Kids Protection Planning
If you are a parent of minor children, your estate plan must begin with a Kids Protection Plan by which you ensure your children will always be taken care of by the people you want, in the way you want, no matter what.
Our Approach
One of our areas of greatest expertise is planning for the well-being and care of the children you love.
Without proper planning, if the unthinkable happens to you, then 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, and they could be left in the care of the one person in your family you would never want raising them. A probate judge who does not know you or your children will decide who will raise them.
To boot, a court process can tie up the assets used to support your children for months or years and deprive your kids of the resources they need to live comfortably, and then when your kids turn 18, they get a check for whatever is left – outright with no protection and with no adult guiding them. (And there are unscrupulous people who make it their business to review public records to find out what 18 year olds 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 Protection Plan with every estate plan we prepare for families with young children.
A Kids Protection Plan is a comprehensive set of instructions, legal documents, and ID card for your wallet so that you have what you need at any moment, in case you have kids at home who count on you for their well-being and care.
If you are in an accident or if anything else happens, your Kids Protection Plan will ensure your children are raised by people you choose, not someone chosen by a probate judge who does not know you or your children.
We help:
Single parents with minor children
Couples with minor children
Nuclear, blended, or otherwise families
Grandparents raising grandchildren
LGBTQ families with minor children
Parents with adopted children
Everyone in between who is in charge of the care or well-being of any minor child
What We Do
We help you to create a personalized Kids Protection Plan that includes elements of all of the following, depending on what is best for you and your children. 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.
Nominations of Guardianship
1
Temporary Guardianship Powers of Attorney
2
Caregiver Instructions
3
ID Card For Your Wallet
4
Letters To Temporary Guardians Regarding Emergency Access
5
Letters To Long-Term Guardians On Your Family Values and How To Raise Your Children
6
Of Children Whose Parents Die Do Not Have Support
Following a loss, what children need most is a lasting support system. Sadly, over half of affected children are deprived of this important need if parents have not prepared for the worst.
Children Suffer Premature Loss of A Parent
One in 14 children at any given moment (which is 5.3 million U.S. children) have suffered the premature loss of a parent, yet this crucial area of estate planning is often skipped.
Of Children Would Trade 1 Year for Just 1 more day
It is almost non-negotiable that thoughtfully passing down your legacy to your children is all they really want. Why else would they trade one whole year for just one more day with you?
About Benjamin Teicher
Hello, I am your neighborhood Personal Family Lawyer.
What I know is that your legacy is about more than wills and trusts, and it is about more than money. As your trusted advisor, I help you make the very best legal decisions for your family with the kind of guidance usually reserved for only very high net worth individuals.
Our life and legacy planning model covers not just what happens with your assets, but sets you up to pass on what matters most to you: Your values. Your priorities. Your relationships. Your life. Your legacy.
Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Consult
With our life and legacy planning model, we help you confidently make legal and financial decisions so you know you have a plan to keep everyone you love out of court and out of conflict after you pass. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kids Protection Planning
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No, a Last Will is limited in how it can protect your children. First, a Last Will is effective only once you pass away and once the document is filed with and accepted by the probate court, but you may have a need long before the moment you pass away to have a guardian for your children. Second, appointing who would raise your children is one thing, while appointing short-term temporary guardians in case of a short-lived emergency is another thing. Your Kids Protection Plan will leave no stone uncovered or contingency unplanned for. You name both short-term and long-term guardians and ensure that everyone you trust has exactly the information they need on-hand at any moment to care for your children.
Even then, certain assets are considered “exempt” (forever protected) from creditors, and each state determines what it considers exempt assets. In some states, exempt assets include clothing, jewelry, tools, and household furnishings, while in other states additional assets such as life insurance and social security benefits are exempt.
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In the world of kids protection planning, the best outcome for you and your children will be achieved only by working with a lawyer who encounters kids protection planning situations daily. You are here in this world to raise your children the best way you know how, but unfortunately, some families collapse after the death of a parent because they either did no planning at all, or if they did, it was through an online platform that knew nothing about the most comprehensive way to protect children. We encourage a lifelong relationship between you and your estate planning attorney so that you have a lawyer for life to be there for your children when you cannot be.
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This is the most often asked question in estate planning, and that is okay – we know the topic of cost is a sensitive one when it comes to choosing a professional to guide you, and we have designed our fees on a flat-fee basis only so that you know exactly what you are committing to – and there are no surprises. While we cannot quote fees online or over the phone, we invite you to check out our upcoming kids protection planning events where we teach you about our unique meeting process and fee schedule so that you know exactly how to take the next steps at the best time for you and your children.
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Think of a Kids Protection Plan as one piece (a very important piece) of your overall estate plan, and an estate plan is not simply a Last Will, as many believe. For parents with minor children, you need both the traditional estate plan that every adult needs as well as a Kids Protection Plan that every parent of minor children needs.
Get The Crucial Information About How To Protect Your Kids. Get Wear Clean Underwear.
You will learn how to choose the best guardian for your children, the nine steps to ensure your children will be raised with your parenting style, how to sleep well at night knowing your children will not be taken into the care of child protective services, and how to avoid the six common planning mistakes as parents of minor children make. This best-selling book is delivered to your email as a pdf, so you can refer to it whenever you have a question.