As we welcome the New Year, filled with hope and resolutions for a brighter future, one commitment should be at the top of your list– creating a Kids Protection Plan™. It can be hard to think about a future where you couldn’t be there for your children, but having a plan in place will ensure that your kids stay in the care of the people they know and love in the event you become incapacitated or die (instead of their care decisions being left up to chance or whichever judge is overseeing the family court at the time).

This is not just some task to add to your to-do list; it's a warm embrace of security for your little ones. So, why is this the ultimate resolution for you in 2024? Keep reading to find out.

Imagine your kids at home with a babysitter, and you don’t come home. You’ve been in an accident and are unconscious at the hospital. Authorities are called, but the babysitter doesn’t have the legal authority to care for your children until you return or until a Permanent Guardian is appointed. Even if you already named a Permanent Guardian for your kids, this doesn’t offer immediate legal authority for the Guardian to care for them.

In such scenarios, law enforcement might place your child into protective custody with social services. A Kids Protection Plan™ bridges this gap by providing legal documentation and instructions for Temporary Legal Guardians who have the immediate legal authority to care for your children until you return or until a Permanent Guardian is appointed by the court. This minimizes the risk of your children ending up in foster care or with a family member that you would never want in charge of your children.

Is there someone in your life whom you unequivocally would never want raising your kids? Even if you’ve already named Permanent Legal Guardians for them, it’s still up to a judge to make the official determination of who should raise your children long-term. If this person is an immediate family member, the judge may choose them as your kids’ Permanent Legal Guardian if they come forward as a candidate, despite what your Permanent Guardian Nomination paperwork says.

A comprehensive Kids Protection Plan™ confidentially excludes anyone you would never want raising your kids and provides crucial information about your decision to exclude them that can be presented to the judge if needed. With this confidential document, you ensure that your children are always kept away from someone you wouldn't want as their Legal Guardian.

Every parent has distinct desires regarding their children's education, healthcare, and financial well-being. A Kids Protection Plan™ allows you to articulate these wishes thoroughly in a way that provides your kids’ Legal Guardians with guidance and your children with the comfort of their routine.

Plus, providing clear instructions to potential guardians ensures that your children's upbringing aligns with your values and aspirations. This process not only secures their future but also grants you profound clarity about your parenting priorities.

While nominating Permanent Legal Guardians is fundamental, it might not suffice in every situation. A full-fledged Kids Protection Plan™ offers a holistic approach, addressing the potential pitfalls of leaving your kids with caregivers, excluding unwanted individuals from guardianship, and outlining your unique desires for their well-being. This comprehensive plan ensures that your children remain in the care of trusted individuals who understand and respect your values.

If you're ready to make creating a Kids Protection Plan™ your most significant New Year’s resolution, the first step is scheduling your Life & Legacy Planning Session™. During the Session, we’ll guide you through our unique, heart-centered process to tailor a plan that reflects your wishes, secures your family's future, and includes a Kids Protection Plan™.

And unlike other resolutions that may be hard to stick to, we’re here to guide and support you through every step to ensure your Kids Protection Plan™ offers the best protection for the people you love - both now and for years to come.

Click the link below to schedule a complimentary call to learn more about our process and schedule your own Life & Legacy Planning Session™.

This article is a service of a Personal Family Lawyer® Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session™.

The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer® firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.

Proper estate planning can keep your family out of conflict, out of court, and out of the public eye. If you’re ready to create a comprehensive estate plan, contact us to schedule your Planning Session. Even if you already have a plan in place, we will review it and help you bring it up to date to avoid heartache for your family. Schedule online today.

As a parent, you have probably thought about the importance of naming permanent legal guardians for your child in case something happens to you, and maybe you have already done it. If you haven’t yet, take this as the sign that now’s the time to do it, in case the unthinkable happens to you. Here’s a free website where you can name legal guardians for your littles, right now.

But in some cases, naming permanent legal guardians for your child may not be enough to guarantee your kids will always be cared for in the way you want by the people you want. And, there may even be a risk of your kids being taken into the care of strangers or someone you would never want.

Read on to find out if that’s the case for your family, and if it is, contact us ASAP to get your Kids Protection Plan in place.

If you ever leave your minor kids with a caregiver who isn’t a grandparent, aunt, or other family member that the authorities would naturally leave your kids with if something happens to you, this is what could happen.

Your kids are home with the babysitter. You don’t make it home, and the authorities are called. The authorities show up at your house, and what would they do?

