Privacy and Estate Planning: Review Outdated Documents

Privacy and Estate Planning: Review Outdated Documents

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

May 6, 2024

Deep in the list of an online calendar for "National" Days and Weeks of an exhaustive list of topics is a note that the first full week in May is National Choose Privacy Week.  Upon closer inspection, the week is aimed at privacy within context of public library users.  However, I'll use it as a springboard into the topic of privacy and your estate planning documents.

This time of year many people are out in their yards, pulling away dead limbs and stalks from last years garden growth.  It's a time to pull out the dated and make room for the new growth.  If you have a rainy day and are not in your yard or garden, I encourage you to apply the same spring cleaning energy to reviewing your outdated documents.  Specifically, review Power of Attorney for Finances and or a will to see if they list your Social Security Number.  It is not uncommon for documents created 15 years ago to include this sensitive information.  What was standard no longer is due to identify theft.  If found, creating new documents without sensitive information may be wise.  And be certain to shred the old documents and not simply toss them in the recycle bin.

Enjoy the warm up and explosion of color happening outside your window!  Keep in mind that a blog is not a substitute for a lawyer, but meant to spark thought and reflection.  I encourage you to seek legal advice from an attorney licensed in your home state.  Thank you for reading, and be well.