Everyone knows that estate planning is important, but what should you think about as you enter into the process? To whom should you turn for help with this?

What will happen during your visit with an estate planning attorney? What documents, notes, lists do you need to bring with you? What documents will you want or need prepared for you?

These are all important questions to think about prior to your meeting. The more preparation you do beforehand, the easier it will be for everyone to grasp the situation at hand and make prudent decisions for everyone.

Some things to consider before you start the process:

• how to find an estate planning attorney;
• what to bring to the meeting;
• how the estate planning attorney should help you prepare for the meeting;
• discussing the cost of estate planning;
• what documents you NEED to have in every estate plan;
• how you get the documents right;
• how often you should revisit your estate plan.

Levine is a principal of Handler-Levine.