A comprehensive estate plan can protect the things that matter most. For many, this means their property and their family.
Including provisions for the care of your children in your estate plan is essential for peace of mind. But many parents struggle with including provisions such as naming a legal guardian for their child. Indeed, even the fictional parents in the popular television sitcom Modern Family struggled with this issue in a recent episode. While Jay and his new and much younger wife Gloria agonized and argued about who they should name as a legal guardian for their children, their children were left at risk that if something happened before they decided and properly named guardians in a legal document, a judge would make the decision for them. Not ideal, under any circumstances.
When naming a legal guardian for your minor children, there are many factors to consider, such as whether the guardian has similar values to yours or can provide a welcoming home environment. But the toughest decisions are often the most important. Consider the outcome if you died without having legal protections for your children in place. Your children could be subject to conflict between relatives or they could be raised by someone you would never want, or in a way you wouldn’t want. They could even temporarily be taken into the care of strangers.
Identifying and naming a legal guardian for your children in your estate plan is both a difficult and important task. Don’t put off naming a legal guardian for your child. While thinking about what will happen to your child if you die is difficult even for fictional parents, your kids deserve the protection and you deserve the peace of mind that a legal guardian provides.
Unfortunately, even if you have made the hard decisions, and even if you have worked with a lawyer to name legal guardians in a Will, your kids could still be at risk, because that type of plan would not take into account what happens if you become incapacitated, or if your named guardians all live far from your home, and it wouldn’t protect against anyone who may challenge your decisions. The only way to ensure your kids are raised by the people you want, in the way you want, never taken into the care of strangers (even temporarily) and that your kids would never be raised by anyone you wouldn’t want, is by creating a comprehensive Kids Protection Plan, which very few lawyers are trained to prepare.
If you are ready to take that step, start by sitting down with us. We can walk you step by step through creating a comprehensive Kids Protection Plan® that not only names a legal guardian for your child in your Will, but also ensures your kids are fully provided for, in the short-term and the long-term, and in the event of your incapacity.
Our number one goal is to ensure your entire family is protected and cared for no matter what. That’s why estate planning should be about more than just documents. It should be about ensuring you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourselves and the people you love. The right estate planning counsel will help you get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before, and make all the best choices for your family throughout your lifetime. And there’s nothing better than that.
Dedicated to empowering your family, increasing your wealth and building your legacy,