With a divorce comes a fresh start. For most people, this involves new living arrangements, financial considerations, and ways to experience the world. The issue of estate planning is one area that can get overlooked among the changes that accompany this time in a person's life. It’s crucial, however, that newly divorced individuals revise and amend their estate plans to most accurately reflect their lives. Below, estate planning attorney Charley Johnson at The Law Offices of Charley Johnson in Centerville, TX, shares a few ways to help you make these revisions.

Design a New Will

The first step is to revoke your old will. Find any hard copies of the document and shred them. Meet with your estate planning attorney to redesign everything from the ground up. In the earlier will, you likely left the bulk of the estate to your ex-spouse. Now you will need to take the time to reconsider how the estate should be divided after your death. Also, if you named your ex the executor of the old will, it's probably a wise idea to designate someone else for that trusted and important role.

Change Your Beneficiaries

In addition to changing the beneficiaries of your estate in the new will, you should update beneficiary designations in other documents and records. Your individual retirement and 401(k) accounts, life insurance policies, and bank accounts that pay upon death must all be revisited—with different beneficiaries named. Overlooking this step could mean an ex-spouse stands to inherit some or even all of your money upon your passing.

Amend Your Powers of Attorney

A smart estate plan includes two powers of attorney, one for making decisions about health care-related matters and one for making decisions about financial- and legal-related issues. Most married couples name their spouse for one or both of these crucial responsibilities. After a divorce, you more than likely don't want an ex making decisions about your health or finances. An estate planning attorney will work with you to amend these documents as necessary.

The Law Offices of Charley Johnson are here to help in the updating of your estate plans after a divorce. Attorney Johnson also offers representation as a family, real estate, and criminal lawyer. Call (903) 536-2185 to schedule an appointment with an estate planning attorney today, or visit his website to learn more about his practice areas.