Is Your Estate Plan Ready for What’s Next?

5 Questions to Ask.

October 19th is the start of National Estate Planning Awareness Week 2026—a good time to take a fresh look at your estate plan and consider whether it still reflects the life you’re living and the legacy you want to leave.

Estate planning isn’t only about what you own. It’s also about the people you want to protect, the decisions you want to make easier for your loved ones, and the causes that matter to you.

Life changes. Your estate plan may need to change with it.

Here are five questions worth asking.

1. Does Your Estate Plan Still Reflect Your Life Today?

A lot can change in a few years.

Maybe you’ve gotten married, welcomed a new child or grandchild, experienced the loss of a loved one, grown your business, or seen your financial situation change. Even positive life changes can be a reason to revisit your plans.

Your estate plan should reflect the people and priorities that matter to you today—not necessarily the ones that mattered several years ago.

Ask yourself:
When was the last time I reviewed my estate plan?

If it’s been a while—or your life has changed—it may be time for a checkup.

Take a moment to consider:
Who would you want to make important decisions on your behalf, and how do you want to provide for the people in your life when you’re gone?  Are your current plans still aligned with those wishes?

Helpful Resource:  Pillars of Estate Planning

2. Does Your Business Have a Succession Strategy?

For many business owners, a business can represent one of their largest and most important assets. It can also provide income and opportunities for family members, co-owners, and employees.

That makes it worth thinking about what happens to the business if you’re no longer able to run it.

Without a clear strategy, your family or business partners may be left trying to determine what comes next during an already difficult time.

A succession plan can help provide direction for the future and help protect the business you’ve worked to build—and the people who depend on it.

Ask yourself:
If something happened to me, would my family, partners and employees know what happens next with the business?

Take a moment to consider:
Who should be involved in the future of your business, and what steps have you taken to secure the future you envision?

Helpful Resource: Buy-Sell Agreements

3. Are Your Beneficiary Designations Up to Date?

Your will isn’t the only part of your estate plan that deserves a review.

Many financial and insurance accounts allow you to name beneficiaries—the people or organizations you want to receive those assets. These designations can be found on accounts such as:

• Life insurance
• Retirement accounts
• Annuities
• Transfer-on-death accounts

Life changes can mean your beneficiary choices should change, too. A beneficiary you selected years ago may no longer reflect your wishes today.

Ask yourself:
Do these choices for beneficiaries on my account still reflect my wishes today?

Take a moment to consider:
Have you experienced any major family or financial changes since you last reviewed your beneficiary designations? Do these changes make a beneficiary change necessary?

Helpful Resource: Your Beneficiary, Your Choice – Life Insurance Beneficiary Checklist

4. Will Your Loved Ones Receive the Legacy You Intend?

You’ve spent years building the people, assets, and experiences that make up your legacy.

But when the time comes, your loved ones may also face final expenses, debts, probate costs, and other financial needs.

Those costs can reduce what ultimately reaches your heirs. In some situations, they could even create pressure to sell an asset that has significant financial or personal value, such as a family business, house, or other property.

Thoughtful planning can help you think ahead about the financial needs your family may face and how those needs could affect the legacy you hope to leave.

Ask yourself:
Have I planned for the costs my family could face when I pass away? Take a moment to consider:
What financial needs might your loved ones have to address, and have you considered them as part of your overall plan?

Helpful Resource: Estate Planning and Life Insurance

5. Is Charitable Giving Part of Your Estate Plan?

An estate plan isn’t only about what you leave to family. It can also be a way to reflect the causes, organizations, and communities that matter to you.

For many people, charitable giving is an important part of the legacy they want to create. Your estate plan can provide an opportunity to think intentionally about how you want to support those causes alongside your other priorities.

Ask yourself:
Could my estate plan help me make a bigger impact on a cause I care about?

There may be ways to support both your loved ones and your charitable goals.

Take a moment to consider:
What causes would you want to continue supporting, and how might they fit into the legacy you hope to leave?

Helpful Resource: Charitable Giving and life Insurance

Your estate plan is about more than what you have.

It’s about what—and who—you want to protect.

National Estate Planning Awareness Week is a timely reminder to revisit your plans and make sure they still reflect the life you’re living and the legacy you want to leave.

Set aside some time to review your estate plan, your beneficiary choices and the people and priorities that matter most to you.

A little time reviewing your plan today can help you feel more prepared for what’s next.

Estate planning is personal, and your needs will depend on your individual circumstances. Consider working with the appropriate financial, legal, or tax professionals as you review your goals and needs.