What information should I gather before I begin?

Common preparation information includes legal names and contact details for possible appointees, plus a practical list of property, debts, accounts, insurance, businesses, and current beneficiary forms. Exact balances are not always required to begin, but ownership and beneficiary records can affect the questions asked. The customer makes all personal and legal choices.

General information

• Possible resource or approach: legal names, not nicknames.
• Include backup people who may act and beneficiaries.
• Recording where original deeds, titles, account statements, and prior estate documents are kept.

Service steps to consider

1. Preparing a household and family list.
2. Considering preparation of an asset-and-debt checklist.
3. Reviewing current beneficiary forms before answering distribution questions.

Quick check

• Do I know who I want to name?
• Do I know what I own and owe?
• Do I need advice about my own facts?

How Complete Wills can help

Complete Wills offers guided online questionnaires for will-based and trust-based estate plans. Customer support can explain the website, account steps, package features, and how to correct details. It cannot decide which legal plan fits a particular situation or give legal advice. Customer support can explain website features and questionnaire fields, but it cannot choose documents, people, distributions, or legal terms, interpret a completed document, or explain how the law applies to a person's facts. Only a separately engaged licensed attorney may provide legal advice within the attorney's engagement.

Important limits

• Estate-planning law is mainly state law. The correct document and signing rules can change by state.
• A licensed attorney can provide advice about blended families, disputed relationships, special-needs planning, tax issues, foreign property, business succession, or any question that requires advice about the person's facts. This article gives general information only. A licensed attorney can explain how state law applies to a specific estate plan or document.