Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

Getting a handle on your estate plan gives you peace of mind and ensures that your loved ones are able to follow your wishes.

How Much Do I Really Have?

Thinking about how much your estate is worth can raise all kinds of questions: Is there enough to retire on? Can I provide for my family? Fortunately, most people have more in their estate than they thought.

To get started, take the following three steps:

1. Make an inventory of your assets.Writing down what you have will help you estimate your net worth. If you are married, be sure to include your spouse’s assets and all jointly owned or community property. Use the current market value for everything you own and the face value (not cash value) for any life insurance. The chart on the next page is an easy way to list your figures.

Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

Inventory Your Assets

Get your inventory worksheet by clicking the button on this page. It will download a simple page that you can complete on your device or print out and fill in by hand. Don’t worry about exact value amounts; your best estimate is a helpful start.

Get My Worksheet

Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

How Much Do I Really Have?

2. Decide who gets what. Once you’ve made an inventory of your property, you’re ready to decide where you want it to go. An advisor can help you understand which assets can be passed tax-free, depending on who they’re left to.

Family.You can give your money to your significant other, either outright or in a trust, and also make plans in the event your significant other does not survive you. If you have children, you can give your money to them in equal or unequal shares, or you can create a trust for their benefit. Ensure you’ve thought of everyone as you make your designations.
Charitable goals.A gift to us can take many forms, including a specific amount of money, a particular asset or a percentage of your estate.
Special assets.Do you have jewelry, art objects or other prized possessions you would like to give to someone who would enjoy having them? Then say so in your will.

3. Meet with an estate planning attorney. After you complete the asset list and consider additional assets and circumstances, you are ready to meet with your attorney, who will draft your documents.

Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

Next Steps

A good estate plan can also include tools that benefit you and the people and causes you care about most. Contact us for ways you can use your estate to support the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and get the most out of your hard-earned assets.

Ashley Gill, CFRE
Director of the Foundation
Phone: 630-570-5639
Email: agill@asge.org
3300 Woodcreek Drive
Downers Grove, IL 60515

Meet the team

Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association.Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.

Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

Getting a handle on your estate plan gives you peace of mind and ensures that your loved ones are able to follow your wishes.

How Much Do I Really Have?

To get started, take the following three steps:

Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

Inventory Your Assets

Get My Worksheet

Estate Planning You Can Do at Home

How Much Do I Really Have?

Family.You can give your money to your significant other, either outright or in a trust, and also make plans in the event your significant other does not survive you. If you have children, you can give your money to them in equal or unequal shares, or you can create a trust for their benefit. Ensure you’ve thought of everyone as you make your designations.
Charitable goals.A gift to us can take many forms, including a specific amount of money, a particular asset or a percentage of your estate.
Special assets.Do you have jewelry, art objects or other prized possessions you would like to give to someone who would enjoy having them? Then say so in your will.