Four Documents Every Georgia Estate Plan Should Include
Four documents form the backbone of nearly every estate plan — and the one most people forget can quietly override all the others.
Most people put off estate planning because it feels premature. In practice, the documents below matter most at exactly the moments no one plans for.
The core four
- A will — directs how your probate estate is distributed and names a guardian for minor children
- Financial power of attorney — lets someone you trust manage your finances if you cannot
- Advance healthcare directive — records your medical wishes and names someone to speak for you
- Beneficiary designations — on retirement accounts and life insurance, these override your will
Why beneficiary designations trip people up
A retirement account passes to whoever is named on the account, regardless of what your will says. After a divorce or a death in the family, these are among the most commonly overlooked documents.
When to revisit your plan
Review your documents after any major life change — a marriage, a divorce, a move to another state, the birth or adoption of a child, or a significant change in assets.
An estate plan is not a one-time transaction. The plan that fit your family a decade ago may work against it today.
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