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Life event
Marriage or Partnership: what to review in your estate plan
Documents you signed before may name people who are no longer your closest circle. If you are not married, your partner generally has no automatic right to inherit from you, and for medical decisions a partner ranks behind family members unless you name them in a health care power of attorney. If you are married, a spouse has rights under Illinois law that may or may not match what you intend.
Worth reviewing
- Who receives your property under your will, and who is named executor
- Beneficiaries on retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts
- Your health care and financial agents
- How a home or joint accounts are titled
- Whether a prenuptial or cohabitation agreement fits your situation
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
- 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
Soon after.
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.