If you move, should you throw out your estate planning documents?
If you move to another state, do you need to throw out your estate planning documents-your will, trust, living will (advance directive), and powers of attorney? A lot of effort probably went into the preparation of those documents (and a lot of money, if you hired a lawyer to draft them). You probably don’t want to start over from scratch.
Unfortunately, for most people it’s a good idea to get a new set of documents that clearly meet your new state’s legal requirements. The good news is that you’ve already done the heavy lifting-you’ve decided which documents you want and the key things you want them to accomplish for your family. It shouldn’t be difficult to get new documents that reflect the wishes you’ve settled on.In any case, if your estate planning documents are more than a few years old, or if you’ve had any major changes in your family (marriage, divorce, new children or grandchildren) or property since you signed them, it’s probably time for a review anyway.
