When Major Life Events Should Send You Back to Your New Jersey Estate Planning Attorney
As estate planning lawyers in Marlton, NJ, we meet many South Jersey families who carefully set up a will, trust, or power of attorney once, then tuck the documents away and forget about them. The problem is that your life on paper can drift out of sync with your life in reality. New relationships, health changes, and major financial decisions can all make an old plan risky or incomplete.
At Cohler Law, we help clients in Marlton, Burlington County, and throughout South Jersey keep their plans current through thoughtful, personalized South Jersey estate plan review services. We look at wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, and living wills to be sure they still reflect your wishes and your family situation today, not ten or twenty years ago.
Below, we will walk through the specific life events that should send you back to your estate planning attorney in New Jersey.
Why Your Estate Plan Is A Living Document
A well-drafted estate plan is not something you sign once and forget. It is a living set of instructions that should evolve along with your family, your assets, and your goals.
In our practice, we often recommend a general review every few years, plus a focused update whenever a major life event occurs. During a South Jersey estate plan review, we may look at:
- Your last will and testament
- Any trusts you have created
- Powers of attorney for finances
- Healthcare powers of attorney
- Living wills or advance directives
- Beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts
- Real estate titles and business ownership documents
Because we have spent decades crafting meaningful and effective estate plans for New Jersey families, we know how small misalignments can create big problems later. A beneficiary who was never updated, a former spouse still listed on a retirement account, or a home that is not titled the way your will assumes can all lead to confusion, conflict, and delays.
So when should you update your plan? Here are the life events that should always prompt a checkup.
Marriage: Welcoming A New Spouse Into Your Plan
Getting married is one of the clearest signs that it is time to revisit your estate plan. Even if you have only basic documents in place, marriage changes both your legal rights and your goals.
Why Marriage Matters for Your Estate Plan
After a New Jersey marriage, most people want to:
- Provide for a spouse if something happens
- Coordinate beneficiary designations on accounts and insurance
- Decide whether to keep some property separate
- Update who will handle financial and medical decisions in an emergency
If you already had a will before marriage, it might name parents, siblings, or even an ex as your primary beneficiaries or decision makers. That no longer fits your life.
How We Help
When a client marries, we typically review:
- The will, to add a spouse as beneficiary and possibly as executor
- Powers of attorney, to let a spouse manage finances if needed
- Healthcare directives, so your spouse can speak for you if you cannot
- Any existing trusts, so they reflect your new family structure
Because we know the local courts and New Jersey estate laws, we can help you structure your plan in a way that protects both your spouse and any children from prior relationships.
Divorce Or Separation: Protecting Yourself During a Transition
Divorce is another major event that should trigger an immediate review. Waiting until the divorce is final can be dangerous, because you may still have documents that give an estranged spouse control over your finances or medical care.
Why Divorce Demands Quick Updates
During a separation or divorce, you may need to:
- Change beneficiaries on life insurance, retirement accounts, and pay-on-death accounts
- Remove a spouse as executor, trustee, or power of attorney
- Create or adjust a trust for minor children, especially if your co-parent will be involved
- Revisit who would raise your children if something happens to you
New Jersey law may revoke certain provisions for a former spouse once a divorce is complete, but that does not fix outdated beneficiary forms or every possible issue. Being proactive is safer.
How We Help
At Cohler Law, we sit down with clients who are separating or divorcing to identify every place the former spouse appears in the legal structure of their life. We then develop a plan to update documents in a way that respects both New Jersey law and any court orders that may be in place.
If you are wondering when to update your will in New Jersey during a divorce, the short answer is as soon as you decide the relationship is ending. A consultation with us can help you understand what changes are allowed at each stage of the process.
A New Baby Or Growing Family: Planning for the People Who Rely on You
Few moments make estate planning feel more urgent than bringing home a new baby. Whether this is your first child or an addition to a blended family, your plan should reflect who depends on you and how you want to protect them.
Questions We Explore with New Parents
When we meet with new parents, we talk through:
- Who would serve as guardian if both parents pass away
- How should money be managed for children until they are old enough
- Whether a trust is appropriate to manage inheritance over time
- How to protect children from receiving too much too soon
- How life insurance fits into the plan
Without a clear will, New Jersey intestacy law will decide who inherits and who raises your children. That may not match your wishes at all.
How We Help
We guide families through difficult but important decisions, including choosing guardians and successor guardians, and designing trusts that balance flexibility with protection. Our role is to make the legal side of planning feel less overwhelming so you can focus on raising your family with peace of mind.
Buying a Home or Other Significant Property
Buying a home, vacation property, or investment real estate in New Jersey is another milestone that should prompt a South Jersey estate plan review. Your home is often your largest asset and a central part of your legacy.
How Property Ownership Affects Your Plan
When you acquire real estate, we look at:
- How the property is titled
- Whether you own it jointly with a spouse or partner
- What happens to your share at death
- Whether a trust or other structure would better match your goals
Your will may assume that property is owned a certain way, but the deed might tell a different story. For example, if your home is titled as joint tenants with right of survivorship, your share may pass directly to the co-owner regardless of what your will says.
