Settled — Your Estate Plan, Always Up to Date

Essential Documents

Every estate plan starts with the right paperwork. Here's what you need — think of this as your foundation. Without these documents, everything else is built on sand.

✅ Last Will and Testament — Directs who gets your assets and names a guardian for minor children. This is non-negotiable. Not sure if you need one? You do.
✅ Durable Power of Attorney — Names someone to manage your finances if you become incapacitated. Without this, your family needs a court order to pay your bills.
✅ Healthcare Power of Attorney — Names someone to make medical decisions if you can't speak for yourself.
✅ Living Will / Advance Directive — Documents your wishes about life support, resuscitation, and end-of-life care.
✅ HIPAA Authorization — Allows designated people to access your medical records. Without this, doctors can't share information with your family.
✅ Revocable Living Trust (if appropriate) — Helps larger estates avoid probate and provides more control over asset distribution.

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These documents only work if people can find them. Store originals in a fireproof safe or with your attorney. Give copies to your executor, healthcare agent, and power of attorney. Tell at least two trusted people where to find everything.

Financial Accounts

Your financial accounts are the core of your estate. Review each one to make sure it's set up to transfer smoothly:

✅ Bank accounts — Add payable-on-death (POD) designations so funds transfer directly to beneficiaries without probate.
✅ Investment/brokerage accounts — Add transfer-on-death (TOD) designations. Review asset allocation for any accounts that will fund a trust.
✅ Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, Roth IRA) — Verify beneficiary designations are current. These override your will, so outdated beneficiaries are a common and devastating mistake.
✅ Pension or annuity — Confirm survivor benefit elections and beneficiary designations.
✅ Real estate — Review how each property is titled. Joint tenancy with survivorship avoids probate. Consider a transfer-on-death deed if your state allows it.
✅ Business interests — If you own a business, ensure your succession plan is documented. Review buy-sell agreements, partnership agreements, and operating agreements.

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Create a master list of all accounts with institution names, account numbers (last 4 digits for security), and contact information. Store it with your estate documents. Your executor will thank you.

Insurance Review

Insurance is one of the most overlooked parts of estate planning. These policies can be your family's financial lifeline — but only if they're current and properly set up.

✅ Life insurance — Is the coverage amount still adequate? Are beneficiaries current? Consider whether your policy should be owned by a trust to avoid estate taxes.
✅ Homeowner's / renter's insurance — Make sure coverage reflects current property values and contents.
✅ Auto insurance — Review coverage levels, especially if vehicles will be transferred to family members.
✅ Umbrella / liability insurance — Protects your estate from lawsuits that could drain assets meant for heirs.
✅ Long-term care insurance — If you're over 50, seriously consider this. Long-term care costs can devastate an estate — the average nursing home runs ,000-0,000 per month.
✅ Disability insurance — Protects your income (and your family's financial security) if you can't work.

⚠️

Beneficiary designations on insurance policies and retirement accounts supersede your will. If your ex-spouse is still listed as beneficiary on your life insurance, they get the payout — even if your will says otherwise. Check these annually.

Digital Assets

In 2024, your digital life may be worth as much as your physical one. Don't let these assets disappear or become inaccessible:

✅ Email accounts — Document access credentials. Consider Google's Inactive Account Manager or Apple's Legacy Contact feature.
✅ Social media accounts — Decide what should happen (memorialized, deleted, transferred). Facebook and Instagram have legacy contact settings.
✅ Cloud storage — Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud. Photos, documents, and files your family may want access to.
✅ Cryptocurrency — Document wallet addresses, recovery phrases, and PINs. Without these, crypto assets are permanently lost. There's no "forgot password" for Bitcoin.
✅ Online businesses and domains — Website hosting accounts, domain registrations, e-commerce platforms, ad accounts.
✅ Subscriptions and recurring charges — List active subscriptions so they can be canceled. These add up fast if nobody knows about them.
✅ Password manager — Use one, and make sure your executor knows how to access it. This single step solves most digital access problems.

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A password manager (like 1Password, Bitwarden, or LastPass) with an emergency access feature is the simplest way to handle digital assets. Set up emergency access for your executor or a trusted family member. One master password unlocks everything.

Family Conversations

The most complete estate plan in the world fails if nobody knows about it. These conversations are awkward, but they're essential:

✅ Tell your executor — Make sure they know they're named, where to find your documents, and what to expect. Ideally, walk them through your plan.
✅ Talk to your spouse/partner — Both of you should understand the full financial picture. Surprisingly, many couples don't.
✅ Discuss guardianship — If you've named guardians for your children, make sure they've agreed. Also discuss your parenting values and wishes.
✅ Share healthcare wishes — Your healthcare agent should know your feelings about life support, organ donation, and end-of-life care before they're in the position of deciding.
✅ Address the elephant — If your plan includes unequal distributions (one child gets more than another), explain your reasoning now. A letter of explanation included with your will can prevent years of resentment.

These conversations don't have to happen all at once. Start small. "Hey, I set up a will — here's where to find it" is a perfectly fine opening line. You'd be surprised how relieved people are when you bring it up.

Annual Review

An estate plan isn't a "set it and forget it" project. Life changes, and your plan should change with it. Schedule an annual review — put it on your calendar alongside your annual physical.

Review triggers (update your plan when any of these happen):

✅ Marriage or divorce
✅ Birth or adoption of a child
✅ Death of a beneficiary, executor, or guardian
✅ Significant change in assets (inheritance, sale of property, new business)
✅ Moving to a new state (estate laws vary significantly)
✅ Change in tax laws (federal estate tax exemptions shift regularly)
✅ Change in health status
✅ Change in relationships (falling out with named executor, new partner)

Annual checklist:

✅ Review all beneficiary designations on financial accounts and insurance
✅ Confirm executor and guardian choices are still appropriate
✅ Update asset inventory with new accounts or major purchases
✅ Review and update digital asset information
✅ Check that document storage is secure and accessible to the right people

💡

Pick a recurring date that's easy to remember — your birthday, New Year's, or tax day. Pair it with something you already do annually (like reviewing your tax return) so it becomes routine.

How Settled Helps

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Settled turns this checklist into an action plan. Our platform guides you through creating essential documents, organizing your accounts, and keeping everything up to date — all in one place. No scattered paperwork, no forgotten beneficiaries, no wondering if you missed something. Your estate plan, finally settled. Start checking boxes →

Essential Documents

Every estate plan starts with the right paperwork. Here's what you need — think of this as your foundation. Without these documents, everything else is built on sand.

✅ Last Will and Testament — Directs who gets your assets and names a guardian for minor children. This is non-negotiable. Not sure if you need one? You do.
✅ Durable Power of Attorney — Names someone to manage your finances if you become incapacitated. Without this, your family needs a court order to pay your bills.
✅ Healthcare Power of Attorney — Names someone to make medical decisions if you can't speak for yourself.
✅ Living Will / Advance Directive — Documents your wishes about life support, resuscitation, and end-of-life care.
✅ HIPAA Authorization — Allows designated people to access your medical records. Without this, doctors can't share information with your family.
✅ Revocable Living Trust (if appropriate) — Helps larger estates avoid probate and provides more control over asset distribution.

⚠️

Financial Accounts

Your financial accounts are the core of your estate. Review each one to make sure it's set up to transfer smoothly:

✅ Bank accounts — Add payable-on-death (POD) designations so funds transfer directly to beneficiaries without probate.
✅ Investment/brokerage accounts — Add transfer-on-death (TOD) designations. Review asset allocation for any accounts that will fund a trust.
✅ Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, Roth IRA) — Verify beneficiary designations are current. These override your will, so outdated beneficiaries are a common and devastating mistake.
✅ Pension or annuity — Confirm survivor benefit elections and beneficiary designations.
✅ Real estate — Review how each property is titled. Joint tenancy with survivorship avoids probate. Consider a transfer-on-death deed if your state allows it.
✅ Business interests — If you own a business, ensure your succession plan is documented. Review buy-sell agreements, partnership agreements, and operating agreements.

💡

Create a master list of all accounts with institution names, account numbers (last 4 digits for security), and contact information. Store it with your estate documents. Your executor will thank you.

