Year-End Estate Planning Checklist for Georgia and Florida

The end of the year is a natural time to review and update your estate plan. Major life events, changes in assets or tax rules, and the simple passage of time can all create a reason to revisit your documents before December 31. Simmons, Finney & Winfield, LLC helps families in Fayetteville, Georgia, and Port St. Lucie, Florida, take a practical, state-specific approach to year-end estate planning.

This checklist highlights questions to discuss with an attorney; it is not a substitute for legal advice tailored to your family, property, and goals.

Start With the Core Documents

A strong estate plan is not something to sign once and forget. Begin by gathering your current will, trust documents, powers of attorney, health care documents, beneficiary forms, deeds, and a current list of assets and debts. Make sure your family or trusted representatives know where the original documents are kept.

Then ask a fundamental question: do these documents still reflect the people, property, and priorities in your life today? If the answer is uncertain, a review before year-end can prevent avoidable confusion later. Our Estate Planning team can help identify gaps and coordinate the pieces of your plan.

Georgia Checklist: Update Your Will After Major Life Changes

For Georgia families, review whether your will has been updated since a marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, death of a beneficiary, substantial move, or other major change. A document that once made perfect sense may no longer reflect your intended beneficiaries or the person you want to serve as personal representative.

Confirm that gifts, percentages, and residuary provisions still match your wishes.
Review whether a former spouse, deceased beneficiary, or outdated charity remains named.
Consider whether your personal representative and any alternate are still willing and able to serve.
Make sure your Wills & Trusts documents work together rather than contradict one another.

Elizabeth Williams Winfield, Esq. works with Georgia families to evaluate these details and develop estate-planning documents that are clear, current, and aligned with their goals.

Georgia Checklist: Health Care and Financial Decision-Making

Your Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care should name a trusted health care agent, express your preferences, and remain accessible when it is needed. Confirm that the agent and alternate understand their role, have a copy of the directive, and can be reached. It is also wise to provide current copies to your physician or health care provider and replace old versions that could cause uncertainty.

Review your durable financial power of attorney as well. Georgia’s Uniform Power of Attorney Act contains execution requirements, and financial institutions may scrutinize older, incomplete, or improperly executed forms. Confirm that your document has been properly signed, witnessed, and notarized as required, and that your chosen agent is still trustworthy, available, and capable of handling financial matters. Learn more about Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives.

Georgia Checklist: Beneficiaries and Guardians

Beneficiary designations can control who receives life-insurance proceeds, retirement accounts, and payable-on-death bank accounts—even when the designation conflicts with a will. Before December 31, review the forms on file with each institution, not just the documents in your estate-planning binder. Verify both primary and contingent beneficiaries.

Parents of minor children should also revisit guardian nominations. Consider whether the nominated guardian remains nearby, willing to serve, physically able to take on the responsibility, and aligned with your values. Name at least one alternate when possible, and discuss your decision with the people you nominate.

Florida Checklist: Health Care Surrogates and Trust Funding

Florida families should confirm that their Designation of Health Care Surrogate is current and that copies are available to the designated surrogate and health care providers. Your choice of surrogate should be someone who understands your wishes, can communicate with medical professionals, and is likely to be available in an emergency.

If you have a revocable trust or another trust-based plan, review whether the trust actually holds the assets you intended it to hold. A trust can only manage or distribute assets that have been properly retitled, assigned, or designated to it when appropriate. New accounts, vehicles, investment assets, business interests, and real estate acquired during the year may require follow-up. Evett L. Simmons, Esq. assists Florida families with reviewing how trusts, wills, and beneficiary designations fit together.

Florida Checklist: Review Your Homestead Plan

Florida homestead law can have significant implications for creditor protection and inheritance. If you own a Florida homestead, review how title is held, who may inherit the property, and whether your will or trust provisions are consistent with Florida’s homestead restrictions. This is especially important for blended families, unmarried couples, homeowners with minor children, and anyone who has moved into or out of Florida during the year.

Do not assume that a general estate-planning template resolves homestead questions. A focused review can help you understand how your property ownership and family structure affect the available options.

Checklist for Families in Both States

Review federal tax changes. For 2026, the federal basic estate and gift tax exclusion is $15 million per person, and the annual gift-tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient. These figures and related planning opportunities should be revisited as laws change.
List new assets. Identify property, business interests, inheritances, investments, digital assets, or insurance policies acquired this year that are not addressed by your plan.
Confirm your decision-makers. Reconsider every person named as personal representative, trustee, guardian, health care agent, or financial power-of-attorney agent. They should still live reasonably nearby when practical, be willing to serve, and understand the responsibility.
Coordinate accounts and documents. Check ownership titles, beneficiary forms, transfer-on-death designations, and trust funding against your will and trust provisions.
Communicate appropriately. Tell the people you have chosen what role they may have and where to find the relevant documents.

FAQ

How often should I review my estate plan?

A yearly review is a sensible habit, with an additional review after a marriage, divorce, birth, death, move, major asset change, business change, or change in health.

Do I need to change my will if my beneficiary designation is current?

Possibly. Beneficiary designations are only one part of the plan. Your will, trust, powers of attorney, health care documents, asset titles, and guardian nominations should be reviewed together.

Can I use the same estate-planning documents in Georgia and Florida?

Some documents may remain useful after a move, but each state has its own laws and execution requirements. Families with connections to both states should have their documents reviewed for state-specific issues.

What if my named executor or trustee no longer wants the role?

Update the plan promptly. Naming a willing alternate can reduce delays, disputes, and uncertainty for your family.

Is year-end a good time to make gifts?

It can be, but the right approach depends on your overall estate plan, cash flow, tax circumstances, and long-term objectives. Obtain legal and tax guidance before making substantial gifts.

Schedule your year-end estate planning review with Simmons, Finney & Winfield before December 31. Call our Georgia office at (678) 788-6030 or our Florida office at (772) 873-5900, or Contact us.