Knowledge is power.  The more facts you know about your parents’ estate plans, the less you will have to decide on your own later.  Make sure everyone in the family has talked with them about their estate planning and their final wishes.  It is imperative that you know the following:

• Is there a will?
• Where is the will?
• Where is a copy of the will?
• Is the will updated?  A will should be reviewed every 10 years or sooner.  If there is no will, enlist the help of an estate planning attorney; discuss health care issues and trusts as well.
• Do you know who the executor is?
• Do you know who your parents’ attorney is?
• Do you know who your parents’ financial planner is?
• Do you know what to do if your parents have to move to assisted living?
• Do you know your parents’ end-of-life wishes?

Ask these questions now, and have the vital conversations as a family now, before you have to make decisions and locate valuable information in the midst of a crisis.

© 2010 Julie Hall