From a simple standpoint, many people initially think of an estate plan as having a will. On the more complicated end, some think of an estate plan as an elaborate arrangement only rich people need to plan who gets what out of their millions of dollars. Most people think estate plans only apply to the ultra-wealthy.
But no matter how large or how modest, everyone has an estate. Your estate is comprised of everything you own—your car, home, bank accounts, investments, life insurance, furniture, personal possessions. And just like the wealthy, you probably want to control, with the least expense, how those things are given to the people or organizations you care most about. That is estate planning—making a written plan in advance with instructions stating whom you want to receive the things you own after you die.
Estate planning is not just for “the wealthy.” Good estate planning often means more to families with modest assets, because they can afford to lose the least.
– excerpt from Nothing But The Truth About Estate Planning, Probate, And Living Trusts
