Intermediate-Term Goals (complete in three to six months)

An intermediate-term legal goal might be to work with an attorney to write your will. Break down the tasks, including some short-term ones. For example, get names of attorneys who specialize in wills and estate planning.

To make this goal specific, list the resources you will use to obtain attorneys' names, addresses, and telephone numbers. (Refer to the Selecting an Attorney section of the Legally Secure Your Financial Future: Prepare Your Estate Plan learning lesson for more information on hiring and working with attorneys. Go to the Financial Security for All Learning Lessons page to access this lesson.) Set a deadline date for obtaining names, such as within the next two weeks. For a complete example of this intermediate-term goal, download the Intermediate-Term Goal Setting Worksheet (available in PDF format).

Another intermediate-term goal might be to complete forms for a living will and durable power of attorney for health care within four months. Information about living wills is available in the Legally Secure Your Financial Future: Communicate Your Advance Directives for Health Care learning lesson (go to the Financial Security for All Learning Lessons page to access this lesson). To make this goal more specific and measurable, list where you will get the forms and provide a deadline for completion.

Lesson Contents
I. Introduction
II. How to Get Organized
III. Organize Important Papers

a. Which Papers to Keep

b. Where to Keep Papers

c. How Long to Keep Papers

d. When to Update Papers

e. How to Replace Papers

IV. What are SMART Goals?

a. SMART Goal Setting Techniques

a.1. Short-Term Goals

a.2. Intermediate-Term Goals

a.3. Long-Term Goals

b. Write and Visualize Your Goals

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Disclaimer

Acknowledgments

Organize Your Important Household Papers belongs to a series called Legally Secure Your Financial Future. The series also includes information to help you communicate with others and begin preparing your estate plan.