At Wills & Wellness, one of our areas of greatest expertise is in planning for the well-being and care of the children you love.

A will simply isn’t enough.

A will is effective only once approved by a court and only after you’ve passed. But a court isn’t available in an emergency or after hours, and what if there is an emergency but you (hopefully) haven’t passed? A will simply doesn’t ensure the care of your kids if you can’t be there for them. If you are a parent of children who count on you and love you, your estate plan must begin with ensuring your children would always be taken care of by the people you want, in the way you want, no matter what.

Without an estate plan that includes proper legal planning for minor children, a whole host of undesirable things could happen:

• Your children might end up in state custody while a temporary guardian is located. In Colorado, only blood relatives are allowed to be a temporary guardian (absent an estate plan) – which you might imagine is a problem as many people who didn’t grow up in Colorado live here and raise their families here. Trust us, you never want your children in a stranger’s arms – not even for a minute.
• Someone you would never allow could end up the guardian of your children – even if you had your desires written in an email or on a note pad.
• A judge who doesn’t know you, your family, or your children will decide who raises your kids.
• Your children could have total control over their inheritance at 18, and there are unscrupulous people out there who make it their business to look at the public records to find out when 18 year old’s are getting their inheritance check.

Many estate planning attorneys don’t address these issues and don’t plan from a parent’s perspective. Wills & Wellness does. That’s why we ensure every estate plan we design starts first and foremost with the proper planning for families with young children.