6 Simple Organizational Habits Advisors Recommend to Start the New Year Strong

Be honest. When you think about getting organized in January, what comes to mind first? A closet purge? Inbox zero? Maybe a new planner that lasts until mid-February.

What often gets overlooked is one of the most powerful ways to start the year with clarity: organizing your financial life and your estate plan.

Estate planning does not have to be overwhelming or reserved for major life events. Small organizational habits can make an enormous difference, both for families and for the people who may one day need to step in on their behalf.

To make this feel more approachable, we asked members of the Trust & Will Contributor Panel a simple question. What is one organizational habit they recommend to clients that makes estate planning easier, and how can advisors help clients follow through in the new year?

Here are six habits advisors encourage families to focus on as the year begins.

1. Create a Family Balance Sheet

Many people understand how a business balance sheet works, but fewer think about creating one for their household. According to Charles Thomas III, CFP®, Founder of Intrepid Eagle Finance, this simple exercise can bring immediate clarity.

“We’re used to the idea of businesses having a balance sheet, but families need one too,” Charles shared. Writing everything down helps couples align on what they own and how each asset fits into their broader financial and estate plan.

Charles explained that this process often surfaces deeper priorities. “I spoke to a family once where the husband and wife had completely different ideas about their net worth. Once we put it down on paper, they realized that legacy planning needed to be a much bigger priority.”

While anyone can create a family balance sheet, Charles noted that advisors play a key role by asking questions that may have been missed and helping families turn information into action.

2. Keep Important Information in One Centralized Family Vault

Organization becomes much easier when everything lives in one place. Bob Chitrathorn, CFP®, CPFA®, Co-Founder & CFO of Simplified Wealth Management, recommends that families create a centralized family vault, whether it is digital or physical.

“Families should keep one centralized family vault. It can be digital or physical, it doesn’t matter,” Bob explained. “The key is to be consistent and to have all of it in one place.”

Policies, titles, account information, contacts, and logins should be stored together, with at least two trusted family members knowing how to access them.

Bob shared that completing this step often brings unexpected relief. “It relieves stress you didn’t really know you had, but realize that you did.” He also emphasized that advisors should help ensure this actually gets done. “Don’t just suggest this to clients. Follow through. Be a catalyst for change. Estate planning isn’t just legal work, it’s life organization with legacy in mind.”

3. Review Beneficiary Designations at the Start of the Year

January is often when clients receive tax forms and account statements, making it a natural time to review beneficiaries.

Vinee Mehta, CFP®, AIF®, Founder of Truly Unbiased, recommends using this moment to confirm or update beneficiary designations. “For each document that my clients receive, I recommend they confirm or update the beneficiaries listed for each of the assets,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of proper titling for properties and trusts, and cautioned that payable-on-death designations can unintentionally override estate planning documents if left unchecked. Advisors can help by making beneficiary reviews a regular part of early-year conversations.

4. Make Sure Both Partners Can Access Key Accounts and Logins

Estate planning is not only about what happens after someone passes away. It also applies when someone is unavailable or incapacitated.

Al Faber, CFP®, Founder of DIWY Financial Planning shared that his own travel experiences changed how he approaches this with clients. “I take care of everything in the house, like the bills and logins,” he said. When he was unexpectedly away longer than planned, his wife suddenly realized how much he managed.

Now, Al encourages clients to stress-test their systems. “If the other partner wasn’t there, could you pay the bills? Could you find the things?” Practicing access ahead of time helps avoid panic when real life happens.

5. Use Password Managers and Set Up Legacy Contacts

As more of life moves online, digital organization has become essential. Ryan L. Goldschmitt, WMCP, Founder of Geminus Wealth Partners encourages clients to start with a password manager.

“Once you start it, it’s kind of addictive,” Ryan explained. “You don’t typically do it all at once, but once it’s in place, you keep adding to it.”

Ryan also highlighted the importance of setting up a legacy contact on smartphones and devices. “Everyone should have a legacy contact. This is kind of the holy grail for accessing cloud data and information if someone passes away.”

6. Make Organization a Shared, Ongoing Conversation

Several advisors emphasized that organization does not need to happen in a formal setting. Matthew Ricks, CFP, founder of Haystack Financial Planning often encourages clients to start these conversations in a more relaxed way.

“I recommend they go for a walk,” Matthew shared. Being outside can help people feel more open and less overwhelmed, especially when conversations feel emotional or uncomfortable.

Others noted that reviewing roles annually or involving adult children in certain discussions can help ensure plans remain current and understood.

A Simple Question to Start the Year

If you did just one thing this January to make life easier for your family, what would it be?

As these advisors remind us, organization does not require perfection. It starts with small, intentional steps. A conversation. A shared folder. A review that finally gets scheduled.

Tools like Trust & Will can help families bring structure to these efforts by making estate planning easier to organize, update, and revisit over time. When paired with thoughtful guidance from an advisor, the result is not just completed documents, but greater clarity and confidence for the people who matter most.

For advisors, the opportunity is not just to suggest these habits, but to help clients follow through. When organization and estate planning move forward together, families gain peace of mind that lasts well beyond the new year.

Interested in partnering with Trust & Will to enhance your own clients’ estate planning needs? Learn more about how you can join over 20,000 financial advisors and firms who are delivering peace of mind to their clients by offering a comprehensive estate planning solution. Schedule a free demo today.

Trust & Will is an online service providing legal forms and information. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice.