Building Legacies that Last Estate Planning and Elder Law

Young Family Planning

Serving Families and Individuals throughout Chevy Chase, Maryland, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, Frederick County and The District of Columbia

If you are a parent then you know your children are your most valuable treasure and if they are under 18 years old it is your responsibility to care for them. So, what arrangements have you made for their care should something happen to you and their other parent?

As with your own personal, health care and financial decisions, would you rather select the guardians (i.e., back-up parents) yourself, or let a probate judge make the selection without your input on such a big decision. Only through proper legal planning can you select the guardians for your children if the unexpected is to occur.

There are two critical choices faced by parents of minor children. First, who will take care of my minor children, if orphaned, and, second, who will manage their inheritance?

If you are separated, divorced or never married to the surviving biological parent of your minor children, then that parent will continue to be their guardian, without a court-proven case of unfitness. Nevertheless, you will want to make wise choices regarding guardianship should your minor children be orphaned.

While every family situation is unique, here are some general practical pointers to consider when selecting guardians for your minor children:

  • Select guardians who share your faith, values and life priorities; and already have an established positive relationship with your minor children;
  • Consider, that if you select a married family member, you may want to appoint the family member only, in case your family member dies first or the couple divorces;
  • Make sure your legal plans provide for the compensation of the guardians, or at least that the inheritance covers all legitimate expenses for raising your children; and
  • Obtain permission of the selected guardians before appointing them in your legal instruments. That is only fair and right.

Great care must be taken when selecting a financial fiduciary to administer and distribute the inheritance. Simply put, a fiduciary is a person or institution legally responsible for the financial affairs of another. Fiduciaries are held to the highest standards of care and loyalty in this role.

Who will you entrust to manage any inheritance left upon your death? What if you and the other biological parent are divorced or were never married? Even though he or she may rear your minor child or children to adulthood, would you also want them to control the inheritance you leave behind, too?

There are three basic options when it comes to financial fiduciaries, each with its unique advantages and disadvantages.

Option 1 is the most common option. Here, you appoint trusted family members of friends. On the upside, they likely know the strengths and weaknesses of your loved ones, plus they may not charge much, if anything, to oversee the inheritance. On the downside, they may be busy with their own life and financial responsibilities. Also, they may find it difficult to say “no” to an irresponsible heir.

Option 2 requires the appointment of a professional fiduciary, such as an institution (e.g., a trust company) or an individual (e.g., your CPA). Interestingly, the upsides and downsides are the opposite of Option 1.

Option 3 is what I call the Pro-Am approach. You combine Option 1 and Option 2 for the best of both worlds. In short, the family appointee knows the strengths and weakness, and can say “no” to help preserve family relationships when the minor child asks for a Ferrari. This family appointee is not bogged down with investments, accounting, tax and legal details. Instead, the professional fiduciary shoulders (and is rightfully compensated for) the day-to-day management of the inheritance, playing the heavy when necessary.

As you can see, selecting guardians and fiduciaries is essential for the emotional and financial well-being of your minor children. Few decisions in life are more important. Only you can make these decisions through proper estate planning and proper legal assistance is crucial part of determining what option is best for your family.