Would they leave your children at home with the person taking care of them while they attempt to find your Will or legal guardian nomination? Would they even be able to find your legal documents? Would your legal documents name someone who would be immediately available to come to stay with your children, and would the authorities leave your children with those people without a court order? If not, you need a Kids Protection Plan® to fill in the gap.

Permanent guardian nominations only take effect upon your passing and are made official through the court system. This means that they do not give any legal authority to your chosen guardians in an emergency or if you become incapacitated.

Because of this, law enforcement could place your child into protective custody with social services in the event of your sudden absence or incapacity due to an illness or injury. To minimize the chances that would happen, we can name legal guardians for the short-term, and give those named guardians the legal documentation they would need and instructions on what to do immediately if something happens to you.

In addition, we will give you the tools to ensure that anyone staying with your children while you aren’t there knows exactly what to do if something happens to you.

While this may not apply to you, if it does, you absolutely, 100%, without question need to contact us for a Kids Protection Plan® STAT. If you have anyone in your life you would never want raising your kids if you aren’t able to due to illness or injury, we can ensure that person is confidentially excluded from your plan using a Kids Protection Plan®. And, we can structure it so that this confidential document is only brought forward if necessary to keep your children out of the care of the person you would never want to raise them.

You’ve probably given a lot of thought to how you want to educate your children, the kinds of healthcare decisions you make for them, and how you want them to experience reality from a financial perspective. If that’s the case, then you absolutely want to ensure that anyone raising your children, if you can’t, will know how you would have wanted these decisions to be made.

Otherwise, if you don’t take the time to leave instructions to the people who could raise your children, they will not know how you would make decisions if you cannot be there to communicate your hopes, dreams, wishes, and desires.

And, here’s the great thing about this … there’s a 99% chance that you are not going to become incapacitated or die while your children are minors (phew), and yet taking the time to write down your unique desires for their well-being and care is an illuminating process in and of itself that will make you a better parent right now.

We hear it again and again from our clients that when they create their Kids Protection Plan® with us, they immediately feel a great deal of relief and a belief that they are being the best parents they can possibly be. They have more clarity about what’s really important to them, what they want to emphasize, who they want their children to develop relationships with, and where they can better focus their own time, energy, and attention.

If you aren’t sure where to start when creating these instructions, don’t worry. We will support you with the whole process when we create your Kids Protection Plan.

Nominating permanent legal guardians is an essential piece of your estate plan, but in reality, it often isn’t enough to ensure your child remains in the care of people you choose, know, love, and trust if something happens to you. If your children are ever left with a relative, or if there is anyone in your life you wouldn’t want raising your kids, or if you have unique high-value wishes for the way your children are raised when it comes to their education, health, or financial well-being, you need a full-fledged Kids Protection Plan®.

If you’re ready to create a Kids Protection Plan® for your child, the first step is to schedule your Life & Legacy Planning™ Session. During the Session, I’ll look at everything you own and everyone you love to get to know your family and your wishes on a personal level. Then I’ll explain how the law would affect your family if something happened to you today, and together, we’ll design a plan that will protect your assets and your loved ones, no matter what.

To get started, click the button below and schedule a complimentary 15-minute call. We can’t wait to protect your children and your entire family through comprehensive planning.

This article is a service of Personal Family Lawyer®. We do not just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today.

The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.

Proper estate planning can keep your family out of conflict, out of court, and out of the public eye. If you’re ready to create a comprehensive estate plan, contact us to schedule your Family Wealth Planning Session. Even if you already have a plan in place, we will review it and help you bring it up to date to avoid heartache for your family. Schedule online today.

Although we initially planned to run part two of last week’s post on Aretha Franklin’s failed estate plan, in honor of Mother’s Day, we’re running this special feature instead. We’ll return with the second half of the late singer’s planning mistakes next week.

In case you missed all of the commercials for floral arrangements that have been airing recently, here’s one final reminder: Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 9th.

But before you spend your money on something that will wilt and die within a week or two, consider getting Mom a truly priceless gift—a plan for her kids (or grandkids) that provides her with peace of mind that, when something should happen to her and dad, her children will always be in the care of the people she knows, loves, and trusts.

It Can Happen to You

No one likes to think that something unexpected might happen to them, even though we know it happens to others just like us. Think about it, there’s an accident, the kids are at home with the babysitter, and mom and dad don’t make it home from their night out.

When they fail to arrive, the babysitter calls and calls, but no one is there to answer. The police are summoned, but because no one has the written, legal authority to take the children while the authorities figure out what to do, the kids have to be taken into the care of Child Protective Services, while the authorities figure out what to do.

