Getting Your Affairs in Order: a Later-Life Checklist

If you've been putting off sorting your will, your power of attorney or your paperwork, you're not alone. Most people do. But there's a small window where these things can only be done while you're well — and once it closes, your family is left guessing, or facing a slow court process to act on your behalf. Here's a clear, practical checklist.

What does "getting your affairs in order" actually mean?

It comes down to six things:

1. Make a will, so your wishes decide who inherits.
2. Set up lasting powers of attorney, for finances and for health and welfare.
3. Record your care and end-of-life wishes.
4. Gather key documents in one place a trusted person can find.
5. Organise your finances — accounts, pensions, debts, subscriptions.
6. Tell someone you trust where everything is, and what you want.

None of this is morbid. It's practical. It spares the people who love you from painful guesswork and legal delay at the worst possible time, and it makes sure your own wishes get followed rather than someone else's best guess. This guide covers England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own systems for wills, attorney and capacity, so check the specific rules where you live.

Why does a will matter more than people think?

A valid will is the only way to control who inherits your money and possessions. Without one, the law's intestacy rules decide instead — and they follow a fixed order of blood relatives that can easily miss the point. Unmarried partners have no automatic right to inherit under intestacy, however long you've been together. Stepchildren can be left out entirely. Money can end up going to distant relatives instead of the people you actually meant.

A few practical points:

• Getting married or entering a civil partnership usually revokes an earlier will automatically — check yours after any big life change.
• Divorce doesn't remove an ex-partner from a will automatically in every case — review it.
• For anything beyond a very simple estate, use a solicitor or a will-writer registered with a recognised body. A DIY will that's ambiguous or wrongly witnessed can be worse than none at all.
• Keep the original somewhere safe, and make sure your executor or a trusted family member knows where it is.

What is a lasting power of attorney, and why does timing matter?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) lets someone you trust make decisions on your behalf if you're ever unable to make them yourself — through illness, an accident, or a condition like dementia. There are two types, and it's worth setting up both.

The catch: an LPA can only be made while you still have the mental capacity to understand what you're signing. This makes it very much a "do it now" job, not a "do it when needed" one. Once someone has lost capacity, it's too late to set one up — their family instead has to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as a deputy, which is slower, more expensive, and gives them less flexibility than an LPA would.

In our experience, the single most common regret families raise is not setting up an LPA in time.

You can set both up yourself online through the Office of the Public Guardian, or with help from a solicitor. Once made, an LPA still needs to be registered before it can be used — build in a few weeks for that.

How do I record my care and end-of-life wishes?

Think about, and write down, what you'd want if your health declined: where you'd like to be cared for, and any treatments you would or wouldn't want. Two documents can help:

• An advance care plan — an informal but written record of your preferences, which carers and family can refer to. It isn't legally binding, but it carries real weight.
• An advance decision (sometimes called a living will) — a formal, legally binding refusal of specific medical treatments in specific future circumstances. This needs to be written and witnessed correctly to be valid.

These conversations are hard to start, but they're a relief to families who would otherwise be guessing under pressure. If dementia is a concern for you or someone close to you, Alzheimer's Society has guidance on planning ahead while capacity is still intact, and the NHS social care and support guide covers how care planning works with your GP and local council. You might also want to note your funeral wishes, even briefly — it removes one more decision from your family at a hard time.

What paperwork should I gather together?

Bring the essentials into one place — a folder, a locked drawer, a labelled file — and make sure a trusted person knows it exists and where to find it. A useful list:

• Will, and details of where the original is held
• LPA documents (registered copies)
• Bank accounts, pensions, investments, insurance policies, debts and regular payments
• Property deeds or tenancy agreement, and utility and council-tax details
• NHS number, GP surgery, and a current list of medicines and conditions
• Passwords and online accounts, stored securely (a password manager, or a sealed note with instructions)

How do I organise my finances?

A simple written summary of what you have and owe saves enormous time later — for you if you need care, and for your family if you don't. List accounts, pensions and any subscriptions or direct debits that would otherwise keep running unnoticed. It's also worth checking whether you're claiming everything you're entitled to: Attendance Allowance for older people who need help with personal care, and Pension Credit if your income is low. MoneyHelper offers free, independent guidance on organising finances and planning for later life, including care costs.

Who should I tell, and what should I tell them?

Documents are only useful if someone can find them. Tell at least one person you trust — a spouse, adult child, or close friend — where your will, LPAs and key paperwork are kept, and talk through your wishes while you can explain them yourself. If you're caring for someone else and thinking about their affairs too, Carers UK has practical guidance on supporting a relative through this process, and Age UK can help with wider planning for later life, including local advice services.

When should I start?

Now, regardless of your age or health. Wills and LPAs can only be made while you have mental capacity, so the honest answer to "isn't it too early?" is: it's never too early, but it can become too late. You can update a will or review your wishes as often as circumstances change — that's normal and expected. What can't be undone is trying to make an LPA after capacity has already been lost.