Holidays are a great time to catch up with family and because everyone’s around. But it’s also a great time to talk to everyone about what’s important to them. Whether it’s your home or a pillow that’s sat on your couch for the last twenty years. Value means something different to everyone and by talking about those values now, you can avoid heartache and conflict later.
Whether it’s your house or that pillow, you probably want to transfer those important items outside of probate. So to keep in the holiday spirit, I wanted to give you the gift of something practical you can do without an attorney (though I still of course recommend free consultations from the Burkhardt Law Firm to make sure you don’t need more)… The following is a checklist to make sure you have beneficiaries listed or updated and something I would review at least once a year.
I included personal property on the list. However, it’s important to note, a handwritten list alone is not legally enforceable. So while it does make sense to make a list or at least think about the beneficiaries of personal property, this again is an area to consult an attorney to make sure your wishes will be achieved.