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3 Estate Planning Documents You Should Review When You Move to Another State

3 Estate Planning Documents You Should Review When You Move to Another State

By: Solid Serenity Legal Solutions

When you’re moving to a new state, you should review your estate planning documents with a local attorney. Though, often, your established estate planning documents will be honored in a new state, there can be problems and confusion when your old state’s laws differ from the new state’s.

Here are 3 estate planning documents you should review when you move to another state.

(1) Wills/Trusts

While your Will and Trust should be honored in the new state, there may be provisions that were made in your documents that were valid in your old state that did not meet the new state’s legal requirements. Those conflicting clauses may be ruled invalid when your heirs seek to enforce your documents in the new state.

The problem, of course, is if you don’t review the documents, your heirs will find out about the problems long after they could have been fixed. Do your family a huge favor and have an attorney review your Will and/or Trust when you move.

(2) Durable Powers of Attorney

Durable Powers of Attorney are different than Wills and Trusts. In most states, local companies and institutions are not required to follow the documents. So, if you move to another state with different legal requirements, companies may not accept your Durable Power of Attorney because they look different or do not meet the requirements they’re used to.

Be sure to reach out to a trusted local attorney to revise your documents under local rules.

(3) Health Care Directives

Few documents have as varied legal requirements from state to state as health care directives. Different states even name the document differently. Your old documents may confuse medical providers in your new state, causing them not to follow your wishes.

When it comes to medical matters, it is incredibly important to review your documents with a local attorney when moving states.

If you just moved or are moving to Oklahoma, book an appointment online to discuss your estate planning documents.