What to Bring for Effective Consultations

What can I do beforehand to ensure a productive estate planning consultation with an attorney? It is helpful (but not necessary) to bring the following documents with you to an initial consultation –

•  Any existing estate planning type documents – i.e., Wills, Powers of Attorney, Trust Agreements (w/ any amendments), etc.;
• The Deed to your home and any other real estate (if it is readily available);
• Titles to vehicles, trailers, campers, boat registrations, etc.;
• Bank statements for each account, including the Payable-On-Death form for each account (if one exists);
• The most recent quarterly statement for each investment/retirement account, including the Beneficiary Form for each account;
• Life Insurance policies, including the beneficiary information;
• Information regarding streams of fixed income – i.e., Social Security Retirement, Social Security Disability, pensions, etc.; and
• Knowledge as to whether any expected beneficiaries of your estate are, or will likely be, receiving any state aid (i.e., Medicaid, SSI, etc.).