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Death of a Loved One: what to review in your estate plan
A death starts two tasks at once: settling the estate, and updating your own plan. If you are named as executor or trustee, there are deadlines, including filing the will with the court. If you are the survivor, the person you relied on may have been your agent, your guardian choice, or your beneficiary.
Worth reviewing
- If you are an executor or trustee: what to file and by when, and what duties you now have
- Replacing agents, executors, and guardians who can no longer serve
- Beneficiary forms and the title to accounts and property
- Where an inheritance you receive should go, especially if a family member has special needs
Documents to look at first
For this life event, these are the documents most often affected. Your own list depends on your family and what you have already signed.
- Your will
- Revocable living trust
- Beneficiary designations (retirement, insurance, bank accounts)
- Health care power of attorney and living will
- Financial power of attorney
- How your home and accounts are titled
When to act
Within weeks, then within months.
Related life events
Not sure where your plan stands?
A consultation is the place to talk through what has changed and what to update first. Nothing is finalized until we have talked.
This page is general information about Illinois law and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. See the Disclaimer. Last updated October 2026.