Where Should I Keep My Estate Planning Documents?
Working with an estate planning lawyer in Gwinnett County is important for adults of all ages in Georgia. Whether you only want to create a will and an advance directive for health care, or you want to consider additional important documents and tools such as powers of attorney (POAs), beneficiary designations, trusts, and more, you will ultimately have a substantial amount of paperwork that will detail all of your legal estate planning decisions. While there will be a clear record elsewhere of how a trust is being run and which beneficiary designations have been made (in most cases), other documents like wills, advance directives, and powers of attorney do not need to be filed with the state in order to be effective. In fact, these critical documents often exist only on the paper they were printed and signed on. And even trust documents and account information such as beneficiary designations should also be stored with all of your other estate planning documents, even if this information can be more easily tracked down.
Given the importance of these estate planning documents, you are likely wondering: where should I keep them? Our Gwinnett County estate planning attorneys can help you to decide how and where to store important estate planning documents, and the people who should have access to them.
Where and How to Store Estate Planning Documents
All of your estate planning documents should be stored in water-resistant packaging and in either a fireproof safe in your home (or another property you own). While you might assume that a safe deposit box at the bank is the best place, it can be difficult for people to access the box who may need to do so, especially in an urgent situation, such as where your Georgia advance directive for health care must be produced almost immediately.
Making a Backup Plan, Too
In addition to storing your documents in a fireproof safe, with the documents themselves housed in water-resistant packaging, you should also have a backup plan. For many estate planning documents, a copy of the original is just as valid as the original, including for a Georgia advance directive for health care. You should ensure that you have copies of all of your documents, and it is a good idea to have electronic back-up copies, as well.
Who Should Have Access to Estate Planning Documents?
Who should have access to your estate planning documents, and who should have copies on file? Some parties may keep copies, such as your bank or your attorney. In addition, you should ensure that anyone you have named as an agent on your POA has a copy and access to your safe, and there may be other people you want to trust with a copy. Your estate planning lawyer can help you to decide who should have copies, and who should have access to your fireproof safe.
Contact a Norcross Estate Planning Attorney
Estate planning is a complex process that often involves creating a range of documents that you will want to ensure are accessible to the people who need them — from your health care providers to anyone you have named as an agent in a power of attorney to the person you have selected as your executor. As we discussed above, while keeping your estate planning documents in a safe place in your home can be a good idea, it is also important to make sure there is a backup location. If you have any questions about estate planning, an experienced Norcross estate planning lawyer at Bowman Law Firm is here to assist you. Contact us today for help with your estate planning needs.
Source:
law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-53/
