Your Estate Planning Roadmap Because life is better

Estate Planning Life Map

Every family's path looks a little different. Along the way, major life changes create new estate planning needs — from helping a young adult prepare for emergencies to supporting children, grandchildren, and future generations. Follow the road below to see the documents and planning tools families review as life unfolds.

Begin the journey

Stage 01

Turning 18 & College

Turning 18 is more than a milestone. It can also affect who has access to medical and financial information during emergencies. For students heading to college or living away from home, a few basic documents make it easier for family members to respond when something unexpected happens.

Planning Checklist

✓Healthcare Proxy
✓HIPAA Authorization
✓Durable Power of Attorney
✓Basic Will
✓Beneficiary Designations

! Watch ForParents may be unable to access medical information or assist with financial matters during an emergency.

Stage 02

Marriage & Partnership

Marriage, remarriage, and long-term partnerships are common times to review estate planning documents, especially when combining finances, purchasing property, or planning for future children. If your household, assets, or family responsibilities have changed, your plan should reflect those changes.

Planning Checklist

✓Updated Will
✓Healthcare Directives
✓Durable Powers of Attorney
✓Beneficiary Reviews
✓Revocable Living Trust

! Watch ForRetirement accounts or life insurance policies may still list outdated beneficiaries.

Stage 03

Growing Your Family

As your family grows, estate planning often shifts toward protecting your children, managing inherited assets, and planning for future educational and financial support. This stage is the time to think through guardianship, trustee selection, college savings, and how assets should be managed for young beneficiaries.

Planning Checklist

✓Guardianship Nominations
✓Revocable Living Trust
✓Trustee Selection
✓Life Insurance Review
✓Updated Wills
✓529 College Savings Planning

! Watch ForMoney or property left to children without clear guidance on who should manage it and when they should receive it.

Stage 04

Business Ownership & Financial Growth

Owning a business, investment property, or growing family wealth can add new layers to an estate plan. This is a good time to consider how ownership, decision-making authority, and financial responsibilities would transfer after retirement, incapacity, or death.

Planning Checklist

✓Business Succession Plans
✓Buy-Sell Agreements
✓Trust Planning
✓Asset Protection Strategies
✓Updated Powers of Attorney

! Watch ForNo clear transition plan for business ownership after retirement, incapacity, or death.

Stage 05

Planning for Incapacity & Long-Term Care

Long-term healthcare planning becomes increasingly important as financial responsibilities, healthcare needs, and future care considerations evolve. Clear decision-making documents allow trusted people to act on your behalf if illness, injury, or cognitive decline affects your ability to manage your own affairs.

Planning Checklist

✓Durable Powers of Attorney
✓Healthcare Proxies
✓Long-Term Care Planning Documents
✓Medicaid Planning Strategies
✓Asset Protection Trusts

! Watch ForLong-term care planning delayed until after a medical crisis or decline in health.

Stage 06

Retirement & Legacy Planning

Retirement planning often includes thinking about how assets will support your children, grandchildren, and future generations over time. This is a common time to review trusts, beneficiary designations, gifting strategies, long-term care plans, and whether current documents still match your goals.

Planning Checklist

✓Trust Updates
✓Beneficiary Reviews
✓Healthcare Directives
✓Long-Term Care Planning Documents
✓Legacy Gifting Strategies
✓529 Contributions for Children or Grandchildren
✓Asset Protection Planning

! Watch ForOutdated documents or long-term care planning that no longer reflects current financial goals, family dynamics, or healthcare needs.

Stage 07

Divorce, Widowhood & Major Life Changes

Major family transitions often require updates to wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and healthcare documents. After divorce, remarriage, the loss of a spouse, or another significant change, documents should be reviewed so the right people are named in the right roles.

Planning Checklist

✓Updated Wills
✓Beneficiary Revisions
✓Trust Updates
✓Asset Retitling Documents
✓Updated Powers of Attorney
✓Healthcare Directives

! Watch ForFormer spouses or outdated beneficiaries may still appear on financial accounts, insurance policies, or estate planning documents.

The Road Continues

Estate Planning Looks Different at Every Stage of Life

Major life changes can bring new questions about family, finances, healthcare, and legacy. Your estate plan should grow with those changes, so your documents continue to reflect your wishes, protect the people who matter most, and support the future you are working toward. Not sure where your plan stands?

Take the Estate Plan Gap Quiz Talk With Our Attorneys

Surprenant, Beneski & Nunes, P.C.
Offices in Easton, Hyannis, New Bedford & Plymouth | 508-994-5200