An estate plan is not a document you sign once and file away. It is a living set of decisions about your assets, your family, and your intentions — and it deserves to be revisited as those things change.
The three-to-five year rule
For most clients, a review every three to five years is a reasonable baseline. That interval is long enough that something meaningful usually has changed — tax law, family circumstances, the value of what you own — and short enough that a plan does not drift out of alignment with the life it was written for.
But the calendar is only one trigger. There are others that matter more.
Life events that should trigger a review
Any of the following should send you back to your plan:
Marriage, divorce, or remarriage. The birth or adoption of a child. The death of a beneficiary, trustee, or executor. A significant change in assets. A move to a new state. The start or sale of a business. A serious health diagnosis.
Each of these events can change who should inherit, who should be trusted with decisions, and how the plan should be structured. A plan that ignores a divorce or a new child is not a plan — it is a document out of time.
Tax and law changes
Federal and state tax law changes frequently. Exemption amounts, rates, and rules about how trusts are taxed all shift over time. A plan designed for one tax regime may not be optimal — or even sensible — under the next.
Reviewing after major legislative change is standard practice. Waiting until the law forces a decision is rarely the right approach.
What a review actually looks like
A review is not a rewrite. In many cases, it is a conversation that confirms the plan still reflects your intentions, and a note in the file that nothing needs to change. In others, it identifies a single document, a beneficiary designation, or a titling decision that needs updating.
The point is not to churn documents. The point is to keep the plan trustworthy — so that when it is needed, it says what you meant.
How often is too often?
There is no need to review every year in the absence of change. Frequent reviews can introduce confusion and cost without corresponding benefit. The goal is a plan you can trust, not a project you keep revisiting.
If you are unsure whether a particular event warrants a review, ask. It is usually a short conversation, and it is almost always worth having.