Estate Planning Checklist Connecticut 2026: Step-by-Step

How to Use This Checklist (Read This First)

Phase 1 — Asset & Liability Inventory (Weeks 1–2)

1.1 — Financial Account Inventory

• Checking and savings accounts (institution, account number last 4, current balance, joint vs. individual title, payable-on-death designee if any).
• Brokerage and investment accounts (institution, account number, current balance, individual vs. joint vs. trust title, transfer-on-death designee).
• Employer retirement accounts (401(k), 403(b), 457, current balance, plan administrator, primary and contingent beneficiaries verbatim).
• Personal retirement accounts (Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP, SIMPLE, current balance, custodian, primary and contingent beneficiaries verbatim).
• Health savings accounts (HSA) and 529 plans (account owner, beneficiary, current balance).
• Annuities (carrier, contract number, surrender value, annuitant, owner, primary and contingent beneficiaries).
• Cryptocurrency holdings (exchange or wallet, approximate value, recovery seed phrase storage location — DO NOT write seed phrases in the inventory itself).

1.2 — Insurance Policy Inventory

• All life insurance policies in force (carrier, policy number, type — term vs. whole vs. universal vs. variable, face amount, current cash value, premium, primary and contingent beneficiaries, owner if different from insured, any policy loans outstanding).
• Any employer group life insurance (face amount, beneficiary designation as currently on file with HR).
• Long-term care insurance (carrier, daily benefit, inflation rider yes/no).
• Disability income insurance (carrier, monthly benefit, elimination period).
• Homeowners and umbrella liability policies (carrier, dwelling coverage, personal property, liability limit, umbrella limit).
• Auto insurance (carrier, bodily injury limits, uninsured/underinsured motorist limits).

1.3 — Real Estate and Tangible Property

• Primary residence (current estimated market value, mortgage balance, exact name(s) on deed, type of tenancy — joint with right of survivorship, tenants in common, sole, or in trust).
• Other real estate (vacation home, rental property, undeveloped land — same data for each).
• Vehicles (year/make/model, approximate value, title held by whom).
• Significant tangible property (jewelry, art, collectibles, firearms, boats — anything with insurance scheduling or significant value).

1.4 — Business Interests

• Business entity name and type (LLC, S-corp, C-corp, partnership, sole proprietorship).
• Ownership percentage and current valuation (your share).
• Existence of buy-sell agreement and whether it is funded with insurance.
• Key-person insurance policies in force on you or others.
• Operating agreement provisions on death of a member.

1.5 — Liabilities and Recurring Obligations

• Mortgage(s), home equity lines, balances and payoff figures.
• Auto loans, student loans (federal vs. private — federal loans are typically discharged at death, private may not be), personal loans.
• Credit card balances and limits.
• Recurring subscriptions and memberships (your executor needs this list).
• Alimony or child support obligations.

1.6 — Digital Asset Inventory

• Primary email accounts and password-manager access method.
• Social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X) and whether each has memorialization or legacy-contact features enabled.
• Cloud storage (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) and important folders to preserve.
• Domains, websites, and online businesses.
• Crypto wallets and exchange logins (location of seed phrases stored separately and securely).
• Subscription services with auto-renewal that should be cancelled.

Phase 2 — Key Decisions (Week 3)

2.1 — Fiduciary Appointments

• Executor (the person who administers your will through probate). Pick a primary and at least one alternate. Trustworthy, organized, and ideally Connecticut-resident.
• Successor trustee for your revocable living trust (often but not always the same person as the executor).
• Durable financial power of attorney agent and alternate.
• Healthcare representative (Connecticut
• Guardian for any minor children, with at least one alternate. The single most-deferred decision in estate planning. Decide it now even if imperfectly.
• Conservator nomination (the person you

2.2 — Distribution Decisions

• Primary beneficiaries of your overall estate (typically spouse first, then children equally — but document the exceptions).
• Contingent beneficiaries if primary predeceases you.
• Per stirpes vs. per capita distribution (your attorney explains the difference).
• Age at which children receive inheritance outright (common choices: outright at 25, staggered 25/30/35, fully retained in trust for lifetime).
• Specific bequests (charity, family heirlooms, named gifts to grandchildren or others).
• Disinheritance clauses (if any — must be explicit).

2.3 — Healthcare Wishes

• End-of-life preferences regarding artificial nutrition, hydration, ventilation, and CPR.
• Organ and tissue donation preferences.
• Specific religious or spiritual preferences around end-of-life care.
• Specific physicians or hospital systems preferred (Hartford Healthcare, Yale New Haven, Trinity Health Of New England, etc.).

Phase 3 — Document Drafting & Execution (Weeks 4–6)

• 3.1 — Initial attorney meeting (60–90 min). Bring the completed Phase 1 inventory and Phase 2 decisions. Confirm fee structure in writing.
• 3.2 — Draft review meeting (45–60 min). Attorney sends drafts 7–14 days after initial meeting; review carefully before this meeting.
• 3.3 — Execution meeting (45 min). Sign documents with required witnesses and notary. Connecticut requires two witnesses for wills; healthcare directives require two witnesses or notary.
• 3.4 — Six documents executed: Last Will and Testament, Revocable Living Trust (if included), Durable Financial Power of Attorney, Healthcare Representative Appointment, Living Will / Advance Directive, HIPAA Release.
• 3.5 — Receive originals and at least one full set of digital copies. Originals belong in a fireproof safe at home OR in your attorney

Phase 4 — Trust Funding & Beneficiary Audit (Week 7)

4.1 — Trust Funding Tasks

• Re-title primary residence into the trust (warranty deed prepared by attorney, recorded with town clerk; budget $250–$500 in recording fees).
• Re-title brokerage and investment accounts into the trust (custodian
• Re-title bank accounts into the trust or set as payable-on-death to the trust.
• Note: retirement accounts (401(k), IRA) are NOT re-titled into the trust — they stay in your individual name with beneficiary designations naming individuals or, in advanced planning, a properly drafted see-through trust.
• Update operating agreement or stock certificates for any business interests to reflect trust ownership.

4.2 — Beneficiary Audit (The 90-Minute High-Leverage Task)

• Pull current beneficiary designation forms for every retirement account (your own login at each custodian — do not assume what
• Pull current beneficiary designations for every life insurance policy (carrier portal or call customer service).
• Pull current beneficiary designations for every annuity, HSA, and 529.
• Confirm primary AND contingent on every form. Missing contingent beneficiaries is the most common error — it causes the asset to default to your estate and go through probate, defeating the entire reason for the beneficiary designation.
• Re-file any forms with outdated information immediately. Most custodians offer online beneficiary changes; some require a paper form.
• Save confirmation screenshots in your estate plan folder.

Phase 5 — Life Insurance Coverage Review (Week 8)

5.1 — Coverage Math (The Three Buckets)

• Income replacement: 10–12x household income for working adults with dependents. A 38-year-old Connecticut household earning $180,000 typically carries $1.8M–$2.2M of 20- or 30-year term life on the primary earner and $750K–$1M on the secondary earner. Term is the right tool here — cheap, large, time-limited.
• Estate liquidity: enough permanent insurance (whole life or guaranteed UL) to pay the projected federal and state estate tax bill without forcing the sale of illiquid assets. Most relevant for Connecticut families with estates approaching or exceeding $13.99M, and for families with concentrated real estate or business interests.
• Final expense and probate cushion: $15,000–$25,000 of final expense coverage for older adults and retirees, paid quickly outside probate, used to cover funeral costs, immediate bills, and short-term cash flow for the surviving spouse.

5.2 — Ownership and Beneficiary Structure

• Standard household: spouse owns, spouse named primary beneficiary, adult children contingent. Simple and right for the vast majority of CT families.
• Large taxable estate: irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) owns the policy, removing the death benefit from the taxable estate. Requires the attorney to draft the ILIT before the policy is issued.
• Blended family / second marriage: often a combination of policies — one owned by the insured naming the current spouse, one owned by an ILIT or trust naming the children of the first marriage. Coordinated with the QTIP trust in the will.
• Business owner: buy-sell agreement funded with cross-purchase or entity-redemption insurance; key-person insurance owned by the business.

5.3 — Quote, Apply, Underwrite, Place

• Broker shops 8–15 A-rated carriers based on your health profile and structure needs.
• Application + paramed exam (free, scheduled at your home or office, ~30 minutes).
• Underwriting (4–8 weeks depending on age, health, face amount).
• Policy delivery and 30-day free-look period.

