Question:
Is there a problem with keeping my daughter’s maiden name on various estate planning documents instead of changing it to her married name? In some places, I have used both names with the maiden name in parentheses.
Response:
We get this question a lot. What you’re doing is fine. Your daughter is still the same person and can be identified by her maiden name as well as by her married name. As Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” You can switch to her married name as you update your estate planning documents and beneficiary designations in the normal course, but you do not have to update your documents just for this reason.