Then there are other stories, where children are placed in the care of people they barely know, or that the parents wouldn’t choose, just because they are a blood relative, and the parents didn’t have a plan in place that dictated who should take on this incredible responsibility. 

In still other cases, we see the fallout from family fights that are created when mom and dad didn’t make a plan, and the family couldn’t agree on who should care for the kids, who get caught in the middle of an ugly feud. Or in the worst cases, when there is no family available, we see kids get placed with and raised by total strangers.

In every case, when mom and dad don’t decide and legally document who should care for their kids, it’s left up to a judge to figure out and make the decision.

Don’t Leave the Decision Up to a Judge

We know that neither you nor Mom would ever want this to happen to your children (or grandchildren, nieces, or nephews). And this is where a Kids Protection Plan® can ensure that it never does.

Developed by a nationally recognized attorney, who’s a mom herself, the Kids Protection Plan® provides moms (and dads) with the legal planning tools needed to make sure there is never a question about who will take care of their kids if they are in an accident or suffer some other life-threatening calamity. The full plan includes all of the following:

• Legal documents to name short-term guardians, who can be there immediately for your children, so they'll never be taken into the arms of strangers or anyone you wouldn’t want. Not even for a moment.
• Letters to the people you name as short-term guardians, so the people you've named will know just what to do if called upon.
• Instructions to everyone who takes care of your kids as to exactly what to do if you are in an accident, so there's never any question about what to do or who to call.
• Legal documents to name long-term guardians, who will raise your children just as you would, so there is no family feuding over your children.
• Letters to your long-term guardians, letting them know exactly what to do if called upon. 
• Instructions and guidelines for your long-term guardians on how you want your kids to be raised to ensure your kids are raised with your values, insights, stories, and experience. 
• Medical powers of attorney for your minor children, so the next time they travel without you or you travel without them, you know they'll get the medical care they need. 
• A custom, personalized I.D. card for your wallet stating that you have minor children at home and who should be contacted if you are in an accident.

Put Your Kids Protection Plan® In Place Today

As a Personal Family Lawyer®, I am one of the few lawyers in the world licensed to prepare a Kids Protection Plan® for your family. Even if Mom has already taken steps to create a basic plan, such as having a will that names legal guardians for her children, that’s likely not enough to truly protect your kids.

In fact, we’ve found that in most cases, even parents who worked with a lawyer to name legal guardians have made at least one of six common mistakes that leave their children at risk. These mistakes are made, because unfortunately, most lawyers simply don’t know what’s necessary for planning and ensuring the well-being and care of minor children.

However, as your Personal Family Lawyer®, we’ve been trained by the author of the best-selling book, Wear Clean Underwear!: A Fast, Fun, Friendly, and Essential Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents, on legal planning for the unique needs of families with minor children at home. This is such an important task that we’ve created a totally free website, where you and Mom can visit to get her plan started right now.

Here’s How To Get Started

⇒ If Mom hasn't taken any action at all, we’ve created an easy-to-use and 100% FREE website, where she can visit to take the first steps to create legal documents naming long-term guardians for her children to ensure that should anything happen to her, her kids would be cared for by the people she would want in exactly the way she would want. Do it here now: https://palmdesertlaw.kidsprotectionplan.com/

Afterward, call us to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session, where we’ll put the full Kids Protection Plan® in place, and determine if there is anything else your family might need to ensure the well-being and care of your children no matter what happens.

⇒ If Mom has already named long-term guardians in her will, either on her own or with a lawyer, as your Personal Family Lawyer® can review her existing legal documents to see whether she has made any of the six common mistakes that could leave her kids at risk, and then revise her plan to ensure the children are fully protected.

Make This Mother’s Day One She’ll Remember Forever

Rather than getting the same-old flowers and card yet again, why not take this Mother’s Day to give Mom a truly priceless gift that not only benefits her, but the entire family. With a Kids Protection Plan®, you can give Mom the reassurance that no matter what happens to her, her children will be raised to adulthood by the people she trusts most, and they’ll never be placed in the care of strangers, not even temporarily. Contact us today to learn more or schedule an appointment.

Proper estate planning can keep your family out of conflict, out of court, and out of the public eye. If you’re ready to create a comprehensive estate plan, contact us to schedule your Family Wealth Planning Session. Even if you already have a plan in place, we will review it and help you bring it up to date to avoid heartache for your family. Schedule online today.