Getting Organized

12 min read

What to Bring to Your Estate Planning Meeting

Put together with input from someone who spent years as a legal assistant at an estate planning firm.

You booked the appointment. Now there's a folder open on your desk, or maybe just a growing sense that you should probably find one, and no clear idea what actually needs to be in it.

Most people show up to their first estate planning meeting with a will from twenty years ago, a vague list of "the important stuff," and a plan to answer questions as the attorney asks them. That works. It also turns a one-hour meeting into two, and means paying for time spent tracking down account numbers instead of making decisions.

Nine categories to gather before you sit down, organized the way an attorney's intake actually moves.

"The first meeting is where the attorney builds a complete picture of your situation. The more of that picture you bring, the less of the meeting gets spent building it."

Why Prep Matters

Estate planning attorneys typically bill $200 to $500 an hour, with a commonly cited national average around $327. Flat-fee plans avoid the meter running, but most firms still use the intake meeting to scope what your plan actually needs, and an unprepared intake tends to run longer or require a follow-up call to fill in gaps.

Worth knowingNone of this replaces the meeting itself. Coming prepared doesn't mean arriving with decisions already made. It means arriving with the facts an attorney needs so the meeting can be spent on the decisions, not the fact-finding.

Who's Involved

Before any documents, your attorney needs to know the people your plan touches.

Spouse or partner, and any childrenFull legal names, birthdates, and addresses, including adult children.
Potential executor, trustee, or agentFull legal name and contact information for anyone you're considering for these roles.
Backup choicesThe same, for a second choice in case your first pick isn't available when it matters.
Anyone intentionally left outNames and a brief reason, if that applies to your situation.

That last one sounds blunt, but attorneys ask because an unexplained omission is one of the more common ways a will gets challenged later. A sentence of context now can prevent a dispute after you're gone.

What You Already Have

If you have any existing estate documents, bring them even if you assume they're outdated.

Any existing will, trust, or codicilBring it even if you assume it's out of date.
Any existing power of attorney documentsMedical, financial, or both.
Any existing advance directive or living willIncluding a POLST or MOLST form, if you have one.
Beneficiary confirmationsFrom retirement accounts or life insurance, if you have copies.

An attorney reviewing an old document can usually tell you exactly what's changed since you signed it, whether that's a move to a new state, a change in the law, or a life event the document never accounted for. Starting from an old draft is almost always faster than starting from nothing.

Financial Accounts

You don't need to bring statements for every account. You do need a list.

Bank and credit union accountsInstitution name for each.
Retirement accounts401(k), IRA, pension, and where each is held.
Brokerage or investment accountsInstitution name and roughly what's held there.
Life insurance policiesInsurer and approximate value.
Business ownershipIncluding a partnership or an LLC.
Outstanding debtsMortgage, loans, and the lender for each.

"Banks often freeze accounts the moment they're notified of a death, even with valid power of attorney on file."

You don't need exact balances. What the attorney needs is the shape of your estate: what kind of assets you have and roughly how they're titled, since that affects which planning tools actually make sense for you.

Property

Real estateIncluding how it's titled: just your name, joint with a spouse, or already in a trust.
VehiclesIf titling matters in your state.
High-value personal propertyJewelry, collectibles, anything with significant value that isn't cash.

Worth knowingHow an asset is titled can matter as much as what it's worth. Two people can each own a house of equal value and need completely different planning, depending on whether it's held jointly, individually, or already in a trust.

Digital Life

This is the part a will was never built to handle, and it's usually the part people forget until someone else needs to log into their phone.

Email accountsThe primary address everything else recovers through.
Financial and banking loginsWhere access instructions live, never the passwords themselves.
Password managerWhere it is and how someone would get into it if they genuinely needed to.
Two factor and backup recovery codesOften what actually locks a family out, even when they have the right password.
Cloud storage, photos, and domainsAnything with sentimental or real financial value attached.
Subscriptions and social accountsWhat exists, and what you'd want done with each.

Bring a note of what exists and where access instructions are kept. Never bring, email, or write down actual passwords, and never send full account numbers or Social Security numbers ahead of a meeting.

Decisions to Think Through

You don't have to arrive with answers. It helps to arrive having thought about the questions.

Who should raise your minor childrenAnd a backup, if your first choice can't.
Who handles money, and who handles medicalThese are two separate roles, and often two different people.
How you'd want property dividedEven a rough sense is enough to start from.
Specific items for specific peopleThe things most likely to cause friction later.
Charitable givingWhether any part of your estate should go to an organization.
Life sustaining treatmentYour general wishes, so the attorney can draft directives that match them.

Bring vs. Skip

The fastest way to pack the folder: what earns its place, and what doesn't.

	Bring	Skip
Documents	Existing will, trust, POA, directives	Every statement you've ever filed
Accounts	Institution names and account types	Full account numbers
Access	Where a password manager lives	Passwords and recovery codes
People	Full legal names and contact info	Final, locked-in decisions
Property	How each asset is titled	Precise appraised values

Common Mistakes

Leaving the old documents at homeOutdated still beats nothing. It gives the attorney a starting point.

Guessing at how property is titledJoint, individual, or in a trust changes what planning actually applies.

No backup named for any roleFirst choices decline, move, or pass first more often than people expect.

Forgetting beneficiary designationsRetirement and life insurance pass outside the will, whatever the will says.

Bringing sensitive data you didn't need toPasswords and full account numbers don't belong in the folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a first estate planning meeting usually take?

Commonly about an hour, though it varies by firm and by how complex your situation is. Arriving with your account list, existing documents, and the names of the people involved is what tends to keep it to one meeting instead of two.

Do I need to bring account numbers?

Generally no. Institution names and account types are usually enough for the attorney to understand the shape of your estate. Never email full account numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers ahead of a meeting.

Should I bring my old will if I think it's outdated?

Yes. An attorney can usually tell you quickly what's changed since you signed it, and revising an existing document is often faster than starting from nothing.

Do both spouses need to attend?

Most firms prefer it for a couple's plan, since decisions about property, guardianship, and agents affect both of you. Ask when you book, since some firms have conflict-of-interest rules about representing both spouses.

What if I haven't decided who my executor should be?

That's fine, and it's a normal thing to work through in the meeting. Bring the two or three people you're considering, along with their full names and contact information, and talk it through with the attorney.

What does the meeting typically cost?

Hourly rates commonly run in the range of $200 to $500, with a frequently cited national average around $327. Many firms offer flat-fee plans instead. Ask for a written estimate before the meeting so there aren't surprises.

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