Mid-Year Estate Planning Checklist: 5 Things to Review This June

As summer approaches and the year reaches its halfway point, June is the perfect time to pause and assess your financial and legal affairs. For residents of Walnut Creek and the greater Contra Costa County, this includes reviewing your estate plan to ensure it still aligns with your goals, family situation, and California laws.

Life moves fast—births, marriages, career changes, and property acquisitions can happen at any time. An outdated estate plan may leave your loved ones vulnerable or cause confusion in the event of an emergency. That’s why we recommend this mid-year estate planning checklist to keep things on track.

 

1. Review Your Will and Trust

Your last will and testament and any revocable living trusts are the cornerstones of your estate plan. If you’ve experienced any life changes in the last six months—such as getting married, divorced, welcoming a child, or buying property in Walnut Creek or elsewhere—now’s the time to update your documents.

Ask yourself:

• Do my beneficiaries reflect my current wishes?

• Have I named the right executor or trustee?

• Have I acquired any assets that aren’t included in my trust?

In California, keeping your living trust updated can help you avoid the long and expensive probate process.

 

2. Check Beneficiary Designations

Some of your most valuable assets—like retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and payable-on-death bank accounts—pass outside of your will or trust. That means the beneficiary designations on file are what matter most.

It’s common for these to be forgotten, especially after a divorce, marriage, or death of a loved one. Don’t let an old form direct your life insurance payout to the wrong person.

Tip: This is a quick task you can often complete online with your financial institutions.

 

3. Update Your Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives

Your durable power of attorney and advance health care directive appoint trusted individuals to act on your behalf if you're ever incapacitated.

• Are your agents still available and trustworthy?

• Do they still live locally, or at least within California?

• Have your preferences for medical treatment or end-of-life care changed?

Given Walnut Creek’s proximity to major medical centers like John Muir Health, it’s essential to have up-to-date instructions in place in case of a medical emergency.

 

4. Evaluate New Assets or Real Estate

Have you purchased property in Walnut Creek, Danville, Lafayette, or elsewhere in Contra Costa County? That new home, rental property, or vacation condo needs to be titled correctly and potentially placed into your trust.

If you haven’t retitled the property, your heirs may be forced to go through probate in order to inherit it—even if you have a trust.

Also consider:

• Business interests

• Cryptocurrency

• Out-of-state property

Each of these has different estate planning implications under California law.

 

5. Schedule a Legal Review

Even if you haven’t had any major life events, laws change—and so do your goals. A quick annual or semi-annual review with your Walnut Creek estate planning attorney ensures your documents stay compliant and effective.

In 2025, changes to tax laws, trust administration rules, or state-specific probate updates may affect your plan more than you realize.

✅ Take Action This June

June is a natural time to regroup, reflect, and realign. If you live in Walnut Creek or the surrounding area and haven’t looked at your estate plan this year, consider this your reminder.

Our firm offers mid-year estate plan reviews to help individuals and families in Walnut Creek ensure their legal documents are up to date and their loved ones are protected. Don’t wait until an emergency forces your hand—plan ahead.

 

📞 Ready for a review? Contact us today to schedule your estate planning check-up.