Your Plan

 

Between vacations and back-to-school prep, estate planning may not be top of mind—but it should be. Taking a little time now to review your documents can give you confidence heading into the fall—and peace of mind that your loved ones are protected.