To be sure that your assets go to the people you want to have them when you die, you need an estate plan that includes a will and/or a trust, advanced medical directives and a power of attorney on your behalf. As your financial circumstances and the people in your life change through the years, keep your plan updated to reflect those changes.

Keep in mind that an estate can include cash and investments (stocks, bonds, CDs, bank accounts), tangible personal property, interests in certain trusts, real estate, retirement plans, life insurance policies, annuities, business interests and digital assets. Having an estate plan helps ensure these assets do not end up in probate, which can delay transfer of benefits, add expense and make it easier to contest who receives your assets.

Get up to speed on estate planning:

• Review the fundamentals of wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
• Learn about preserving your savings for future generations.
• If you’re enrolled in the voluntary legal insurance plan through Sandia Extras, you have access to no-cost estate planning services through ARAG.
• Connect with a Wellthy care coordinator to learn about legal and financial resources they offer.
• Explore resources available through your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits. To learn more, visit hr.sandia.gov.

For more about creating an estate plan, visit Fidelity.

Wellthy can help you and your family tackle the logistical and administrative challenges of caring for yourself and your loved ones. Services include assistance for parents and caregivers, help finding providers and medical treatment options, support for medical insurance and financial assistance issues, and help finding emotional health and addiction assistance.

After you register with Wellthy, you’ll be matched with a care coordinator who will help you address the medical, financial, in-home, housing, legal, and/or social and emotional challenges you’re facing. Your care coordinator will help you prioritize tasks and, when possible, complete them on your behalf.

You and your family can use the Wellthy dashboard to stay current on appointments, contacts, tasks, conversations and documents. The dashboard serves as a hub that includes the care plan, messaging options, a shared calendar and documents, and medications and contacts.

It’s easy to get started. Sign up with Wellthy, and then create your account.

Who will receive your life insurance, retirement savings and Health Savings Account balance upon your death? How these assets are distributed is entirely up to you, which is why it’s so important that you name your beneficiaries for each of your accounts and keep them up to date as life changes. Getting married or divorced, having a baby, or losing a loved one can change what you want to happen to your benefits.

Your beneficiary is the person (or people) or trust that you name to receive a benefit when you die. You can name a single person, or you can have your benefits divided among multiple people. You can elect different beneficiaries for each account. You also have the option to choose secondary or contingent beneficiaries — people who will receive your benefits if your primary beneficiary dies — or you can name a trust as your primary or secondary beneficiary.

To ensure your benefits go to the intended people, visit the websites below and update your beneficiary information:

• Prudential: Sandia-provided life insurance
• Sandia Extras: voluntary life insurance
• Fidelity: 401(k) plan
• Optum: Health Savings Account (HSA)

And don’t forget to update beneficiary information for any life insurance policies and retirement and investment accounts you have outside of Sandia.