Your estate plan, which should at the minimum contain a will, living will and powers of attorney, should be reviewed annually. If any changes need to be made, contact an attorney to insure proper procedures are followed. Not executing the documents correctly can have adverse and fatal consequences that might not be salvageable after your incapacitation or death.

The following personal or financial changes should prompt a call to your lawyer's office:

• Change in marital status (you or your beneficiaries divorce or marriage)
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Change as to beneficiaries (death, incapacity or change in relationship)
• Change in fiduciary (Executor, Trustee or Guardian)
• Change in wealth or addition/lapse of life insurance
• Purchase or sale of a business
• Changes in specific or charitable gifts
• Move to or from another state
• Retirement or pending retirement
• Changes in federal or state tax law or property law

Depending on the complexity of the change, the revision can be made by either a codicil or a new document. Contact my office and I will e-mail you a free checklist to use for estate planning document review.