{"id":5900,"date":"2026-05-18T12:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lindabury.com\/firm\/?p=5900"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:12:08","slug":"reviewing-and-maintaining-estate-planning-documents-an-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lindabury.com\/firm\/insights\/reviewing-and-maintaining-estate-planning-documents-an-update.html","title":{"rendered":"Reviewing and Maintaining Estate Planning Documents: An Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Clients often wonder how frequently their estate planning documents should be reviewed. Is there a set period of time we recommend to review and perhaps update wills and other estate planning documents? As we have advised in the past, the answer depends more upon needs and life stages rather than the passage of time.<\/p>\n<p>The first consideration should be whether there is a need to change a document. For example, after a move to a new state, the estate planning documents should be reviewed by an attorney licensed to practice in that state. Further, if the executor named in a will has died, moved out of state, or is no longer the appropriate person to serve, the will should be updated to substitute another executor for the one who will no longer serve. Similarly, if a guardian for a minor child is no longer appropriate because he or she has relocated to another state, or because the guardian\u2019s personal circumstances have changed, it may be necessary to revise the will to name a new guardian. A change in the tax laws may also suggest a need for revision of a will or trust, as would a significant change in financial circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>New life stages may also provide reasons to update estate planning documents.\u00a0 For example, when children are minors, it is often appropriate to establish a trust to hold a child\u2019s inheritance until a child reaches a specific age in order to safeguard the funds and minimize potential waste. As a child grows up, the need for a trust may be eliminated, or the terms of a trust might warrant a change to give a child different benefits or more control. Similarly, when a child becomes an adult, it may be appropriate to name the child to a position of responsibility, as perhaps appointing the child as an executor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"read_more_link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lindabury.com\/firm\/insights\/reviewing-and-maintaining-estate-planning-documents-an-update.html\"  title=\"Continue Reading Reviewing and Maintaining Estate Planning Documents: An Update\" class=\"more-link\">Continue Reading \u203a<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clients often wonder how frequently their estate planning documents should be reviewed. Is there a set period of time we recommend to review and perhaps update wills and other estate planning documents? As we have advised in the past, the answer depends more upon needs and life stages rather than the passage of time. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[293,65,343],"tags":[],"coauthors":[295],"class_list":["post-5900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-robbins","category-insights","category-wills-trusts-estates-insights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reviewing and Maintaining Estate Planning Documents: An Update &#8212; May 18, 2026 &#8212; Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook &amp; Cooper, P.C. Firm News &amp; Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Clients often wonder how frequently their estate planning documents should be reviewed. Is there a set period of time we recommend to review and perhaps\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lindabury.com\/firm\/insights\/reviewing-and-maintaining-estate-planning-documents-an-update.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reviewing and Maintaining Estate Planning Documents: An Update &#8212; May 18, 2026 &#8212; Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook &amp; Cooper, P.C. Firm News &amp; Events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Clients often wonder how frequently their estate planning documents should be reviewed. Is there a set period of time we recommend to review and perhaps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lindabury.com\/firm\/insights\/reviewing-and-maintaining-estate-planning-documents-an-update.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook &amp; Cooper, P.C. Firm News &amp; Events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T16:12:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anne Marie Robbins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anne Marie Robbins\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reviewing and Maintaining Estate Planning Documents: An Update &#8212; May 18, 2026 &#8212; Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook &amp; Cooper, P.C. Firm News &amp; Events","description":"Clients often wonder how frequently their estate planning documents should be reviewed. 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