Protecting Your Children
Your estate plan must safeguard your children, who are counting on you to ensure that they will always be taken care of by the people you want, in a way you want, no matter what happens.
At Sky Unlimited Legal Advisory, we are very passionate about planning for the well-being and care of the children you love. Over the years, we have developed an expertise for advance planning for the care of children in the event of the death of one or both parents. Without this advance legal planning, unthinkable events can (and do) take place:
Ø Your children could be placed into the care of the California Department of Social Services ... even if you have a will in place ... and even if you have a living trust! (Likely this circumstance would be temporary, but you never want your children in the care of strangers - not even for a minute.)
Ø Your children could be put into the custody and care of someone you would never choose, like the one family member who may have good intentions, but you don't want raising your kids!
Ø A judge, who doesn't know you or your family, will decide who will raise your kids, even if it is the last person you would ever want.
Ø A long and nasty custody fight could ensure or there might be a challenge to the guardians you have designated.
Ø Up to 5% of the value of your gross assets could be lost to court costs and other unnecessary fees through the probate process that can tie up your assets for years and deprive your kids of the resources they need.
Ø Unscrupulous people can take advantage of children when they turn 18 and get a check for whatever assets are left.
With advance legal planning, these problems and more can be avoided. A majority of estate planning attorneys do not address these issues. They do not plan from a parent's perspective and they do not have the expertise to do a comprehensive job.
Yes, these occurrences scare us, too! That is why we offer a Kids Protection Plan® with every estate plan we do for families with minor children.
Our Kids Protection Plan® includes a specific set of instructions, legal documents, and an ID card for your wallet. If you are in an accident, your Kids Protection Plan will help to make sure your children are never taken into the custody of Child Protective Services or anyone else you would not want. These clear instructions inform the Police and ensure your children will be raised by people you have selected.
To get started with your Kids Protection Plan®, please call us at (650) 761-0992 today or book a Family Wealth Planning Session® online now.
When it's all for the Kids
Articles from the Chief Counsel's desk. Sign up for our newsletter to receive these in your email with additional discounts, offers and rewards.
The Question Every Father Thinks He's Answered (But Hasn't)
There are two kinds of fathers.
The first kind coaches the games, makes it to the school plays, stays up late helping with the projects, and loves his family in every visible way. He thinks about what would happen if something happened to him: maybe during a long drive home, maybe after a close call, maybe in a quiet moment watching his kids sleep. He thinks about it and then moves on, because the day-to-day of being a father takes up almost everything he has.
Father's Day tends to celebrate the first kind. The presence, the showing up, the love that fills a room.
The second kind does all of that and also answers the question.
The fathers who've truly done right by their families, the ones who've given their children something that outlasts them, are the ones who made a plan. Not because they expected the worst, but because they understood that loving someone means protecting them even when you can't be there.
LGBTQIA+ Estate Planning: How to Protect Your Family, Assets, and Legacy
As Pride Month begins, we celebrate the progress made toward equality while recognizing that LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, and families still face unique legal and planning considerations. While marriage equality marked a historic milestone, comprehensive estate planning remains one of the most important ways to protect the people you love and the life you've built.
Having an estate plan isn't just about deciding who inherits your assets. It's about ensuring the people you trust can make important decisions, your wishes are clearly documented, and your loved ones are protected if life takes an unexpected turn.
THE EVOLVING LEGAL LANDSCAPE FOR LGBTQIA+ FAMILIES
Marriage equality was a tremendous step forward, but it did not eliminate every legal or financial planning issue families may face.
Questions about healthcare decision-making, incapacity, inheritance, parental rights, and long-term planning often extend well beyond marriage itself.
For example, legal recognition of non-biological parents may require additional planning depending on a family's circumstances. Healthcare decisions can become more complicated if the person you trust does not have the proper legal authority to act on your behalf. Assets without updated beneficiary designations or trust planning could also pass in ways you never intended.
Estate Planning Before You Travel: Why It's Critically Important
Vacations can be the perfect opportunity to relax, disconnect from work and responsibilities, and enjoy your spouse, partner, kids’ or friend’s company. But before you head off on your next getaway, there’s something else you should consider doing that might not sound quite as fun—creating an estate plan. While it may not sound like the most thrilling way to spend a day, here are some reasons why you need to think about your estate plans before you travel.
An estate plan ensures any medical decisions needed while away from home will be handled according to your wishes, and with as much ease as possible, no matter what the rules are where something happens. If you fall ill or become injured and can’t make medical decisions for yourself, your estate plan will ensure that decisions will be made by the person you choose, and with your indicated desires for your care at the forefront.
Without an estate plan in place, your family or friends could have a heavy lift to get you back home, locate your assets, keep your bills paid, and even ensure your children get taken care of by the right people in the right way.
Lastly, an estate plan ensures that any debts or liabilities are taken care of properly in case something happens while on vacation. This can help prevent creditors from trying to collect from surviving family members after the fact — something no one wants to deal with during such a difficult time.
Protecting Your Legacy: Why Life & Legacy Planning Matters for Black Families
February is Black History Month - a time to honor the resilience, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the future and the legacy you are building for your family.
For many Black families, legacy is not abstract. It is shaped by generations who were denied the opportunity to accumulate and pass on wealth, and by the determination of those building something anyway. When wealth must be created without the benefit of generational cushioning, protecting it becomes just as important as generating it.
Yet even families who successfully build wealth often see it disappear between generations. Not because they lacked discipline or ambition, but because the systems governing inheritance, incapacity, and asset transfer were never designed with their realities in mind.
In this blog article, you’ll learn why wealth is particularly vulnerable at the moment it transfers, how historical and structural inequities still affect Black families today, and how Life & Legacy Planning can help you protect what you’ve built so it benefits your family for generations to come.
Wills vs. Trusts: How to Choose the Right Tool to Protect the People You Love
When you begin thinking about estate planning, one of the first questions you might ask is whether you need a will, a trust, or both.
You may have heard conflicting information from friends, social media, or TV experts, which can make the decision feel confusing.
And while both wills and trusts can play an important role in your estate plan, the real question is not which document you should choose, but how to create a plan that actually works when your loved ones need it to.
In this blog article, you’ll learn the real difference between wills and trusts, how each works in practice, and what you should consider before making a decision. More importantly, you’ll discover why choosing the right tool is only one part of building a plan that keeps your family out of court, out of conflict, and out of costly mistakes.
WHAT A WILL DOES AND WHAT IT DOESN’T DO
A will is often the first document people think of when they think about estate planning. It allows you to state who receives your assets and who you want to raise your children after you die. But a will has important limitations that most people don’t realize until it’s too late.