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Legacy Planning since 2001

Take a Step Toward Protecting Your Family

The absence of a comprehensive estate plan can lead to a range of challenges and uncertainties for your children. Taking the time to create a well-thought-out plan ensures that their physical, emotional, and financial needs are met in accordance with your wishes, providing them with stability and support during a difficult time. Fill out the form to schedule an appointment with us to get started on this important planning.

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What if Mommy and Daddy Don’t Come Home

1. Uncertain Guardianship:

One of the most critical aspects of estate planning for parents is designating a guardian for their minor children. If you don’t specify your preferences in a legally binding document, such as your will, the court will be left to decide who will assume responsibility for your children. This decision may not align with your wishes or what’s in the best interest of your children.

2. Potential Family Disputes:

Without clear instructions in your estate plan, disagreements may arise among family members about who should care for your children. This can lead to legal battles and strained relationships, causing additional emotional distress for your children during an already challenging time.

3. Financial Insecurity:

Estate planning involves more than just determining who will care for your children; it also addresses the financial aspects of their well-being. If you don’t have a plan, the court may appoint someone to manage the financial affairs of your children, and the distribution of assets may not align with your intentions.

4. Probate Delays:

Without a will or trust in place, your estate will likely go through probate, a legal process that can be time-consuming and costly. During this time, access to your assets may be restricted, causing financial difficulties for your children and their caregivers.

5. Lack of Special Needs Planning:

If you have a child with special needs, proper estate planning is crucial to ensure their ongoing care and financial support. Without a plan, your child with special needs may lose access to government benefits or face financial instability.

6. No Contingency Plans for Incapacity:

Estate planning is not only about preparing for death but also for potential periods of incapacity. Without documents like a durable power of attorney and healthcare proxy, there may be confusion and delays in making important financial and medical decisions on behalf of your children.

7. No Educational or Religious Guidance:

If imparting specific educational or religious values is important to you, these preferences should be outlined in your estate plan. Without clear instructions, decisions about your children’s upbringing may be made without regard to your beliefs and values.

8. Potential Loss of Assets:

Without a will or trust, your assets may be distributed according to state intestacy laws, which may not align with your intentions. This could result in your children receiving their inheritance before they are mature enough to handle it, potentially leading to financial mismanagement.

9. No Plan for Blended Families:

If you have a blended family, where there are children from a previous marriage or relationship, the absence of a clear estate plan can lead to disputes between your current spouse and children from a previous relationship, potentially jeopardizing family harmony.

10. Missed Opportunities for Tax Planning:

Effective estate planning can help minimize tax liabilities, ensuring that more of your assets are passed on to your children. Without proper planning, your estate may incur unnecessary taxes, reducing the financial legacy you intended for your children.

11. Emotional Impact on Children:

The lack of a well-thought-out estate plan can have emotional consequences for your children. Uncertainty about their future, financial instability, and potential conflicts among family members can contribute to stress and anxiety.

12. Loss of Personal Items and Family Heirlooms:

Personal belongings and family heirlooms may hold sentimental value for your children. Without specific instructions in your estate plan, these items may be distributed or disposed of without consideration for their emotional significance.

Plan for Your Children

Parent Letter

Plan for Your Children

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Last Name
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Dear Loving Parent,

As a parent there is nothing more important to you than the well-being of your kids. Nothing.

Many of my clients overlooked important steps necessary to make sure their children would always be taken care of by people they know, love and trust. If they’ve done this, I bet you have too. (They had a Will and THOUGHT they had done everything they needed to, but you'll be surprised at what they had overlooked. They just hadn’t been taught!)

Because like you, they were so caught up in the day to day of just getting by that they didn't stop to consider what would really happen if something happened to them. And, they were so busy with their children and work!

Think about what would happen if you went out on a date with your husband and you did not make it back home. You may have named guardians for your children in your Will but what if the people you had named were not easily available to be there for your children? What if your Will is locked up in a safe and no one had access to even know who you had named to take care of your children?

