Estate Documents
See what each core document does, when it operates, who controls it, how it interacts with other documents, and when to review it.
9 reference entries
An advance directive records health-care instructions and, depending on the state's form, may also appoint an agent; a living will typically addresses treatment preferences in defined circumstances.
Key idea: Terminology and execution rules vary by state.
Read the complete guideA beneficiary designation directs a contract or account at death and usually controls that asset independently of the will, subject to the plan terms and governing law.
Key idea: Primary and contingent beneficiaries should be reviewed together.
Read the complete guideCryptocurrency inheritance requires three plans that work together: legal authority, a secure method for authorized people to locate and control the asset, and records sufficient to administer and report the transfer without exposing private keys.
Key idea: Inventory each holding by custody model—exchange, qualified custodian, software wallet, hardware wallet, multisignature arrangement, or another protocol—because the recovery path differs.
Read the complete guideDigital-asset planning coordinates legal consent, fiduciary authority, provider tools, security, and practical instructions for online accounts, devices, cryptocurrency, files, and intellectual property.
Key idea: A password list alone may not provide legal authority.
Read the complete guideA financial power of attorney authorizes an agent to handle specified property and financial matters during the principal's life; durability determines whether authority survives incapacity under governing law.
Key idea: Authority ends at death; the executor or trustee then acts under different authority.
Read the complete guideA HIPAA authorization can permit specified people to receive protected health information; it supports communication but does not itself grant medical decision-making authority.
Key idea: The authorization should identify permitted information, recipients, purpose, and expiration or event as required.
Read the complete guideA health care power of attorney names an agent to make health decisions when the conditions in the document and state law are met.
Key idea: The agent role is distinct from a financial power of attorney.
Read the complete guideTOD and POD arrangements can transfer eligible securities, deposit accounts, vehicles, or real estate outside probate where governing law and the institution recognize them.
Key idea: Availability and real-estate deed requirements vary by state.
Read the complete guideTrust funding is the process of making the trust the owner or effective beneficiary of selected property using the method appropriate to each asset.
Key idea: Signing a trust does not automatically move property into it.
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