Among the lessons learned during the COVID pandemic – too often learned the hard way – is the imperative to prepare ourselves for the unexpected. Two years ago, few people could have predicted the upheaval triggered by lockdowns, illness, and, tragically, premature death.  Writing for the Kiplinger financial website, financial planner Ron Brown urges that we use the pandemic as a trigger to get our houses in order, so to speak.

In his article, Brown offers a fairly basic checklist of important estate planning to-do items that can help you and your loved ones be better prepared for any eventuality. Even if we never again face something as disruptive and far-reaching as the COVID pandemic – and that’s a big “if” – we think this is a good list to review with your spouse and your estate planning team.

Lesson Number One: Expect the Unexpected

“If there is a poignant reality the pandemic has taught us all,” Brown begins, “it is to expect the unexpected.” It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown plenty of curveballs our way, but between disease, stock market shifts, civil unrest, the Great Resignation, and lockdowns, the last few years have shown us that we never really know what’s coming around the bend. 

“As of late February,” Brown writes, “the virus has taken over 970,000 lives in the U.S. alone, which has had a heartbreaking and life-altering impact on so many families. When it comes to unexpected events, there are few more difficult than the death of a loved one, and it can become more strenuous without a comprehensive estate plan in place.”

There’s no time like the present to learn about and implement the basics of estate planning. Here are Brown’s tips. 

Ensure You Have an Updated Will

As we’ve written about on this blog before, it can be easy to treat your will as a “one-and-done” task. But wills should change with your circumstances, and need to be updated periodically. “Many people are concerned about where their assets will go after they die,” Brown writes, “and it is, therefore, important to have a will (for more details, read The Essentials You Need for an Estate Plan) and that you update it at regular intervals.”

A will isn’t just for high-rollers, either. “Even if your planned asset division is relatively simple, a will is a necessity to protect your assets and the loved ones who will receive them,” Brown asserts. “This is also a good opportunity to inventory your assets and take full stock of what needs to be considered within your estate plan, from real estate and automobiles all the way down to items like tools and clothing.” Working with a financial planner can make this inventory process very simple, but there are also free checklists available online as a resource.

One strong note of caution: we strongly advise you not to try to plan your estate using “one size fits all” online legal documents. You might save a bit upfront, but you can reap a harvest of huge headaches for your heirs by relying on cheap shortcuts. Not all legal document creators are alike! Good legal advice is priceless in the long run, so don’t entrust your estate plan to inexpensive, generic online documents.

Prepare a Power of Attorney for Financial Situations

A fairly well-known element of estate planning, your power of authority gives an individual final say on your behalf if you’re incapacitated or fall ill. “This is particularly important as it relates to being able to manage financial transactions when an individual is unable to do so. In some cases, the power of attorney may also be able to execute certain duties after one’s death, particularly if there is no estate executor,” Brown explains.

He adds, “The bottom line is that having someone you trust with power of attorney capabilities in case of incapacitation, illness or death is a good safeguard for your assets.” We’ve seen too many families face the chaotic consequences when a loved one fails to take this vital step.

Designate Beneficiaries to your Retirement Account(s)

Similarly, you should also have trusted beneficiaries—both primary and secondary—listed for your retirement accounts. “These beneficiary pronouncements override the will, so whoever is the estate executor will not have to figure out to whom these accounts go, nor will the accounts need to go through the costly probate process,” Brown writes.

This usually only takes a few minutes to set up or update, and is well worth the time. This is especially true if you’re divorced. You may find your money going to an ex-spouse instead of a current one simply because you never revised the beneficiary form on that old 401(k).

Understand Estate Tax Laws

“While federal estate taxes can be up to 40 percent, only the wealthiest of Americans have to worry about them,” Brown writes. These taxes can fluctuate based on which state you’re in, and the federal exemption is set to decrease in 2026.

This may not be a concern for everyone, but Brown warns, “If this is a concern for you, you can start taking actionable steps, such as giving money under the annual gift tax exclusion.  For 2022, each person can gift up to $16,000 per recipient. For those who are married, each spouse can gift $16,000 to the same recipient, for a total of $32,000 each, and you can make gifts to as many people as you like. This is a way to diminish the exposure of your estate to taxes.” 

Consider a Trust for Your Estate

When we think of trusts, we often think of the wealthiest among us. But trusts can be quite useful no matter who you are. “If you are aware of where you want everything to go when you die, you might want to use a trust fund,” Brown writes. “A trust denotes how your assets will be disseminated after your death, and it allows for specificity. It also ensures that items within it avoid probate court, which can be costly for the estate. In doing this, it also ensures privacy around the specific assets and amounts, and it is harder to contest than a will.”

Don’t Forget the Details – Including Your Pet

Estate planning can be such a detailed subject that it’s easy to overlook certain elements. Don’t let your furry or feathered friends be one of them! “It’s important to include [your pets] in your estate plan, whether it is a designation of who will pay its bills, who will take care of it or where it will be placed,” Brown explains. “In fact, you can even create a pet trust to manage your animal after you are gone.”

It’s easy to delay estate planning, assuming you’ll always have more time. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that time is not guaranteed.

We’ll end with Brown’s own concluding words: “Once you have an initial estate plan in place, it will be much easier to make updates and changes as necessary. Don’t let yourself get caught off-guard by unexpected circumstances; make estate planning a priority now for you and your loved ones.” 

My Life, My Plan, My Way: Get Started on the Path to Retirement Success

At AgingOptions we believe the key to a secure retirement is the right retirement plan – yet statistics show that 70 percent of retirement plans fail. That’s why for nearly two decades we’ve been dedicated to the proposition that a carefully-crafted, fully comprehensive retirement plan is the best answer to virtually any contingency life may throw your way as you age.  Our slogan says it all: My Life, My Plan, My Way.

When it comes to retirement planning, most people focus on one fairly narrow issue: money. Financial planning is an important component of retirement planning. However, people heading towards retirement often make the mistake of thinking that a little financial planning is all that’s required, when in fact most financial plans are woefully inadequate. What about your medical coverage? What if you have to make a change in your housing status – will that knock your financial plan off course? Are you adequately prepared legally for the realities of retirement and estate planning? And is your family equipped to support your plans for the future as you age?

The best way we know of to successfully blend all these elements together – finance, medical, housing, legal and family – is with a LifePlan from AgingOptions. Thousands of people have discovered the power of LifePlanning and we encourage you to the same. Simply visit our website and discover a world of retirement planning resources.  Make certain your retirement planning is truly comprehensive and complete with an AgingOptions LifePlan.  Age on!

(originally reported at www.kiplinger.com)