Insurance Review

Insurance is one of the most overlooked parts of estate planning. These policies can be your family's financial lifeline — but only if they're current and properly set up.

✅ Life insurance — Is the coverage amount still adequate? Are beneficiaries current? Consider whether your policy should be owned by a trust to avoid estate taxes.
✅ Homeowner's / renter's insurance — Make sure coverage reflects current property values and contents.
✅ Auto insurance — Review coverage levels, especially if vehicles will be transferred to family members.
✅ Umbrella / liability insurance — Protects your estate from lawsuits that could drain assets meant for heirs.
✅ Long-term care insurance — If you're over 50, seriously consider this. Long-term care costs can devastate an estate — the average nursing home runs ,000-0,000 per month.
✅ Disability insurance — Protects your income (and your family's financial security) if you can't work.

⚠️

Digital Assets

In 2024, your digital life may be worth as much as your physical one. Don't let these assets disappear or become inaccessible:

✅ Email accounts — Document access credentials. Consider Google's Inactive Account Manager or Apple's Legacy Contact feature.
✅ Social media accounts — Decide what should happen (memorialized, deleted, transferred). Facebook and Instagram have legacy contact settings.
✅ Cloud storage — Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud. Photos, documents, and files your family may want access to.
✅ Cryptocurrency — Document wallet addresses, recovery phrases, and PINs. Without these, crypto assets are permanently lost. There's no "forgot password" for Bitcoin.
✅ Online businesses and domains — Website hosting accounts, domain registrations, e-commerce platforms, ad accounts.
✅ Subscriptions and recurring charges — List active subscriptions so they can be canceled. These add up fast if nobody knows about them.
✅ Password manager — Use one, and make sure your executor knows how to access it. This single step solves most digital access problems.

💡

Family Conversations

The most complete estate plan in the world fails if nobody knows about it. These conversations are awkward, but they're essential:

✅ Tell your executor — Make sure they know they're named, where to find your documents, and what to expect. Ideally, walk them through your plan.
✅ Talk to your spouse/partner — Both of you should understand the full financial picture. Surprisingly, many couples don't.
✅ Discuss guardianship — If you've named guardians for your children, make sure they've agreed. Also discuss your parenting values and wishes.
✅ Share healthcare wishes — Your healthcare agent should know your feelings about life support, organ donation, and end-of-life care before they're in the position of deciding.
✅ Address the elephant — If your plan includes unequal distributions (one child gets more than another), explain your reasoning now. A letter of explanation included with your will can prevent years of resentment.

Annual Review

An estate plan isn't a "set it and forget it" project. Life changes, and your plan should change with it. Schedule an annual review — put it on your calendar alongside your annual physical.

Review triggers (update your plan when any of these happen):

✅ Marriage or divorce
✅ Birth or adoption of a child
✅ Death of a beneficiary, executor, or guardian
✅ Significant change in assets (inheritance, sale of property, new business)
✅ Moving to a new state (estate laws vary significantly)
✅ Change in tax laws (federal estate tax exemptions shift regularly)
✅ Change in health status
✅ Change in relationships (falling out with named executor, new partner)

Annual checklist:

✅ Review all beneficiary designations on financial accounts and insurance
✅ Confirm executor and guardian choices are still appropriate
✅ Update asset inventory with new accounts or major purchases
✅ Review and update digital asset information
✅ Check that document storage is secure and accessible to the right people

💡

Pick a recurring date that's easy to remember — your birthday, New Year's, or tax day. Pair it with something you already do annually (like reviewing your tax return) so it becomes routine.

How Settled Helps

✅

The Ultimate Estate Planning Checklist

Essential Documents

Financial Accounts

Insurance Review

Digital Assets

Family Conversations

Annual Review

How Settled Helps

Start Your Plan

Related Articles

Estate Planning Basics

Beneficiary Review

The Ultimate Estate Planning Checklist

Essential Documents

Financial Accounts

Insurance Review

Digital Assets

Family Conversations

Annual Review

How Settled Helps

Start Your Plan

Related Articles

Estate Planning Basics

Beneficiary Review