You might save yourself time and money if you can keep your estate-planning meetings more focused and productive. It's all about communication and preparation when you meet so read on to find out more.

What Are Your Goals?

One of the most important points to consider when planning an estate is what you hope to accomplish. Estate planning needs go well beyond preparing a last will and testament, though that's a good start. The definition of estate planning has stretched to cover everything from health and medical decisions to trusts and pet planning. There is no one-size-fits-all estate plan and your attorney will need to know about you, your loved ones, your goals, your health, your financial state, and more. For example, if you have a lot of real estate, you might want to talk to your estate planning attorney about re-titling deeds rather than probating property.

Your Best Interests at Heart

When money is involved, there are always opportunities for fraud and undue influence. Be sure to attend to this task when you are healthy and able to make good decisions about your future. Your attorney may not agree to help you if you appear to be heavily influenced by others or unfit. It's okay to take your adult child with you to the meeting for support, but you must be of sound mind and able to make decisions on your own at the meeting. Be prepared to show a government-issued photo identification card as well.

Gather Documentation

You may need to bring quite a folder with you so your attorney can get a complete picture of your situation. Gather the following:

1. Names and Social Security Numbers (SSN) of you, your spouse, your children, and anyone else you plan to leave property to. You will be asked to name a trustee and/or an executor and you will need information for them as well.
2. Account names and numbers for checking, savings, retirement, investment, etc.
3. List of real estate holdings and other valuable property like vehicles, art, jewelry, collectibles, etc.
4. Copies of any current wills or trusts.
5. Most recent tax return.
6. Life insurance info.

Questions to Ask

Before you leave the meeting, be sure to quiz the attorney about these things:

1. Who is my contact here if I have questions or want to make a change?
2. When should I update the plan?
3. What is the time-line on the plan's completion?

Speak to your estate lawyers to find out more.