Estate planning can feel overwhelming, but the concept of spring cleaning offers a practical framework for staying on top of your plan with low pressure and specific, achievable goals. This episode outlines four key tasks for an estate plan review: updating a chart of assets with ownership and beneficiary information, locating and organizing essential documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives), confirming that named decision makers still reflect your wishes, and opening communication with family members about legacy topics.

A key element of any estate plan is the completion of beneficiary designations and payable-on-death designations for assets. These documents may look routine, but they control who receives certain accounts. This episode discusses issues to consider when filling out these designations, and provides some guidance and potential pitfalls.

Estate and tax planning is often influenced by specific numbers and thresholds, such as the estate/gift tax exemption, the GST tax exemption, the annual exclusion amount and income tax brackets. These numbers are periodically adjusted for inflation. This episode summarizes inflation adjustments for 2026 and provides guidance on how the new numbers might affect planning.