In our practice, we often meet with individuals who, prior to our meeting, did not have any estate plan in place. Many times, we receive an email or a phone call from a prospective client, simply stating: “I need a will.” We find that the request for a new will often arises with life changes, such as a new marriage or divorce, a new baby or a death in the family. When we receive requests like these, we start off by explaining the basic estate planning process, including the documents that should be prepared in order to have a complete basic estate plan.

For a basic estate plan, we typically prepare these four core estate planning documents: a will; revocable trust (sometimes known as a living trust); living will declaration and health care power of attorney; and general power of attorney. Each of these documents serves an important purpose in every estate plan.