Spring is all about fresh starts. While you’re decluttering closets and reorganizing your calendar, don’t forget one important area that deserves your attention: your estate plan.

Just like your home needs seasonal upkeep, your estate plan needs regular care. And we’re not just talking about big revisions—a simple review once a year can go a long way toward ensuring your plan still works the way you intend.

🧹 Why Reviewing Your Estate Plan Annually Matters

Even if you don’t think anything has changed, it’s worth opening up your binder or folder and taking a fresh look. Here’s why:

✔️ Life Happens
Marriages, divorces, births, deaths—your plan should reflect the people and priorities in your current life.

✔️ Financial Shifts Add Up
New assets, changing investments, or business interests might need to be added to your trust or reflected in your documents.

✔️ Laws Evolve
Estate planning laws change, and even subtle shifts can affect how your plan operates.

✔️ Beneficiaries Can Drift
A yearly glance at your beneficiary designations can prevent unpleasant surprises later on.

✔️ Your Helpers Deserve a Recheck
Is your chosen agent, executor, or trustee still the best fit? Are they still available and up for the job?

✔️ Peace of Mind
Even if everything is still perfect, knowing you’ve looked it over means you can move through the year with confidence.

🔄 What to Look at in 2025

Here are the key areas we recommend reviewing during your spring clean-up:

1. Trusts and Wills
Do your documents still reflect your intentions? Have you added any new goals, values, or family dynamics since you last looked?

2. Powers of Attorney & Advance Health Care Directives
We recommend re-signing these every 3 to 5 years, even if your chosen agents haven’t changed. Why?

• Some banks and medical providers reject “stale” documents
• Contact info may be outdated
• Updated documents reflect current legal standards
• A fresh signature confirms the choices still represent your intent

3. Beneficiary Designations
These should match the rest of your estate plan. Retirement accounts and life insurance are easy to overlook—but incredibly important.

4. Digital Assets
Think beyond your laptop. Do you have email, cloud storage, social media, or crypto? Your estate plan should account for your digital life.

5. Real Estate Updates
Bought or sold a property? Refinanced? Let your estate plan reflect those changes.

6. Charitable Giving
If you’re planning to give back, review your legacy strategy to make sure it’s still aligned with your values and financial picture.

☀️ A Little Time Now = Fewer Headaches Later

An annual estate plan review doesn’t mean you’ll need to make big changes. In fact, most years you won’t. But reviewing it keeps your plan fresh, your documents relevant, and your mind at ease.

⚓ Want Help Keeping Things Current?

At Blue Water Estate Planning, we offer an optional maintenance program called Smooth Sailing, which includes a guided annual review. It’s designed to help you stay on course without stress, surprises, or guesswork.

Whether you’re enrolled in Smooth Sailing or reviewing on your own, spring is a great time to reconnect with your plan—and make sure it still supports the future you envision.