Perhaps the best test of how much you care about your survivors and the legacy you’ll leave behind is the organization of your estate. There are two crucial components of your estate to consider. 

The first is your physical estate and for many people, this refers to their personal possessions as well as their home. Many people have had a personal experience with the physical estate of their parents and many have had unfortunate stories about how many belongings they have had to sort through and dispose of. Your physical estate, in addition to lack of proper planning documents, can present problems for your loved ones. You likely don’t want to leave behind a lot of work for your family members because you haven’t combed through your belongings carefully.

Many people accumulate belongings over their lifetimes and rarely will streamline it. These possessions can compound over the decades and many, by default or through deliberation, allow their children to deal with the consequences. Survivors than feel obligated to sort through all of these things because they may be looking for valuable or sentimental items.

It can take days, weeks or even longer for loved ones to sort through these belongings and you can do your family members a favor by considering the steps you can take in advance.