Phase 6 — Storage, Communication & Access (Week 9)

• 6.1 — Originals stored in a fireproof, water-resistant safe at home OR in your attorney
• s still a friction point).
• 6.2 — Digital copies in a secure cloud folder (encrypted, multi-factor authentication) plus offline backup.
• 6.3 — Letter of instruction (informal, non-binding) listing where everything is, login locations, advisor contact information, funeral preferences. Updated annually.
• 6.4 — Executor packet: copy of will, contact info for attorney/broker/CPA/financial advisor, list of accounts, login access plan. Delivered to executor (and possibly to one trusted backup) so they know what they
• 6.5 — Healthcare agent packet: copy of healthcare POA, living will, HIPAA release, list of physicians and current medications. Delivered to healthcare agent and uploaded to your primary care provider
• 6.6 — Family meeting (optional but recommended): one focused conversation with adult children explaining the plan

Phase 7 — Annual Maintenance Schedule (Forever)

• Verify beneficiary designations on every account — they move silently when employers change recordkeepers or when accounts are rolled over.
• Verify all fiduciaries (executor, trustees, agents, guardians) are still alive, capable, and willing.
• Verify insurance coverage levels still match your current income, debts, and dependents.
• Verify trust funding is still complete — newly purchased real estate, new investment accounts, and new business interests must be added.
• Note any major life events from the past year (marriage, divorce, birth, death, move, large inheritance, business sale, change in net worth >25%) and schedule an attorney meeting if any are present.
• Confirm letter of instruction and digital asset inventory are still accurate.

Checklist Variants by Life Situation

Young Family with Minor Children (Ages 30–45)

• Guardian appointment for minor children — primary and at least one alternate. Decided and documented this year, not
• Term life insurance: 10–12x household income on each working parent. 20- or 30-year level term. Connecticut market rates for healthy 35-year-olds: roughly $30–$55/month for $1M of 20-year term on a male non-smoker; less for women, more for older or higher-risk applicants.
• Testamentary trust inside the will (or a separate revocable trust) holding inherited assets for minor children with staggered distribution ages (common: 25/30/35).
• 529 college savings plan with successor account owner named.
• Both parents
• Healthcare POA naming each spouse for the other; secondary agent if both incapacitated.

Single Adult Without Children

• Healthcare POA naming a trusted friend, sibling, or parent (the most important document for single adults).
• Durable financial POA — equally critical.
• HIPAA release authorizing your chosen people to receive medical information from providers.
• Will (even a simple one) naming the people, charities, or organizations you want to inherit. Otherwise CT intestacy distributes to parents (if living) or siblings.
• Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance pointing to your chosen beneficiaries (charities are perfectly valid).
• Letter of instruction listing pet care arrangements, digital accounts, and personal effects.

Blended Family / Second Marriage Checklist

• QTIP trust (Qualified Terminable Interest Property) in the will — provides income to surviving spouse for life with remainder to first-marriage children at the spouse
• Separate life insurance policies: one naming the current spouse, another (often inside an ILIT) naming the children of the first marriage.
• Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts split to provide for both groups (often with spousal waiver in writing for the ERISA-protected portion).
• Pre- or post-nuptial agreement confirming separate-property treatment of pre-marriage assets.
• Title review of real estate — joint tenancy with a second spouse on a house that you want to leave to first-marriage children defeats the plan; tenancy-in-common preserves the option.
• Explicit, written conversation with adult children explaining the structure so they understand the second spouse is not
• their inheritance.

Business Owner / Self-Employed Checklist

• Buy-sell agreement (cross-purchase, entity redemption, or hybrid) — drafted, signed, and funded with insurance.
• Key-person life insurance owned by the business on each key employee.
• Current third-party business valuation (within last 24 months) so estate tax exposure is known.
• ILIT funded with permanent life insurance to provide estate tax liquidity without forcing business sale.
• Succession plan: who runs the business if you die or become incapacitated this week? Documented operations manual, signature authority delegations, and emergency contact list for key vendors and clients.
• Coordination between attorney (operating agreement, ILIT), CPA (valuation, tax projection), and insurance broker (policy structure).

Retiree (Age 65+) Checklist

• Long-term care insurance review or self-funding strategy with carve-out from the estate.
• Medicare enrollment confirmed (Parts A, B, D, Medigap or Medicare Advantage). Annual Election Period (Oct 15–Dec 7) review.
• Roth conversion ladder evaluated for tax-efficient wealth transfer (Roth IRA passes income-tax-free to beneficiaries; Traditional IRA distributions are taxable).
• RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions) — confirm current schedule and beneficiary designations support stretch (eligible designated beneficiary) or 10-year payout (non-eligible designated beneficiary) under SECURE Act.
• Final expense insurance ($15,000–$25,000) for immediate post-death cash needs.
• Updated healthcare POA and living will reflecting current healthcare wishes and physicians.
• Charitable giving strategy: qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from IRA up to $108,000/year in 2026 satisfies RMD without income tax recognition.

