If you are a parent of minor children, your estate plan must begin with a Kids Care & Guardianship Plan to ensure your children will always be taken care of by the people you want, in the way you want. The Kids Care & Guardianship Plan is a clear plan that names who will care for your children and how they’ll be supported if something happens to you.
Without proper planning, if the unthinkable happens to you, the unthinkable could happen to your children too.
Your children could be placed into child protective services even if you have a will in place naming guardians, and even if you have a living trust, while your legal documents are located or your family is identified. A judge who doesn’t know you or your family would decide who will raise your kids, and they might choose the last person you would ever want. Approximately 5% of the total value of your assets could be lost due to probate, a court process that can tie up your assets for months or years and deprive your kids of the resources they need to live comfortably. When your kids turn 18, they would get a check for whatever assets are left – outright with no protection. And there are unscrupulous people who make it their business to review public records to find 18 year olds who are coming into money.
The vast majority of estate planning attorneys simply do not address these issues and do not plan from a parent’s perspective.
This is why we offer a Kids Care & Guardianship Plan with every estate plan we prepare for families with minor children.
A Kids Care & Guardianship Plan is a set of instructions, legal documents, and an ID card for your wallet, which you need to have if you have kids at home who count on you for their well-being and care. Your Kids Care & Guardianship Plan will include:
- Nominations of Guardianship – Both Short-Term and Long-Term
- Medical Powers of Attorney
- Caregiver Instructions
- ID Card for Your Wallet
- Letters to Temporary Guardians Regarding Emergency Access
- Letters to Long-Term Guardians on Your Family Values and How to Raise Your Children
- If needed, a Confidential Exclusion of Guardianship, ruling out those you would never want to have care or custody of your children
If you are in an accident, your Kids Care & Guardianship Plan will make sure your children are not taken into the custody of child protective services, strangers, or the care of anyone you wouldn’t want because the authorities don’t have clear instructions from you. And your Kid Emergency Care Plan will ensure your children are raised by people you choose, not someone chosen by a judge who doesn’t know you.
To get started with your Kids Care & Guardianship Plan, contact us.
We have thoughtfully packaged what we do into customizable options for you and your family, and all of our fees are flat-rate and agreed to in advance so there are no surprises.