Estate planning and creating a legacy are on the top of most retirees’ minds. Estate planning is the art of making sure your loved ones still talk to each other after you pass on. Leaving an unplanned estate can destroy the strongest of family units. Make sure you take the time to build this important element into your comprehensive Retirement Plan.

By definition, estate planning is a process designed to help you manage and preserve your assets while you are alive, and to conserve and control their distribution after your death according to your goals and objectives. But what estate planning means to you specifically depends on who you are. Your age, health, wealth, lifestyle, life stage, goals, and many other factors determine your particular estate planning needs. For example, you may have a small estate and may be concerned only that certain people receive particular things. A simple will is probably all you’ll need. Or, you may have a large estate, and minimizing any potential estate tax impact is your foremost goal. Here, you’ll need to use more sophisticated techniques in your estate plan, such as a trust.