Your "important people" can benefit tremendously from a letter of instructions (aka Direction Memo ) beyond the drafting of traditional estate planning documents. Why is it important to write a Direction Memo if you already have your traditional estate planning documents drafted? If you review your documents (and understand them) you will realize that your estate planning documents are written to determine who gets what, not what needs to be done. In fact, many people wouldn't want to list every specific estate instruction in their binding documents. Rather than adding excessive instructions to your will or trust, you can write a Direction Memo, which is the logical place for basic information. Here are just a few issues the reader can address by completing a Direction Memo so their loved ones won't have to search for answers to these questions - "How would my late husband want me to invest his life insurance proceeds? Should I pay off the mortgage or save for my own retirement?" - "What would my mother have wanted me to do with her jewelry?" - "Who is the Primary Financial Advisor I can trust now that my husband's gone?" - "What happens with his retirement plan now that he is gone?" - "Did Dad want to be cremated? I thought he mentioned that awhile ago." - "Who is a good real estate agent in Mom's neighborhood we can hire to sell her home now that she is permanently moving to the nursing home?"