Estate Planning Kit

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name: estate-planning-kit
description: "Get your affairs in order before you need to — a will/beneficiary/healthcare-directive checklist and the 'what my family needs to find' document, in the right order. Use when asked to help with estate planning, make a will checklist, get my affairs in order, or prepare what my family needs if something happens to me. Produces the estate-planning checklist ranked by priority, the document-locator sheet, the key decisions to make, and the professional-help flags — for the living, not the executor. Complements the estate/after-death pack."
---

# Estate Planning Kit

Most people avoid estate planning because it's morbid and unclear where to start — so their family inherits a scavenger hunt on top of grief. This is the *before* version: the ordered checklist of what to set up (will, beneficiaries, directives), the one document that tells your family where everything is, and honest flags for when you need a lawyer, not a template.

> Not legal or financial advice. Wills, trusts, and directives are governed by local law — this organises the work and flags where a professional is required; it does not replace one.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The priority checklist** — what to put in place, ordered by "if only one thing, do this"
- **The document-locator sheet** — the "what my family needs to find and where" document (accounts, policies, passwords vault, key contacts)
- **The key decisions** — the choices only you can make (executor, guardians, beneficiaries, care wishes)
- **Professional-help flags** — where a template is fine vs. where a lawyer/advisor is required

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **Your situation** — dependents (kids, aging parents), rough asset picture, business ownership, marital status
- **What exists** — any current will, beneficiaries named, insurance, directives
- **Jurisdiction** — country/state (rules and required documents vary)
- **Complexity flags** — blended family, cross-border assets, a business, special-needs dependent

## Framework: In the Right Order

1. **Beneficiaries first.** Retirement/insurance beneficiary designations override a will and take minutes — the highest-leverage, most-skipped step.
2. **A will (and guardians if you have kids).** Who gets what, and who raises your children — the decision that most needs to be explicit.
3. **Healthcare directive + power of attorney.** Who decides for you if you can't — medical and financial.
4. **The locator document.** Where everything lives, so nothing is lost to a forgotten account.
5. **Know when to escalate.** Trusts, business succession, cross-border, or special-needs planning need a professional — flag, don't wing.

## Output Format

### Estate Planning Checklist — [name] · [jurisdiction]
| Priority | Item | Status | DIY-ok / See a pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Update beneficiary designations | ☐ | DIY |
| 2 | Will + guardianship | ☐ | Pro if [complexity] |

### Decisions only you can make
- Executor: ___ · Guardians: ___ · Healthcare proxy: ___ · Care wishes: ___

### Document locator (for your family)
| What | Where it is | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Will | … | [lawyer] |
| Insurance policies | … | … |
| Accounts / passwords | [vault] | … |

### See a professional for
- [flagged complexities]

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Beneficiary designations are called out as the first, highest-leverage step
- [ ] Guardianship is prompted if there are minor children
- [ ] Both healthcare and financial power-of-attorney are covered
- [ ] The locator sheet names where each item lives, not just that it exists
- [ ] Complexity (trusts, business, cross-border, special-needs) is flagged for a professional
- [ ] Jurisdiction is acknowledged; no jurisdiction-specific legal claims are invented

## Anti-Patterns
- **Starting with the will** and skipping beneficiary designations that legally override it.
- **A checklist with no locator** — the family still can't find anything.
- **Pretending a template covers a trust or a business** — flag the escalation.
- **Inventing jurisdiction-specific rules** — organise the work, defer the law to a pro.
- **Guilt-tripping** — this is logistics, done calmly, not a lecture on mortality.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Help me get my affairs in order."
- "Make me an estate-planning checklist — I have two young kids."
- "Prepare the document my family needs if something happens to me."
- "Where do I start with a will and directives?"