This spring, put some time aside to make a Family Binder.
What is a Family binder? A family binder is a binder where you keep any important information about you and your family. It is important to have one in case of an emergency, so you can find any important information immediately or if you suddenly must leave your family, pets, and medical conditions in the hands of someone else.
Reminder: It is never too early to start estate planning!
Estate planning is critical for young families to protect their little ones if the unthinkable happens. By planning and updating, you are ensuring that your child will be cared for if you pass away. Having a plan can also make sure money is set aside for necessities and college, and that your children’s guardian knows your wishes for where and how you want your children to be cared for. In this blog, we will address 3 common questions we are asked by young parents who are just getting their estate planning journey started.
Choosing a guardian for your child if you no longer can care for them can be a daunting task, but it is extremely necessary. If you do not have an appointed guardian and something happens to you, the court system will appoint one for you. There is also a risk that your child may be placed into foster care if the court believes a relative is incapable of caring for the children.
Estate planning has many benefits that help protect and care for your children. This is especially important when you have a child with a disability or special needs. Special needs planning is not only to set aside money to care for your child if something was to happen to the main provider, but also to set up care for them once they become adults.
There is a reason to celebrate every day. With today being National Celebration of Life Day, we encourage you to spend time with loved ones and prioritize your health and happiness. Sometimes with the busyness and unexpected changes that life brings, we forget to appreciate everything and everybody around us.
What are you grateful for this holiday season?
The holidays are rapidly approaching. Around this time of year, it is common for people to reflect on the positive and negative moments of the year with family and friends, and to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us. It is important to be thankful for good health, the people around us, and our assets.
We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that your holiday is spent enjoying the company of your loved ones. This holiday, while gathered around the turkey, we encourage you to put aside some time to ask your family members important questions regarding long-term care and their estate plan.
Thank you to our Veterans for your bravery and sacrifice for this country. We appreciate your efforts to maintain America’s freedom. Happy Veteran’s Day!
In honor of Veterans Day, we would like to dedicate this post to spreading awareness about the resources and special circumstances that go with Estate Planning for military members.
by Kristin Carroll
Communication is key, and this is your chance!
We get asked about our Family Care MeetingTM a lot these days. Everything from when can I schedule mine to what’s the point? The first question is easy, if you’re a client and you’ve signed your estate plan, give us a call, we’d love to schedule a Family Care MeetingTM for you and your trusted advisors or loved ones! The second question might take a little more explaining.
We often ask our clients, when do you need an estate plan to help care for your family? The somewhat morbid answer is, of course, when you’re no longer around to care for them yourself. Someone else is going to have to administer the plan you created; you won’t be able to do that. Doesn’t it make sense that they have some idea what it’s going to look like before they need to be involved?
For years we have been telling our clients, if you have questions or anything changes, call us; however, we are finding we get the question somewhat frequently, “but specifically when should I call you?” Or we find out about a major life change several months or a year after the fact because clients or their family members did not realize that they could or should call us. We thought we would try to clear some of that up and give you some guidelines on when you might want to think about picking up the phone or shooting us an email. We’re here to be a resource for our clients, and we never want you to feel like you just have to figure it out on your own. Here are some reasons you might want to reach out:
