Although many Connecticut residents are aware of the importance of creating a will, financial trusts, powers of attorney for medical care and finances, and similar estate planning documents, many don’t consider what they need to do with them once they have created them.
Secure storage is essential
Secure storage of estate planning documents is crucial because a trusted relative or friend should be able to easily find them after your passing. You should make that individual aware of that location. Consider the following storage solutions:
- Fire and waterproof home safe
- Bank safe deposit box
- Probate court or court administrator’s office
- Office of the attorney who prepared the documents
- Online or electronic document storage
Digital and online storage has developed over the last decade, providing security for many documents beyond those for estate planning. Digital storage options include Cloud-based platforms, like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox
Other options are a USB drive or another portable storage device and a document management system.
If you store documents on your computer, ensure that these files are encrypted so unauthorized people can’t access them. The executor of your estate or another trusted person should have the password to access the documents.
Make storage part of a comprehensive plan
It’s never too early to begin creating a comprehensive estate plan. Incorporate a regular review of your plan every few years to make necessary changes when circumstances change.
As you discuss your plan elements, determine storage at the same time. By assigning immediate storage, you’ll also be able to ensure that all changes will go to the same place.