Estate planning is an ongoing process. You must not only develop and implement a plan that reflects your current financial and family situation; you must also constantly review your current plan to ensure it fits any changes in your circumstances.

Of course, with the extensive changes under The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the probability that more changes will occur in this decade, reviewing your estate plan regularly is now more critical than ever. You'll especially want to update it after any of the events listed in the Planning Tip.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Remember, estate planning is about much more than reducing your estate taxes; it's about ensuring your family is provided for, your business can continue, and your charitable goals are achieved. So even if the estate tax is permanently repealed, you will want to have an up-to-date plan in place.

To this end, use the accompanying estate planning checklist to identify areas where you need more information or assistance. Or jot down a few notes about things you want to look at more closely and discuss with a professional advisor. It may be easy for you to put off developing a detailed estate plan - or updating it in light of changes in tax law or your situation. But if you delay, much of your estate could go to Uncle Sam - and this could be difficult for your family.

So please call us with any questions you may have about the strategies presented here or how they can help you minimize your estate tax liability. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your situation and show how we can help you create and help implement an estate plan that preserves for your heirs what it took you a lifetime to build.

This information is designed to provide a general overview with regard to the subject matter covered and is not state specific. The authors, publisher and host are not providing legal, accounting or specific advice to your situtation.