For Families · Resource
When to Revisit Your Estate Plan
An estate plan reflects your life at the moment it was signed. When life changes, the documents should be reviewed.
Life events that warrant a review
- Marriage, divorce, or remarriage
- Birth or adoption of children or grandchildren
- Death, serious illness, or incapacity in the family
- A move to or from North Carolina
- Changes in your health or in what matters most to you
Changes in the people you named
Executors, agents, guardians, and beneficiaries are chosen at a point in time. Relationships change, people move, and circumstances shift. Confirm that every person named in your documents is still willing, able, and the right choice.
Changes in property and finances
- Buying or selling real estate
- Starting, selling, or closing a business
- Significant changes in accounts, retirement plans, or insurance
- Beneficiary designations that no longer match your intentions
What to review
Your will
Who inherits, in what shares, and who administers your estate.
Your financial power of attorney
Who may act for you in financial and legal matters, and whether the authority still fits.
Your health care power of attorney
Who speaks for you medically, and whether that person knows your wishes.
A simple rule of thumb
Review your documents every few years, and any time a major life, family, or property change occurs.
Time for a review?
More in the Resource Center.