An estate plan is only as effective as the documents it includes. If you want to protect your family and your assets, turn to a lawyer who specializes in wills and estates. You can find an experienced estate planning attorney at Daniel R. McComb Attorney at Law in Batavia, New York.

Below, the skilled legal team at this firm discuss the three vital documents every comprehensive estate plan should include:

Estate Planning Attorney Shares 3 Necessary Documents You Need

1. A Will

A will is the most basic estate planning document everyone should have. Even if you plan on distributing all of your assets through a trust, you still need to draft a will. In your will, you can designate someone to care for any minor children or pets. You can also include any last wishes for your burial service. To pass without a will, also known as dying ”intestate”, means the state is more involved in the process and finalizing the estate will take longer than it should.

2. Durable Power of Attorney

If you are in a severe accident and are left incapacitated with no power of attorney (POA), the court may end up making financial, medical, and legal decisions on your behalf. A durable POA will allow someone whom you trust to make these decisions instead. You can create different powers of attorney for various scenarios to ensure you cover every contingency.

3. Beneficiary Designations

If you have any life insurance policies or retirement plans, be sure you complete and update all beneficiary paperwork as needed. This is an important part of estate planning, and it’s important to remember to update this paperwork if you undergo a major life transition, like a marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or the loss of a spouse.

If you need to create or update your will, the estate planning team at Daniel R. McComb Attorney at Law will help you get started. To learn more about their additional practice areas, visit their website, and call (585) 343-2250 to talk to an attorney today.