Information Needed

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Developing an estate plan requires an analysis of detailed information about you and your family. Without this information, your attorney may have difficulty in helping you make decisions needed to develop an appropriate estate plan for your circumstances. Gathering this information before you see your attorney will make the process easier for both you and your attorney. What My Attorney Should Know Questionnaires

What My Attorney Should Know

Save time and money by having the necessary information in hand for that first visit to your attorney. The following checklist is a tally of information your attorney may need.

• Personal information (family members, names, birth dates, addresses, occupations, social security numbers)
• Bank accounts (name and location, exact name on accounts, number on each account)
• Stocks and bonds (description, years purchased, number, exact name of owner, face value, cost)
• Life insurance (company, policy number, amount owned by husband, wife, joint, exact name of owner, insured, beneficiary on policy, cash value (if any))
• Trusts (type, location, trustee, who established, exact name of beneficiary, value, owned by whom)
• Notes, mortgages and accounts receivables (description, year acquired, value, person who owes you)
• Real estate (list type of property and acres, location, year acquired, cost, owned by, market value)
• Personal property (list home furnishings, jewelry, art, antiques, personal items, motor vehicles, livestock, machinery, crop inventory; describe cost and market value and who owns)
• Liens against property (property mortgage, name of creditor, date due, remaining amount due from husband, wife, jointly)
• Mortgages and other real estate debts (description, name of creditor, date due and amount remaining to be paid by husband and/or wife, amount of monthly payment, whether insured)
• Other personal liabilities (unsecured notes, insurance loans, notes endorsed, real estate taxes, personal property taxes, state taxes including income and inheritance, federal taxes including income, gifts, etc., unsettled claims, name of creditor, date due, amount remaining to be paid by husband, wife, jointly and which debts are insured by credit life insurance)
• Retirement benefits (pensions, profit sharing, deferred compensation, social security, annual benefits for husband and wife, amount invested and death benefits)
• Other financial information (income last year, current income, salary, retirement income, annuities, rents, interest, bonuses, dividends, trusts, capital gains, etc.)
• Where are your special papers kept? (Make a list and name exact location of husband's will and wife's will, deeds, insurance policies, stocks and bonds, financial statements, income tax returns for last five years, gift tax returns, contracts, partnerships and corporation agreements, profit sharing plan, divorce decrees, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, employment contract, pension benefits)

Questionnaires

Call your attorney before the appointment and ask if there is any other information you need to bring with you. You may use the following questionnaires provided as guides. After completing each questionnaire, print it and give it to your attorney. Note: Your attorney may prefer to use questionnaires developed in his or her law office.

• Personal data questionnaire.
• Financial data questionnaire.
• Will questionnaire.
• Durable power of attorney questionnaire.
• Living will questionnaire.
• Health care power of attorney questionnaire.
• Advance instruction for mental health treatment questionnaire.
• Trust questionnaire.

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Prepared by Carol A. Schwab, J.D., LL.M.
Professor and Extension Specialist, NC State University.

This publication is provided as a public service and is designed to acquaint you with certain legal issues and concerns. It is not designed as a substitute for legal advice, nor does it tell you everything you may need to know about this subject. Future changes in the law cannot be predicted, and statements in this publication are based solely on the laws of North Carolina in force on the date of publication.

Date: May 2000