5 Life Changes That Mean It's Time to Update Your Estate Plan

An estate plan isn't something you finish once and file away. It's built around your life as it looked on the day you signed it — your family, your assets, the people you trusted to step in. When any of that shifts, the plan needs to shift with it. Here are five of the clearest signals it's time to take another look.

1. You've Moved — Especially Across State Lines

Estate planning law varies by state, and a plan drafted elsewhere may not fully work under California's rules. Community property is the big one: California treats most property acquired during marriage as owned equally by both spouses, which affects how assets pass and how they're taxed at the first death. Plans drafted in common-law states often don't account for it. Probate procedure and healthcare directive forms differ too. If you've relocated to or from Marin since your plan was last reviewed, confirm the documents still do what you think they do.

2. Your Family Has Changed

Marriage, divorce, a new child, or the death of someone named in your documents — a trustee, an agent, a guardian — are all direct reasons to revisit your plan. A named guardian who's since moved away, or a trustee who's no longer the right fit, doesn't update itself.

3. What You Own Has Changed Significantly

New property, a new business interest, or meaningful growth in a retirement account can all mean your plan is no longer sized correctly for what you actually have. This is especially true for real estate purchased after your trust was signed — that property likely isn't protected by the trust unless it was specifically deeded in.

4. Someone You Named Is No Longer the Right Choice

The person you named as trustee, agent, or guardian ten years ago may not be the right person today — a relationship has changed, they've moved out of state, their own health has changed, or your priorities simply have. This is one of the more common reasons families come back to update a plan, and it's a straightforward fix once it's flagged.

5. It's Been More Than Three to Five Years

Even without one specific triggering event, laws change, asset values shift, and priorities evolve. A plan that hasn't been looked at in three to five years is due for a review, even if nothing dramatic has happened — the "nothing dramatic" is often exactly how gaps go unnoticed.

If Any of This Sounds Familiar

You don't need a complete rewrite to fix most of these — often it's a targeted update, not a start-from-scratch conversation. If one or more of these applies to you, book a Discovery Call and we'll figure out exactly what needs attention.