Estate Planning Must-Haves for Parents – Even If You Have Legal Documents

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 such provisions as naming a legal guardian for their child in their plan. 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 to Jay and Gloria before they decided and appropriately named guardians in a legal document, a judge would choose 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 most challenging 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 an essential and challenging task. Don’t put off naming a legal guardian for your child. While thinking about what will happen to your child if you die-difficult even for fictional parents, your kids deserve the protection, and you deserve the peace of mind that a legal guardian can provide. 

Unfortunately, even if you have made the hard decisions and worked with a lawyer to name legal guardians in a Will, your kids could still be at risk because that would not take into account what happens if you become incapacitated or if your named guardians all live far from your home. 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 only a select few lawyers, like us, are trained to prepare. 

If you are ready to take that step, start by sitting down with us. As your Personal Family Lawyer™, 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 kid’s care is fully provided for, in the short-term and the long-term, and in the event of your incapacity.

Working with a trusted estate planning attorney at Cheever Law, APC, will ensure your entire family is protected and cared for no matter what. Contact us today to get started!

At Cheever Law, APC, we don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death for yourself and the people you love, which starts at a valuable and educational Life & Legacy Planning Session. The Life & Legacy Planning Session will allow you to get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love.  If you have already completed your estate plan, we will review that plan at your Life & Legacy Planning Session to ensure that it will work the way you intend and address any holes or gaps that may be present if circumstances have changed since you executed your plan.   

To learn more about our one-of-a-kind systems and services, contact us or schedule a 15-minute introductory call today.