When Estate Planning Documents Are Too Personal

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi
My jaw dropped earlier this week when a client handed over a will that was drafted for her, by a different attorney, last year. There, after her name, was her Social Security number. Amazed I asked if she had paid anything for these documents. And sadly she had; her husband was terminal at the time. Why was I so shocked? It is no longer common practice to put Social Security numbers or other personal information in what will one day become a public document. The concern -- identity left. If your estate planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, etc.) contain your Social Secuirty number, it might be appropriate for an update.

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