This is a complete Michigan estate planning checklist. Print this page (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P), grab a pen, and work through every item over a weekend. Most Michigan adults are missing 6 of the 8 documents in this list. The whole plan costs about $89 if you DIY with the right templates, $1,500-$3,500 if you hire a Michigan attorney, and effectively zero if you do nothing -- but the "nothing" option costs your family $10,000+ in probate fees and months of court delays when you die or become incapacitated.
Tip: bookmark this page. Come back as you complete each item and check it off. You do NOT need to do everything in one sitting.
Want to do it now? The CreateMIWill Will Kit ($89) bundles all six core Michigan documents -- attorney-drafted, ready to sign. Start the Will Kit ->
Section 1: The Information You Need to Gather First
Personal information
- Your full legal name (as it appears on Social Security)
- Date of birth
- Current Michigan address with county
- Marital status and spouse's full legal name (if married)
- Full legal names + dates of birth of all children, including stepchildren
- Full legal names + addresses of named beneficiaries, guardians, agents
Asset inventory
- Primary residence: address, recent property tax bill, mortgage info
- Other Michigan real estate: cottage, rental, vacant lots
- Out-of-state real estate (Florida condo, etc.)
- Bank accounts: institution, account type, approximate balance
- Brokerage accounts (Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, etc.)
- Retirement accounts: 401(k), traditional IRA, Roth IRA, 403(b), pension
- Life insurance policies: carrier, policy number, face amount
- Vehicles: titles, lien information
- Business interests (LLC membership, S-corp shares)
- Cryptocurrency (wallets, exchanges, seed phrase locations -- not the keys themselves)
- Valuable personal property (jewelry, firearms, collectibles, art)
- Digital assets (Apple ID, Google account, Facebook, etc.)
Debts and liabilities
- Mortgage balances
- Credit card balances
- Student loans (federal loans discharge at death; private loans may not)
- Personal loans, lines of credit, business debt
- Medical debt
Section 2: The Core Six Documents Every Michigan Adult Needs
1. Michigan Will
- Names a personal representative (executor)
- Names a guardian for any minor children
- Distributes assets that do NOT have beneficiary designations
- Includes a no-contest clause if appropriate (see no-contest clause guide)
- Includes digital authority language per Michigan FADAA
- Signed in front of two witnesses (neither a beneficiary)
- Includes self-proving affidavit, notarized
- Original stored at home in a fireproof container; copy with personal representative
2. Durable Financial Power of Attorney
- Names an agent + at least one successor agent
- Effective immediately (preferred) or springing on incapacity
- Grants specific powers: banking, real estate, taxes, retirement accounts, insurance
- Notarized OR two witnesses (Michigan accepts either)
- Agent signs acknowledgement before acting
- Copy delivered to every bank, brokerage, and key institution in advance
3. Patient Advocate Designation
- Names a patient advocate + at least one successor
- Two witnesses (neither the patient advocate, at least one not a presumptive heir)
- Patient advocate signs a separate acceptance before it is valid
- Authorizes end-of-life decisions (withhold/withdraw life support) if desired
- Authorizes mental health treatment decisions if appropriate
- Original stored at home; copy with patient advocate and primary care doctor
4. HIPAA Release
- Lists every adult who can access your medical information
- Specifies which providers and which conditions
- Signed and dated
- Copy on file with primary care doctor
5. Lady Bird Deed for Your Home
- Uses Michigan Land Title Standard 9.3 language
- Names primary and contingent remainder beneficiaries
- Signed in front of a notary (and spouse if married, to release dower)
- Recorded with the County Register of Deeds (about $30)
- Property Transfer Affidavit (Form L-4260) filed with the local assessor with life-estate exemption box checked
- Beneficiary added as additional insured on homeowners policy (see step-by-step guide)
6. Funeral Representative Designation
- Names a Michigan funeral representative + successor (MCL 700.3206)
- Two witnesses or notarized
- Named representative signs acceptance
- Specifies burial vs cremation, organ donation, military honors, etc.
- Copy with the named representative
Section 3: Beneficiary Designations (Do This Even Without a Will)
Retirement accounts
- Primary beneficiary listed on every 401(k), 403(b), and IRA
- Contingent (secondary) beneficiary listed
- "Per stirpes" box checked if you have children
- Confirmed in writing -- not just verbally
- Spouse signed notarized consent if naming a non-spouse on a 401(k)
- For minors: use Michigan MUTMA custodian or name a trust (NOT direct)
Life insurance
- Primary and contingent beneficiaries on every policy
- Owner of the policy (often you, but consider an ILIT for $15M+ estates)
- Updated within 60 days of any divorce, marriage, birth, or death
Bank and brokerage accounts
- POD (Payable On Death) designation on checking and savings
- TOD (Transfer On Death) designation on brokerage accounts
- Vehicle TOD designation with Michigan SOS
Section 4: Digital Assets
- Apple Legacy Contact set up (Settings > Apple ID > Sign-In & Security)
- Google Inactive Account Manager set up (6-month inactivity window)
- Facebook Legacy Contact named
- Password manager emergency contact configured
- Crypto seed phrases stored in fireproof safe (NOT in your will)
- Document listing wallet/exchange locations stored with estate documents
- FADAA digital authority clause included in your will (see digital life after death)
Section 5: Real Estate Beyond Your Primary Home
- Michigan cottage or vacation home: Lady Bird deed or cottage trust (see cottage trust guide)
- Out-of-state property: parallel Lady Bird deed OR holding through trust
- Rental properties: LLC + transfer to trust or Lady Bird deed
- Vacant land: Lady Bird deed
Section 6: Special Family Situations
- Minor children: guardian nominated in will + UTMA accounts or trusts for inheritances
- Special-needs heir: special-needs trust (NOT a direct gift -- destroys benefits)
- Blended family / second marriage: QTIP-style trust protecting both spouse and biological children
- Estranged or disinherited family member: meaningful contingent gift + no-contest clause
- Adult child with debt or addiction issues: trust with spendthrift provisions
- Unmarried partner: explicit will, JTWROS titling, healthcare/financial POAs
Section 7: Where Everything Lives
- All original documents in a fireproof safe at home (NOT a safe deposit box -- family can't access without court order)
- Copies given to: spouse, named personal representative, named patient advocate
- One-page "where everything is" letter listing safe combination, key locations, advisors
- Spouse and personal representative know where the safe is and how to open it
- Primary care doctor has a copy of your Patient Advocate Designation + HIPAA release
Section 8: When to Refresh This Checklist
Pull out this checklist and review your documents whenever any of these happen:
- Marriage or divorce
- Birth or adoption of a child
- Death of a spouse, beneficiary, or named agent
- Significant inheritance or windfall
- Sale or purchase of real estate
- Major career change or retirement
- Move to or from Michigan
- Diagnosis of a serious health condition
- Every 3 to 5 years even if nothing has changed
See our When to Update Your Michigan Estate Plan guide for the full trigger list.
The Whole Checklist, Done in One Weekend
The CreateMIWill Will Kit gives you all six core Michigan documents -- attorney-drafted, ready to fill in, sign, and store. $89 instead of $1,500-$3,500 with a Michigan attorney. Most Michigan adults can work through this entire checklist in a single Saturday using the kit.