# The Estate Plan Module

The FIRM Guide (thefirmguide.com) — companion to The Recoverable Family.
Fill this in privately (any text editor or by hand), then store it in your Vault.


## Secure Guide Starter Template — Estate Plan

> This template belongs in The Secure Guide, stored within The Vault. Review at every estate plan update and every annual FIRM review.

Every Module in the system has been preparation for this one. The accounts are documented, the assets inventoried, the entities mapped, the people named — what remains is the legal architecture that makes the preparation enforceable, and the coordination that keeps the documents true to the financial life they govern. The most common failure in otherwise sound estate plans is not drafting; it is the gap between what the documents say and what the structure actually is. One action is sufficient to begin: schedule a meeting with an estate attorney, and bring your Family Guide.

The beneficiary-designation review below is the highest-leverage table on this page. Designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and annuities pass assets outside the will entirely — a will that leaves everything to a spouse protects nothing an old designation has already promised elsewhere. The same review doubles as an integrity audit: a designation that no longer matches the plan is either an oversight or a change made without the family's knowledge, and the rhythm of reconciling designations against the plan surfaces both. One more rule defeats imitation in estate administration, where documents move among people who may never meet: the channels are fixed in advance. Changes of instruction, requests for certified copies, and distribution directions are confirmed with your known attorney through the established channel — never accepted from an inbound message alone, even one that appears to come from the executor or a family member.

### Core Legal Documents
| Document | Date Executed | Attorney / Preparer | Storage Location | Copy With | Last Reviewed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Last Will and Testament |   |   |   |   |   |
| Revocable Living Trust |   |   |   |   |   |
| Durable Power of Attorney (Financial) |   |   |   |   |   |
| Healthcare Power of Attorney |   |   |   |   |   |
| Advance Healthcare Directive / Living Will |   |   |   |   |   |
| POLST / MOLST (if applicable) |   |   |   |   |   |
| Guardianship Designation (if applicable) |   |   |   |   |   |
| Personal Property Memorandum (if applicable) |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |

### Estate Professionals
| Name | Role | Firm | Phone | Email | Last Contact |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | Estate Attorney |   |   |   |   |
|   | Financial Advisor |   |   |   |   |
|   | CPA / Accountant |   |   |   |   |
|   | Corporate Trustee (if applicable) |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |

### Named Roles — Estate Plan
| Role | Name | Contact | Document Where Named |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Executor |   |   | Will |
| Successor Executor |   |   | Will |
| Trustee |   |   | Trust |
| Successor Trustee |   |   | Trust |
| Power of Attorney (Financial) |   |   | DPOA |
| Healthcare Proxy |   |   | HCPOA |
| Guardian (minor children) |   |   | Will |
| Digital Executor |   |   |   |

### Beneficiary Designations — Coordination Review
| Account / Policy | Institution | Current Beneficiary | Contingent Beneficiary | Last Reviewed | Aligned with Trust / Will |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |   | Yes / No |
|   |   |   |   |   | Yes / No |
|   |   |   |   |   | Yes / No |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |

> Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and annuities supersede the will. Review designations at every estate plan update and at every annual FIRM review.

### Trust Inventory — Estate Instruments
| Trust Name | Type | Purpose | Key Assets | Trustee | Successor Trustee | Document Location |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | Revocable |   |   |   |   |   |
|   | Irrevocable |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |

> For trusts as operating structures and entity documentation, see the Entities Module.

> Special-purpose trusts — including a special-needs trust for a dependent, or a pet trust providing for the care of an animal (flagged in the Pet Information and Care Module) — are documented here as estate instruments and drafted with your attorney.

### Charitable Bequests
| Organization | Legal Name | EIN | Bequest Type | Amount / Percentage | Document Where Specified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |

> Confirm legal name and EIN for every named charitable organization. See the Philanthropy Module.

### Tax Records Integration



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## Family Guide Starter Template — Estate Plan

> This template belongs in The Family Guide. It summarizes the plan, names the attorney, and gives the order of first calls.

> In the matching Secure Guide section: core documents, professionals, named roles, beneficiary coordination, trusts, bequests.
>
> That detail is what makes recovery possible — and it is protected in the Vault, which opens with The Vault Key. The key is never written here, by design. The people listed on this page know how it is kept, and the steward's job is to keep that path current, so this page never leads to a locked door.

### Our Estate Plan — Summary
| Document | Purpose | Who Is Named |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Will | Distributes assets; names executor | Executor: |
| Trust | Holds and distributes assets outside probate | Trustee: |
| Power of Attorney | Manages finances if incapacitated | Agent: |
| Healthcare Directive | Guides medical decisions | Proxy: |

### Our Estate Attorney



### First Calls



### Beneficiary Designations



### A Note to Our Family



> Estate matters run on documents and instructions exchanged among people who may never meet. The rule that protects every link: confirm changes and requests with the attorney at the number on this page — never from an inbound message alone, however official it looks.

### Additional Guidance