Provide security and stability for those you leave behind
Estate planning is a fancy term for trying to soften the impact of your death on those you leave behind. If you are mature enough to have already considered investment planning, insurance planning, or retirement planning, it should only be a slight stretch more for you to consider estate planning. After all, accumulating wealth and preserving and controlling its disposition really go hand in hand.

Estate Planning Overview
Estate planning is all about control. No other financial planning topic comes close to the preoccupation with retaining control exhibited in the estate planning process. This is as it should be. The primary purpose of estate planning process is to prepare for the time when you are virtually or completely out of the picture.

Estate Planning Inventory
Try to limit your inventory list to major assets like bank accounts, investments (e.g., retirement and personal), real property (e.g., house or parcel of land), insurance policies and vehicles. Once you complete the list of your worldly goods, the next step is to determine who makes the short list for getting those assets in the event something happens to you. For many, this list will usually include a spouse or companion at the top, followed by children or other relatives, and possibly a close personal friend or a favorite charity.