Is an estate plan review the same as rewriting the plan?

No. A review checks whether your current documents still match your family, assets, and intent. Updates come after you identify the gaps.

Why do beneficiary designations matter so much?

Retirement accounts and insurance pay based on beneficiary forms, which can override what is written in a will. If those forms are stale, the plan can break.

What documents should be reviewed together?

Trusts or wills, amendments, account titles, beneficiary forms, and health care documents should be reviewed as a set so the plan stays consistent.

Estate Plan Review Checklist (US)

A clean, decision-ready review to understand what your estate plan actually does.

Most estate plans fail quietly. Not because the documents are bad, but because no one remembers what they say, who is named, or whether the plan still matches the family. A review is not a rewrite. It is a reality check.

Priority consideration: confirm that your current documents still match your family, your assets, and your intent.

Why it matters: outdated beneficiaries, missing powers of attorney, and unfunded trusts create expensive surprises at the worst time.

Key takeaways

A review is a reality check, not a rewrite.
Beneficiary designations often override the will.
The plan only works if assets are titled correctly.

What to gather first

Last signed versions of your trust or will.
Any amendments or restatements.
A list of accounts and assets with current titling.
Beneficiary designations for retirement accounts and insurance.
Health care documents (advance directives, health care proxies).

Advance directives and living wills are standard tools for health care preferences and decision-making. (https://medlineplus.gov/advancedirectives.html, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000473.htm)

What to confirm

Who is in charge. Trustees, executors, and backups are still the right people and still alive.
Who gets what, and when. Distribution ages and rules still match how you want the next generation to receive assets.
How assets flow. Trusts only work when assets are titled properly. A trust that is never funded is just a binder.
Health care authority. Make sure the right person can act if you cannot. (https://medlineplus.gov/advancedirectives.html)
Beneficiaries beat documents. Retirement accounts and insurance pay based on beneficiary designations, not the will. Those need to match your intent.