Married With Kids
Preserve Your Family’s Future
When you’re young and starting a family or joining a blended family, it may seem like you have plenty of time to secure their future. But it’s important to take steps early to guarantee your family is cared for if something happens to you.
Schedule a free meeting with one of our experts to learn more.
Keep Their Future Positive
Thinking about the possibility of passing on and leaving your family behind is a bit scary. But it’s an unfortunate possibility. AlerStallings can help you develop an estate plan that helps ensure your family has the right care and support even if you’re no longer there.
Questions for Making a Plan
When your wedding vows are still new, the future is incredibly bright. But it helps to prepare for every possibility, even your passing. Ask yourself the following questions:
Who will provide for your children? Your spouse or someone else?
Who will take over as guardian for minor children when you die — your surviving spouse or the surviving biological parent?
What are you going to provide for your surviving spouse?
Do you want to give broad decision-making authority or would you rather limit it?
Do you and your current and/or former spouse have shared goals?
Do you have more than a will?
When did you last update your will?
Have you made plans to protect your spouse?
What happens to your assets if your children are under 18?
Do you know what’s going to happen to your estate?
Is your estate going to go through probate?
Have you protected your family from unnecessary taxes?
A Roadmap for
Your Family’s Future
It’s tough to create a plan if you’re unsure about what you want and need for your family. We can help you identify your goals and create plans that protect your family and your assets.
Your custom plan might include the following:
Give your spouse or other trusted person the ability to make decisions for you and your children if you can’t.
While the court decides your children’s guardian, your wishes will likely carry great weight in that decision.
Protect children by ensuring your assets go to the right place and that they are managed and distributed wisely.
Keep Pace with a
Changing Life
Estate plans for your family only work if they reflect the current status of your life. An outdated plan could leave your children without the right guardian, support, or financial assistance.
A customized plan that is updated throughout your life can help you:
Preserve assets
Give your family the assurance that comes with knowing creditors won’t seize your estate after you’re gone
Avoid probate
Be sure your family doesn’t have to deal with the stress or costs that come with making sure your estate goes where you want it
Protect children
Put together a plan that helps make sure your children are cared for by whom you choose and that they are financially protected.
Want to Know More?
It’s common to have questions about these topics.
Here are some of the questions we get asked most often.
Estate planning is generally the term used to describe the process of organizing and planning for when you become incapacitated and for the transfer of your wealth upon your death. Essentially estate planning is two-prong: 1. Naming power holders who can make decisions about your financial and medical state during your lifetime when you cannot or chose not to manage your affairs yourself and 2. Addressing what happens to your assets when you die. Specifically, making sure that what you have goes to whom you want, in the amount and manner you desire, such as by outright bequests or the placing of assets in a trust for the benefit of the spouse, children or grandchildren.
This is an agreement with three parties: Trust-makers, the Trustees (or Trust Managers), and the Trust Beneficiaries. For example, a husband and wife may name themselves all three parties to create their trust, manage all the assets transferred to the trust, and have full use and enjoyment of all the trust assets as beneficiaries. Further “back-up” managers can step in under the terms of the trust to manage the assets should the couple become incapacitated or die. Special provisions in the trust also control the management and distribution of assets to heirs in the event of the trust-maker’s death. With proper planning, the couple also can avoid or eliminate death taxes on their estate. The Revocable Living Trust may allow them to accomplish all this outside of any court proceeding.
A revocable trust can be revoked as long as those who granted the trust are of sound mind. Revocable trusts allow your assets to avoid the probate process, which is often a big financial burden on your estate. A Revocable trust provides more control over how distributions are made
An irrevocable trust cannot be revoked, so the document will continue to exist for as long as the terms of the trust dictate. This trust cannot be terminated prematurely. With careful drafting, an irrevocable trust can meet your goal (asset protection, tax planning) and allow flexibility in customization. When used properly, irrevocable trusts can be used to protect your assets from Long-Term Care.
The document a person signs to provide for the orderly disposition of assets after death. Wills do not avoid probate. Wills have no legal authority until the willmaker dies and the original will is delivered to the Probate Court. Still, everyone with minor children needs a will. It is the only way to appoint the new “parent” of an orphaned child. Special testamentary trust provisions in a will can provide for the management and distribution of assets for your heirs. Additionally, assets can be arranged and coordinated with provisions of the testamentary trusts to avoid death taxes.