Eventually, we are all going to die. When we do, our loved ones will be tasked with dealing with our estate. Because of that it is important to hire an attorney to prepare some simple estate planning documents such as a Will and a Tennessee Advanced Directive. The attorneys at Patton | Pittman can assist with this simple, yet important, task. However, there is also one thing you can do yourself to make things easier on those you leave behind.

Prepare a checklist or summary of important information that your Executor (the person or persons you want to assist with your estate) will need to know to access your assets and inform your friends of your passing. Some of the information that you should include in this checklist is as follows:

• Bank account information and account numbers
• Location of real estate and mortgage information
• Name, and phone number of your life insurance agent
• Information on any retirement or investment accounts you have
• Preferences for your burial or cremation
• Information on social media accounts to allow posting of your passing to your friends
• Information to allow loved ones to access cryptocurrency or other digital assets
• Information on the value of assets you own if not readily known
• Information to allow access to your safe, gun safe, fireproof box or safety deposit box

This is just some of the information that it is important to have to ensure that your Executor fully addresses all issues that need to be addressed when you pass away. We recommend keeping this information in a safe place, in writing, and make sure the Executor knows where to access this information upon your death.

At Patton | Pittman, our estate planning attorneys have decades of experience assisting clients with estate planning needs.