Marriage, Divorce, and Estate Planning

When it comes to estate planning there are a few occasions in which you will need to update your Arizona estate plans. Whether you are getting married or getting divorced, it is important that these changes are indicate on your estate planning documents in order to keep them valid and to make sure that your property and assets are inherited by the people you want.

1. If you are getting married, you will want to add your new spouse to your estate planning documents. As well as adding your spouse as a beneficiary on your documents, you will want to add any new property that the two of you have gained together.

2. If you are getting divorced, you will want to make sure that you remove your ex-spouse as the beneficiary for any of your property and assets that he or she is listed on. This is very important and should be done right after the divorce is complete. This is because if something were to happen to you and you have not removed your ex-spouse from your estate planning documents; he or she will receive your property and not your family.

3. If you are getting married you will want to discuss you and your spouses end of term health care. Let each other know what it is you want to have happen. For example, create a living will and list your spouse as you health care proxy and discuss what decisions they are able to make on your behalf when you are not able to. If you are getting divorced, you will want to update your living will, removing your ex-spouse as your health care proxy, unless you do not have any family that you would like to list as your new health care proxy and or ok with your ex-spouse remaining as your proxy.

4. Other documents and items that will need to be updated when you get married or divorced are bank accounts, insurance policies, and retirement accounts.

5. Be sure that when you get married, whether you decide to change last names or not, make sure that the last name you choose is listed correctly on all your estate planning documents and matches the name that you have on your Arizona driver’s license and social security card.

Need Help?

If you are not sure as to what legal document you currently have contact one of our professionals to help you with your planning needs. They will make sure you have all of your grounds covered and have the right legal documents that best suite your wants and needs.