Organizing your finances and creating an estate plan helps protect your wishes for the future of your assets, your family, and your legacy. This is an essential task that will help you make sure the assets you have worked hard to earn during your lifetime go to the people or organizations you care about and want to continue to support. Estate planning is an ongoing process that includes decisions that support your goals – for yourself, your family, your community, and your philanthropic priorities.

Below are steps to help you achieve peace of mind and reach your estate planning goals.

  • Take an inventory of all your assets. Include your bank accounts, investments, real estate, and personal property.
  • Determine your financial needs. How much do you need to be comfortable for the rest of your life?
  • Consider hiring an advisor who specializes in estate planning. Discuss your goals with your advisor, get your plan in place, and follow through on it.
  • Keep your plan up-to-date. Review your estate plan at least every few years or whenever there is a significant life event such as a career change, marriage, birth, or death.
  • Don’t wait. Implement an estate plan appropriate for you today. You can always make adjustments if your situation changes.

Estate planning is one of the most important things you can do to safeguard yourself, your family, and your future. As you approach any major life event or milestone, it is a good idea to reassess that plan, including your philanthropic goals.

If you are interested in supporting Washington University in St. Louis in your estate plan, we can provide language to share with your attorney to ensure your objectives are met. We can also create a gift agreement that will serve as a guide for the university to use your gift as intended once it is received.

If you have already included WashU in your plans, thank you! We invite you to share that information with us so we can ensure your intentions are properly documented and that your wishes will be honored.

The WashU Office of Planned Giving is here to help you achieve your financial and philanthropic goals. Our free estate planning guide will help you through the planning process and the collecting of information necessary for your attorney to start drafting your estate documents. Please contact us at 800-835-3503 or plannedgiving@wustl.edu.