Just imagine, your children at home with a teenage babysitter who had no idea what to do if the police came knocking at your door.

Even more shocking is the realization that the police would have no idea what to do either. They'd likely have no choice but to call in Child Protective Services who would have to take your children into protective custody until they could figure out what to do!

As a parent, that is not an acceptable possibility.

Thankfully for you and your children, I have a solution. Lest You Think This Could Never Happen to Your Family, Here's a True Story

Melanie and Casey Barber were the All-American parents of three little boys. On July 31, 2006, the Barber family was in a tragic car accident. The boys survived, their parents didn't. But, that was just the beginning of their nightmare. From the thousands of pages of court records filed in the guardianship case of the Barber boys, it appears that Mel and Casey had talked about naming guardians to provide for the care of their sons, they just never got around to documenting what they wanted. They probably thought their family would be able to easily work out who would take care of the boys, if anything happened.

That's not what happened. After the accident, the boys were in the foster care system for a short time while the police located family members. They then went to live with one of their aunts (who allegedly kept them from seeing the rest of the family) while the family went to Court to fight over who would raise the boys. Since then, over 1,000 pages of court documents have been filed, 9 lawyers have been involved, and tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars have been spent.

When all is said and done, a Court will appoint their legal guardian who may or may not have been who Mel and Casey would have chosen. We'll never know if the Judge made the right choice because Mel and Casey's wishes will never be known.

If they had known what would happen, Mel and Casey would have taken the simple steps necessary to ensure their boys were raised the way they want by the people they want. Now you can learn from their experience and not leave the well-being of your children to chance for another day.

Your "Peach Of Mind" Solution

We have a comprehensive Kids Protection Plan® that would ensure your babysitter, the police and everyone would know just what to do if anything happened to you. My plan…

  • Names local friends as temporary, legal guardians for your kids and the friends named would know just what to do if they were called upon because they've got written instructions with guidance;
  • It includes instructions to babysitters as to who they should call if you are in an accident;
  • And, you will be provided with an ID card to carry in your wallet so there is never a risk of your kids being taken into the arms of strangers.

When I started talking to clients about how a Will provides a false sense of security and what could happen to their children if all they had was a Will (or nothing at all) in place, they all wanted their own Kids Protection Plan.

To empower as many parents as possible to do the right thing for their children, I became a Personal Family Lawyer® trained by Ali Katz the author of a best selling book on legal planning for parents titled ”Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly – and Essential – Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents.” Perhaps you have read it or maybe you saw her on the Today Show talking to Ann Curry about this vitally important subject or maybe you heard about me from Jean Chatzky on Oprah & Friends.

In the book, she gives all parents the straight scoop (in an easy and fun way) on what they need to do to make sure their children and money are properly protected. With knowledge comes the responsibility to serve and teach, it's my mission to make sure that parents have the necessary legal planning in place to protect their children.

For that reason, I am offering parents the form to name legal guardians for their own children for the long term, absolutely free. (You absolutely must name guardians for your kids for the long term, so please make sure you click on the link to fill out the form, no matter what. It's easy and it's free) [Declaration Nominating Preneed Guardian for Minor (B3)]

It is so important that your children are protected and are in the arms of the people YOU trust and love but the planning doesn’t just stop with that. Once you have completed the form, click the link to schedule a free 15-minute appointment to find out how to protect you and your children both physically and financially. [Booking calendar]

Sincerely,

Florida Wills and Trusts Law

Wear Clean Underwear

Planning for the unexpected doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Ali Katz makes it simple and engaging, guiding you through the essential steps to protect your loved ones. With clear, actionable advice, you’ll be ready for anything life throws your way.

Download your free copy of her e-book today and start your journey towards peace of mind with a smile! Please enter your name and email below. You will be redirected to a download link after submission.

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