Congratulations on making an appointment with our estate planning law firm! You have taken your first giant step toward protecting your wealth and family. We want this meeting to be as productive and painless as possible, so we have come up with a few tips to help you prepare for the visit.
Information We May Need to Create a Comprehensive Florida Estate Plan
If you haven’t done so already, you should begin by completing our estate planning questionnaire. Be sure to provide as much detail as possible so we can include all assets and holdings in your plan. You should also gather certain documents and information that can help us find the right plan to suit your specific needs and goals, including:
- Family details. Write down the full names, ages, and contact information for as many relatives and heirs as you can, including your spouse, former spouse(s), children, stepchildren, grandchildren, siblings, nieces/nephews, parents, and anyone else who could be a potential beneficiary.
- Bank information. We’ll need basic information regarding your checking and savings accounts, investment accounts (such as mutual funds), certificates of deposit, stocks, and other financial holdings. It’s important that you know whether any of these accounts are held in your name only or with a joint owner.
- Real estate information. We need to know the address of any property you own, such as your family home and any investment properties (vacation homes or rental properties). Again, we need to know if your ownership is jointly held with a partner, as well as the market value and outstanding mortgage balance.
- Business holdings. If you are a shareholder or partner in a business interest, we’ll need to know the business’s location and structure (such as an LLC).
- A list of your assets. Anything you have of value—such as automobiles, jewelry, art, antiques, or other personal property—should be listed along with the approximate current-day value of each one.
- Retirement and life insurance documents. Statements from the financial institution that is holding your life insurance, 401(k), IRAs, Roth IRA, or pension are required so that we know the account numbers and beneficiary designations of each.
Our Florida estate planning attorneys do much more than create legally-binding documents. At DeLoach, Hofstra & Cavonis, we answer all of your questions and create a plan that is uniquely tailored to your needs. Simply fill out the quick contact form on this page to set up a consultation.
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