A well-constructed estate plan reduces stress and legal hassles for your family. It also gives them direction if you’re incapacitated. And there are other benefits too, says Boston Private’s Gerald Baker, J.D.

While the new law simplified some tax provisions for individuals such as replacing most itemized deductions with a larger standard deduction, it made the law murkier for one of the most valuable tax benefits for small businesses — the special tax rate for businesses organized as pass-through entities.

On December 19, 2017, the House and Senate approved final passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1). The law provides $5.5 trillion in tax cuts with $4 trillion in offsetting tax increases. This leaves a net $1.5 trillion of unfunded tax cuts.

While you may need to quickly adjust your financial “sails” occasionally to respond to unexpected life changes, there are many other events that you can prepare for in advance to make future course corrections much easier. Here’s a review of six major life events that can alter your financial plans – plus some actions you can take now to make sure you’re prepared for the future.