How We Help
Because our firm also handles real estate transactions, we can look at both your estate documents and your deeds to make sure everything lines up. If we see a mismatch, we can recommend retitling, a new deed, or adjustments in your will or trust so that your wishes are clearly reflected.
Starting or Buying a Business
Entrepreneurs in Marlton, Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, and around South Jersey often pour their time, savings, and energy into building a business. Yet many have never asked what would happen to that business if they die or become incapacitated.
Why Business Owners Need Special Planning
If you start or buy a business, you should revisit your estate and ask:
- Who would run or manage the business in an emergency
- Whether family members should inherit ownership or whether a sale makes more sense
- How to handle co-owners or partners
- How to provide liquidity for heirs if most of your net worth is tied up in the business
Without a clear plan, your loved ones may struggle to keep the doors open or to sell the business under fair terms.
How We Help
We help clients integrate their business interests into the overall estate plan. That may involve using trusts, carefully drafted wills, or agreements among co-owners. Because we focus on detail-oriented, personalized strategies, we can tailor the approach to your industry, your family dynamics, and your long-term vision.
Receiving An Inheritance or a Sudden Increase In Wealth
Inheritances, large bonuses, stock grants, or the sale of a valuable asset can all change the financial picture of your plan. What once was a simple estate may now raise questions about taxes, long-term care, or how to treat children fairly.
Why New Wealth Should Lead to a Checkup
After a significant inheritance or windfall, your old plan may:
- Leave too much outright to a very young or inexperienced beneficiary
- Fail to address new real estate, investment accounts, or business interests
- Overlook strategies that could protect assets for the next generation
- Ignore how your increased wealth interacts with the needs-based benefits of a loved one with a disability
Even if your estate will not be large enough to trigger federal estate tax concerns, there are still many ways to improve how your plan handles these new resources.
How We Help
In a review after an inheritance, we help you map out all new accounts and assets, then decide how to fold them into your existing plan. That might mean creating or adjusting a trust, updating your will, or changing beneficiary designations. For clients who now have the means to help parents, adult children, or charities in a more significant way, we also explore gifting strategies that match their values.
A Serious Diagnosis or Change In Health
A serious diagnosis, accident, or chronic illness often brings estate planning concerns into sharp focus. While it can be difficult to think about legal documents during a health crisis, having a clear plan in place is one of the best gifts you can give your loved ones.
Documents that Become Critical
In New Jersey, we encourage clients facing health challenges to make sure they have:
- A durable power of attorney that allows a trusted person to handle finances
- A healthcare power of attorney naming someone to make medical decisions
- A living will or advance directive that sets out wishes for end-of-life care
- A current will or trust that reflects their intentions
Without these documents, family members may be left guessing what you would want, or may need to go to court to be appointed as guardian just to handle day-to-day matters.
How We Help
Cohler Law has a long history of helping families work through these sensitive conversations with care and clarity. We take the time to explain each document, listen to your values, and translate your wishes into clear legal instructions. Our goal is to reduce stress, not add to it, so you and your family can focus on health and quality of life.
How Often Should You Schedule a South Jersey Estate Plan Review
In addition to big life events, it is wise to review your plan periodically, even if nothing dramatic has happened. Laws can change, financial institutions can update their policies, and your feelings about who should handle certain roles may evolve.
As a general guideline, we encourage clients to:
- Schedule a checkup every 3 to 5 years
- Come in sooner if any of the life events above occur
- Reach out any time a document no longer feels right, or if you have a new concern
When you search for an estate planning lawyer in Marlton, NJ, or a South Jersey estate plan review, what you really want is guidance that is both experienced and approachable. That is what we work to provide.
During a review, we do not simply tell you to sign a stack of forms. We walk through your goals, explain your options in plain language, and design updates that make sense for your life today.
Contact Cohler Law Today for a Consultation About Your Case
If it has been years since you last looked at your will, or if one of the life events in this article sounds familiar, this is the right time to schedule a review. An outdated plan can be as risky as having no plan at all.
At Cohler Law, we have helped South Jersey families since 1991 with estate planning that protects assets, preserves wishes, and creates legacies that last. From our office in Marlton, we work with clients across Burlington County and the surrounding communities to create and update wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and more.
When you contact us for a consultation, we will:
- Listen carefully to your story and your concerns
- Review your existing documents and beneficiary designations
- Identify any gaps, conflicts, or outdated provisions
- Recommend clear, practical steps to bring your plan up to date
You do not need to know exactly what documents you have or what changes you need. That is our job. Your job is simply to take the first step and reach out.
Contact Cohler Law today for a consultation about your case. Let us help you answer the question of when to update your will in New Jersey and make sure your estate plan truly reflects the life you are living now and the legacy you want to leave.
Disclaimer: The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.