Creating an estate planning information pack

An estate planning information pack gives advisers a reliable starting picture of your family and finances. MoneyHelper's planning guidance recommends identifying intended beneficiaries and assets before drafting decisions are made. ^[1]

Record ownership rather than just value List property, accounts, investments, business interests and significant debts. State whether each asset is sole-owned, jointly owned or held through a company or trust. Include the provider and location of evidence, with approximate values clearly dated.

Add existing wills, powers of attorney, trust documents and relevant family agreements. Mark missing originals and explain any uncertainty instead of guessing what a document says.

Make the pack useful without exposing credentials Keep a secure index of account references and professional contacts. Store passwords and recovery credentials separately using appropriate security arrangements. Tell a trusted person where the pack can be located without giving unrestricted access to every account.

Use a valuation review for assets needing specialist input. Coordinate beneficiary designations with the will review, since not every death benefit follows the will. Update the pack when ownership or family circumstances change and retain a clear review date.

Create a factual cover sheet for the first appointment Use the front of the pack to explain why advice is needed now. A property purchase, new relationship, business sale or concern about an existing will can each change the questions the adviser should prioritise. Identify the people involved and the countries connected with your affairs, including where you live and where significant assets are located. Keep this introduction factual and short enough to read before the meeting. Detailed statements and supporting documents can sit behind it, linked through a clear index.

Separate your objectives from the facts supporting them. “I want my sister to have somewhere to live” is an objective; the registered ownership, mortgage and existing occupation arrangement describe the current position. MoneyHelper recommends considering beneficiaries and assets before drafting a will. An information pack develops that starting exercise into material an adviser can check. It should not present an untested family assumption, such as ownership based solely on who paid household bills, as a settled legal conclusion. ^[1]

Give each significant asset an evidence trail For a property, record the address, apparent ownership, relevant borrowing and the location of title and trust documents. For an account or investment, note the institution and statement date without placing full security credentials in the pack. Business entries should distinguish an ownership interest from money the business owes you. Keep a reference to the evidence behind each entry so the adviser can identify what needs checking. A total estate figure without that detail can conceal double counting or an asset that is owned by someone else.

Mark values as estimates unless they have been professionally established for the relevant purpose. Record when each figure was obtained and whether associated debt has already been deducted. If a joint asset appears in more than one household member's schedule, make that visible rather than adding the full value twice. Include disputed claims, loans to relatives and guarantees as questions for review. The pack is more useful when uncertainty is explicit than when every blank is filled with a confident figure that cannot be supported.

Record relationships without compressing important distinctions Give the adviser a family outline that identifies legal relationships, dependency and practical support. Include previous marriages or civil partnerships, children from different relationships and anyone whose living costs you regularly meet. Where names have changed, note enough detail to connect documents accurately. Explain any intended beneficiary who is not part of the immediate family, and any person whose circumstances may require a carefully structured gift. The adviser needs this context to ask the right questions about wording, competing needs and possible claims.

Place court orders, relevant agreements and existing planning documents in their own section. Use a document list showing date, type, apparent status and original location. If you have several wills or codicils, supply the sequence rather than deciding privately which pages matter. For overseas documents, record the language and any translation already available. Do not remove a document because it appears inconsistent with your current wishes; identifying and resolving that inconsistency is part of the advice the pack is intended to make possible.

Finish with a controlled list of missing information Before sending the pack, identify unresolved items and who can obtain them. A missing policy schedule may require a provider enquiry, while unclear ownership may need a conveyancer's file. Give each request a practical next step rather than delaying the whole consultation until everything is perfect. Ask the adviser which documents are essential for initial advice and which can follow later. Send sensitive material through the agreed secure channel, checking the recipient and retaining a copy of what was actually supplied.

After the meeting, update the pack with confirmed facts and a dated action list. Keep working notes distinct from signed legal instruments so the index does not imply that a proposed change has been completed. Record who is responsible for arranging valuations, contacting providers or preparing revised documents. When an item is resolved, retain the supporting evidence and note the result. This creates a reusable record for later reviews while preserving a clear distinction between your instructions, professional advice received and arrangements that have been formally put in place.