Year-End Estate Planning Checklist: Documents to Review Before December 31

The end of the year is a natural checkpoint for reviewing your estate documents, before the holidays get busy and before a new year starts. Here's a simple checklist to work through.

Why Year-End Is a Good Time to Review Estate Documents

Life changes, a marriage, a new grandchild, a move, a health diagnosis, can make an existing will or power of attorney outdated without anyone noticing until it matters. Reviewing documents once a year, rather than assuming they're still accurate, catches these gaps while there's time to fix them.

Estate Planning Checklist

• Does your will still reflect your current wishes and family situation?

• Are the people named as executor, agent, or guardian still the right choices?

• Has your financial or medical power of attorney been reviewed in the last few years?

• Do your beneficiary designations (life insurance, retirement accounts) match your will?

• Are your documents properly notarized and, for wills, witnessed with a self-proving affidavit?

When to Get Documents Re-Notarized

If you're updating or amending a will, power of attorney, or other estate document, the updated version needs to be signed and notarized again, an old notarization doesn't carry over to new language. If you've simply confirmed an existing document is still accurate with no changes needed, it typically doesn't need to be re-notarized, only documents you actually revise.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I update my will?

Review it at least once a year and after any major life change, marriage, divorce, birth, death, or a significant change in assets.

Can I make small changes to my will without redoing the whole document?

Minor changes are sometimes handled with a codicil (an amendment), which still needs to be signed and notarized, but for bigger changes it's often cleaner to redo the will entirely, ask your attorney which makes sense for your situation.

Do you notarize updated estate documents on short notice before year-end?

Yes, as a 24/7 mobile notary we can typically schedule same-day or next-day, which helps if you're trying to get things finalized before the holidays or year-end.

Last updated: July 2026. Reviewing your estate documents this year? Learn more about our wills & power of attorney notarization service or call/text (210) 972-8667.