Estate Planning Forms and Tools
Estate planning requires a lot of careful consideration as well as a number of documents and forms, including wills, power of attorney forms, and living wills. In order to give you an idea of what these documents look like and help you better prepare for the future, this section contains a number of sample estate planning forms and checklists. You’ll find a sample basic will, a sample health care power of attorney, a sample living will directive to physicians, a sample living will with designation of surrogate, and many other forms. In addition, this section provides estate planning checklists and questionnaires to help you organize your information and get on the right track.
- Sample Basic Will - Annotated
A sample will with helpful annotations. This sample form includes explanations of all of its key provisions, in order to give you a better idea of what each section entails.
- Sample Health Care Power of Attorney
A health care power of attorney form grants another person decision-making authority over your health care should an emergency occur. This sample form provides a template for writing a health care power of attorney form.
- Sample Living Will
Most states have laws allowing patients to draft living wills dictating how they wish to be treated should they become unable to communicate their wishes. This sample form will give you an idea of what living wills involve.
- Estate Planning Checklist
This checklist will help you organize your personal and financial information when planning for the future. You should print it out and take it with you when meeting with an estate planning lawyer.
- Checklist: The Estate Executor's Role
A checklist of the tasks executors must complete, including filing a petition with the court, collecting all of the decedent’s assets, paying state and federal taxes, and preparing a statement of receipts.
- Case Intake Questionnaire: Estate Planning
Gathering information before meeting with your attorney can save you a lot of time and hassle. This guide will help you gather and organize all your information prior to your initial consultation.