Post-Divorce Re-Planning Checklist (Within 90 Days)

• Update beneficiary designations on every retirement account within 30 days of divorce — most divorced clients discover months or years later that an ex-spouse is still primary on a 401(k) worth several hundred thousand dollars.
• Update beneficiary designations on every life insurance policy (subject to any QDRO or divorce-decree requirements to maintain ex-spouse as beneficiary for child support security).
• Revoke and re-execute healthcare POA and durable financial POA — these survive divorce by default in Connecticut.
• New will reflecting current intended distribution (typically children of the marriage directly or in trust).
• Update guardian nomination for any minor children if guardian was a former in-law.
• Re-title real estate per the divorce decree; record new deed.
• Review and update any existing trusts to ensure ex-spouse is removed as trustee or beneficiary where appropriate.

Connecticut-Specific Items Most National Checklists Miss

• Confirm Connecticut residency for estate tax purposes (domicile, not just residency — relevant for snowbirds with FL or other-state homes).
• Confirm whether real estate is titled in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, tenants in common, or solely. Connecticut presumes tenants in common between non-spouses unless
• is explicit.
• If you own real estate in another state, plan to avoid ancillary probate in that state (typically by trust ownership).
• Connecticut probate fee schedule (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-107) scales with estate size — estates above $2M pay roughly 0.5% of the excess in probate fees. Plan to minimize the probate estate via trusts and beneficiary designations.
• Connecticut healthcare representative form follows a specific statutory format (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-575a) — generic out-of-state forms may not be honored by CT hospitals.
• Conservatorship avoidance: Connecticut conservatorship hearings are time-consuming and intrusive — durable financial POA + healthcare representative + HIPAA release together prevent the need.

What Happens in Connecticut If You Skip This Checklist

What This Whole Project Costs in Connecticut

• Attorney — simple plan (will + POAs + healthcare directive, no trust): $1,800–$3,000 flat fee.
• Attorney — standard plan (with revocable living trust + trust funding assistance): $3,000–$5,500 flat fee.
• Attorney — complex plan (ILIT, QTIP, special needs trust, business succession): $5,500–$15,000+ depending on structures.
• Recording fees for re-titling real estate into trust: $250–$500 per parcel.
• Insurance broker fees: $0 (compensated by carriers).
• Life insurance premiums (new policies, if recommended): highly variable — typical CT family in their 30s–40s adding $1M of 20-year term for income replacement runs $25–$70/month per insured adult.
• CPA consultation (optional but recommended for estates >$2M): $500–$2,000.
• Document storage and copying: $50–$150.
• Total typical out-of-pocket for a Connecticut household completing the full checklist: $3,000–$6,500 in one-time costs.

Who Does What: Attorney, Insurance Broker, CPA, Financial Advisor

• Connecticut estate planning attorney — drafts and executes the legal documents, handles trust funding, manages probate strategy. Flat fee.
• Independent insurance broker (licensed in CT) — designs and places life insurance for income replacement, estate liquidity, final expense, and key-person needs; conducts beneficiary audit; coordinates with attorney on ILIT funding. Compensated by carriers.
• CPA / tax professional — runs tax projections, evaluates Roth conversion strategy, files estate tax returns when needed, advises on charitable giving structure. Hourly or project fee.
• Financial advisor — manages investment allocation through accumulation and distribution phases, coordinates RMD strategy, advises on Social Security claiming. Fee-based or fee-only.

Top 10 Estate Planning Checklist Mistakes in Connecticut

• Drafting a revocable living trust and never funding it (re-titling assets) — the single most common Connecticut error.
• Leaving contingent beneficiary blank on retirement accounts — defaults to estate, forces probate.
• Naming a minor child directly as a beneficiary — triggers court guardianship of property until age 18; almost never desired.
• Using a bank safe deposit box for original documents — access complications at death.
• Failing to update beneficiary designations after divorce — Connecticut does not auto-revoke beneficiary forms for ex-spouses.
• Naming the same person as executor, healthcare agent, financial POA, and trustee without confirming they can actually handle all roles.
• Treating life insurance as
• for an estate plan — it is the financial engine that makes the legal structure actually work.
• Never having the family conversation — heirs blindsided after death generate 80% of post-mortem family disputes.
• Building a plan in your 40s and never reviewing it — 20-year-old documents almost always have stale fiduciaries and beneficiaries.
• Trying to DIY a complex plan (blended family, business owner, special needs child) with an online template — false economy that costs the estate far more than the attorney would have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions