How often do I actually need to update my will or trust?

Illustrative — not a real business

As a baseline, review your estate plan every three to five years even if nothing obvious has changed, since laws and asset values shift quietly in the background. But certain events should trigger an immediate look regardless of timing: marriage, divorce, the birth or adoption of a child, the death of a named executor or beneficiary, or a significant change in assets. One thing people consistently miss: beneficiary designations on life insurance, retirement accounts and payable-on-death bank accounts pass outside your will entirely, so an outdated designation from a prior marriage can override your current will's wishes without either you or your family realizing it until it is too late to fix. Moving to a new state does not automatically invalidate your existing documents, but state-specific rules can affect how they are interpreted, so it is worth a review rather than an assumption either way. An update is usually a straightforward amendment, far faster and cheaper than starting over, unless your circumstances have changed dramatically.