Top 10 Ways to Keep Your Legal Affairs Organized
Keep your list from #1 above and your Estate Planning documents together and help your family avoid the Scavenger Hunt.
Use a fireproof box for those documents that the family has access to in the event of an emergency. Alternatively use a safe deposit box that the family can get into in the event of an emergency.
Review and update your Estate Planning documents every three to five years.
Make sure to have alternate designees on your documents.
Make sure that your documents have a HIPAA representative designated on the Power of Attorney.
If you have a Revocable Living Trust, make sure that it is funded.
Make sure to consult with an Elder Law attorney to create a long term care plan in the event that the unexpected happens.
If you have loved ones with special needs, make sure that you have a properly drafted Special Needs Trust.
Make certain that your medical attorney-in-fact and patient advocate designee has a copy of your medical documents that he/she can fax to a hospital in the event of an emergency.
Source: Danielle B. Mayoras, Attorney and The Director of Community Education for The Center for Probate Litigation, The Center for Elder Law, and The Center for Special Needs Planning, divisions of Barron, Rosenberg, Mayoras & Mayoras, PC
Categories: