Three key takeaways
- Use the right document for incapacity, estate administration and CPF distribution.
- A Will does not distribute CPF savings covered by CPF rules.
- Review every arrangement after major family or asset changes.
A Will, LPA and CPF nomination solve different problems. Use them together to plan who can make decisions during incapacity, who handles your estate after death and who receives the CPF savings covered by your nomination.
Explore the review framework
Three tools. Three different jobs.
Plan for both decision-making during life and distribution after death.
- LPA
Who can act if you lose mental capacity?
- Will
Who administers and receives estate assets after death?
- CPF nomination
Who receives covered CPF savings and in what shares?
- Locator
How will the right people find the documents?
A complete plan aligns people, documents, ownership and access.
General education. Your circumstances, documents and applicable terms determine what applies.
Put each document on the correct timeline
| Situation | Relevant tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| You have mental capacity | Your own instructions and account arrangements | You continue making your own decisions. |
| You lose mental capacity | Lasting Power of Attorney | Your appointed donee acts within the powers granted. |
| You die | Will and estate process | Your executor administers estate assets according to the Will and applicable law. |
| Your CPF savings are distributed after death | CPF nomination | Covered CPF savings go to the nominees in the stated shares. |
One document cannot substitute for all the others.
A Will deals with estate assets after death
A Will can name beneficiaries and an executor, and may record intended guardianship and other estate instructions. Its effect depends on legal validity, asset ownership and applicable law.
Some assets may pass outside the estate—for example, jointly owned assets or assets governed by a valid nomination. Ask a qualified lawyer how your home, overseas assets, business interests, trusts and family circumstances should be treated.
An LPA is for decisions during your lifetime
An LPA allows you to appoint one or more donees to act if you lose mental capacity. Powers may cover personal welfare, property and affairs, or both, within the document and the law.
Discuss the role with the intended donees. Consider how they should act if more than one person is appointed, where records are held and whether any complex assets require professional guidance. Without a valid LPA, a court deputyship application may be needed.
A Will does not distribute CPF savings
CPF savings covered by CPF nomination are excluded from the estate and are not distributed by a Will. Without a valid nomination, the Public Trustee’s Office identifies legally entitled beneficiaries under the applicable intestacy or Muslim inheritance rules.
CPF Board lists items that are not covered by a CPF nomination, including CPF Investment Scheme investments and certain insurance payouts. Check the current coverage list instead of assuming every CPF-linked asset follows the nomination.
Review what life events change
CPF Board states that a CPF nomination made before marriage is revoked upon marriage. A divorce does not necessarily update every arrangement in the same way. A new child, death of a nominee, overseas move or major asset change can also make an old plan inconsistent with your intentions.
Review the documents together after a significant life event, but verify the legal effect of that event on each document separately.
Leave a secure family locator—not a public master file
Who should act?
Executor, donee, intended guardian and trusted professional contacts.
What exists?
Will, LPA, nominations, policies, deeds and relevant ownership records.
Where can they find it?
A secure locator with access instructions—not passwords in an unsecured file.
Parents can connect this exercise to the family continuity guide.
Use one family meeting to identify the missing piece
- Can both spouses locate the documents?
- Do the appointed people know they may need to act?
- Do asset ownership and nominations match the intended outcome?
- Are care and guardianship wishes ready for legal discussion?
- What changed since the documents were signed?
I can help organise the questions and financial information. A qualified lawyer should advise on legal validity, drafting and estate distribution.
What to prepare for a review
- Asset list and ownership arrangements
- Existing Will, LPA and nomination records
- People you trust to act
- Family care and guardianship questions
- Questions for a qualified lawyer
Keep sensitive documents secure. Use the contact link to share your priorities, then agree how to provide any records needed for the review.
Sources & further reading
- CPF Board — Making a CPF nomination
- CPF Board — What a CPF nomination covers
- CPF Board — CPF nomination, Will and LPA
- Office of the Public Guardian — Lasting Power of Attorney
These sources provide general background. The review questions and checklists are educational commentary. Check the current official guidance and your own documents before acting. This guide is not a personal financial or legal recommendation.
Have a question about your own plans?
Bring the relevant documents and the question you would like answered. We can start there.
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