The Estate Planning Checklist

Estate planning has a hard property: its gaps fail silently, and they only fail once — at the exact moment your family can least absorb it. The good news is that readiness is checkable. Work through the five pillars below and mark every box that is genuinely true today. Be strict: an unchecked box isn’t a failure, it’s your to-do list, in priority order.

Pillar 1 · Core Documents

I have a signed, current will — and it reflects my wishes today, not the ones I had when I signed it.I’ve made a deliberate, informed decision about whether a revocable living trust fits my situation.My executor (and trustee, if applicable) is named, willing, and still the right choice.If I have minor children or dependents: guardians are named in writing.My family knows where the original documents are and can actually reach them.

Pillar 2 · Beneficiaries & Titling

Every retirement account and life insurance policy has correct, current beneficiary designations (checked within 3 years).My beneficiary designations and my will don’t contradict each other — and I know the designations win.Contingent (backup) beneficiaries are named everywhere primaries are.Account titling (joint, TOD/POD, trust ownership) was chosen on purpose, as part of the plan.Assets I intend to pass outside probate are actually structured to do so.

Pillar 3 · Incapacity & Access

Someone I trust holds my durable financial power of attorney.Someone holds my health-care power of attorney, and we’ve actually discussed my wishes.My advance directive / living will is signed and on file with my doctors or hospital system.HIPAA authorizations exist so the people I’ve chosen can talk to my medical providers.A trusted person can access my digital life — passwords, accounts, two-factor devices — if I can’t.

Pillar 4 · Taxes & Efficiency

I know whether my estate is anywhere near federal estate-tax territory — and what current law means for me.I understand how step-up in basis works and which of my assets it applies to.My heirs’ tax picture has been considered — including the 10-year withdrawal rule most non-spouse heirs face on inherited retirement accounts.If giving is part of my plan (family or charity), I have a strategy — not just an intention.My estate plan and my financial plan were built to work together, not drafted in separate rooms.

Pillar 5 · Family & Legacy

My spouse or family knows the plan exists, what it broadly says, and who to call first.I’ve written a letter of instruction — accounts, contacts, passwords, wishes — to sit alongside the legal documents.If I own a business: a succession or disposition plan exists in writing.My plan has been reviewed after every major life event — marriage, divorce, birth, death, moves, windfalls.A qualified professional has reviewed the whole picture — documents, beneficiaries, titling, taxes — within the last 3–5 years.

Where you stand is where we start

Here’s what two decades of these conversations teach: almost nobody checks all twenty-five — and the unchecked boxes cluster differently for every family. A generic estate guide can’t help with that. A personalized one can. That’s why we handle this one differently: our full Estate Planning Guide is prepared around your situation, and we deliver it through a complimentary review — because we first need to see where you currently stand: which documents exist, how your accounts are titled, where the beneficiary designations and the will disagree. Mountain View Wealth Management coordinates estate strategy with your attorney and the rest of your financial plan so the pieces work together.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY REVIEW — BRING THIS CHECKLIST, UNCHECKED BOXES AND ALL

You’ll leave with your personalized Estate Planning Guide and a prioritized path. guide.mvwmllc.com/book · (571) 368-6178

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This checklist is provided for educational purposes only and is not investment, tax, or legal advice, nor a recommendation of any strategy or product. Your responses stay in your browser — nothing you check is transmitted or stored by us. Mountain View Wealth Management, LLC is not a law firm and does not draft wills, trusts, or other legal documents; estate planning documents should be prepared by a qualified attorney licensed in your state, and we are glad to coordinate with yours. Estate, gift, and inheritance tax rules change periodically — confirm current figures with official sources and consult qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your situation. Advisory services offered only where the firm and its representatives are appropriately registered or exempt. CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. © 2026 Mountain View Wealth Management, LLC.