The only way to have peace of mind knowing that your affairs are in order and all property will be passed on according to your wishes if you were to die is to have an estate plan.

Contrary to popular belief, estate planning, which includes creation of a will, is not just for the wealthy. Seniors throughout Allegheny County bought their houses after World War II for $10,000 to $12,000 and have seen the values multiply over the years. Yet these seniors often do not have an estate plan because they don't think they're wealthy enough for one.

Still, talking to family members about death and dying can be among the toughest conversations to have. But managers at Huntington Bank have created a Checklist For Life to get the conversation started. The checklist is available on the bank's Web site at www.huntington.com. Such checklists are commonly used by lawyers and financial planners, but are not commonly placed on the Internet.

"We did the Checklist For Life because it's the first step," said Tom Oehmler, senior vice president and regional manager for Huntington Bank, Downtown.

People who will be transferring their wealth need to understand where they are right now in terms of their net worth, what they own, how they own it and what they want to happen to it at the end of their lives.

The Checklist For Life is a tool they can use to pull all that information together in one place, Mr. Oehmler said.

"The more important thing from our perspective is that families have this discussion," he said. "If parents are going to pass assets to their children this will help them have that discussion to see what their financial picture is."

Dying without an estate plan means you are not making final decisions on distribution of your assets, including amounts and percentages. Without a will, the state makes those determinations for you.

If someone dies without a will, the court appoints a personal representative to find the decedent's assets and heirs, an often expensive and time-consuming process. When all the assets and heirs are found, they're distributed according to state law.

"If you don't have an estate plan, your property and financial assets may not go to who you intend for them to go to because the law will dictate the recipient of your assets," said Dan Keady, director of financial planning for TIAA-CREF, a national financial services company with a Pittsburgh office.

If an elderly parent intends for an adult child caregiver to obtain ownership and live in the parent's house, but the parent dies without a will, the court may order the sale of the house and order that the proceeds be divided equally among all the children.

Patrick Kennedy, head of wealth management services for TIAA-CREF, said, "Even if you have a small estate there are some basic things you can do, like making sure you have an inventory of your assets."