The short answer to this question is YES!  If someone is a beneficiary under your current estate plan and/or who is a primary heir (spouse, child or child of a deceased child, etc.) it is very important to review your estate plan to assure that the new primary heirs are accounted for and that inheritances are accordingly adjusted.

Often wills and trusts express gifting in terms of percentages. If someone dies those may need to be adjusted. In addition, when someone dies, you may wish to keep the property at the same generation, or you may want to disperse at the next generation under the deceased person (there are other possibilities as well).  This will likely affect the percentages that have in place prior to the death of the beneficiary.

It is also important that when you review the plan and make adjustments, that those adjustments at least recognize any new legal heirs so that they cannot claim that you “forgot” them, are suffering from memory loss or are otherwise not capacitated, giving them an opening to attack your estate plan.

At Arizona Mobile Attorneys we will thoroughly review your plan in order to assure that your property is transferred to loved ones in an orderly manner that fully minimizes the likelihood of anyone challenging the plan you fully intend to have enacted.