Category: Guardian

kids at camp

Make Sure Your Kids Are Prepared with This Summer Camp Checklist

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Summer camps are expected to be back in full swing this year after two pandemic summers forced them to close or operate at limited capacity. Camp is a great opportunity for kids to make new friends, try new activities, and gain self-confidence and resilience. But as parents and counselors know, a lot of preparation goes into making lasting summer camp memories.

Camp is a unique experience, in part because it may be the only time during the year that kids are away from home—and parental supervision—for an extended period. Although the time spent apart can be positive for the parent-child relationship, there are a number of contingencies that families should plan for ahead of time. After your child is off at camp, it may be too late to update contact information, medication lists, and temporary guardianship permissions.

Summer Camps Look to Get Back to Normal in 2022

Like most aspects of our society, summer camps were hit hard by COVID-19. In the first summer of the pandemic, about two out of three summer camps across the country closed.[1] Summer camp life was somewhat back to normal in 2021, but the majority of camps that did reopen operated at limited capacity or under other restrictions.

With pandemic restrictions lifting nationwide and a sense of normalcy returning to American life at last, there should be a full return of camp activities this summer. In fact, based on strong 2021 enrollment numbers, summer camps are expecting a more than full recovery in 2022 and are bracing for record, or near-record, turnout.

Summer Camp Preparations for Minor Children

After two years of distance learning, excessive screen time, and time away from peers, summer camp may be the antidote to lingering psychosocial pandemic effects.

Parents who passed on summer camp for the last couple of years, or who are planning to send their kids to camp for the first time, may need a little help with their summer camp checklist. In addition to items such as sunscreen, swimsuits, and extra socks, parents should fill out the necessary paperwork to ensure that their child gets the care they need while away from home.

Appointing a Temporary Guardian

In many states, a temporary legal guardianship allows an appointed individual to make most decisions (including medical decisions) on your minor child’s behalf. The guardianship is for a fixed period of time (up to a year, depending on the state) and can usually be terminated at any time (i.e., when camp is over and the child returns home). Other states have a specific power of attorney for a child’s medical decisions because parental consent is typically required before medical care can be provided to a minor. Although in many states there are exceptions to this general rule, parents may want to have a backup plan in case their child has a medical emergency at camp.

Appointing a guardian may not be necessary if the camp is close to home and you can respond quickly in an emergency. But if the camp is farther away from home (or you will be traveling or otherwise unavailable) and near trusted family or friends who can step in for you and authorize medical care, a temporary guardianship can be useful. Instead of appointing a temporary guardian or executing a power of attorney, you may also be able to give the camp permission to authorize emergency medical care. However, if the camp’s paperwork limits the scope of its authorization or liability, a temporary guardianship or power of attorney may dispel any doubts you may have about gaps in your minor child’s care.

Updating Contact Information

Whom should the camp contact if something goes wrong? Presumably, you are your child’s primary contact. But if you live far away and are not able to be there immediately in an emergency, you may not be the best first point of contact. Or there could be a situation where the camp cannot get in touch with you right away, such as if you are traveling, working and unable to get away, having a medical procedure, or for another reason.

Emergency contacts are people other than the parents whom the camp can reach out to when something goes wrong. The emergency contact form may allow you to authorize the same people to pick up your child from camp, which makes it logical to choose a contact who lives close to the camp (or at least closer than you). Pick a trustworthy and dependable proxy, and to avoid confusion or surprise, tell your child who the emergency contact is.

Medications

Taking medication is one aspect of home and school life that will continue at summer camp. However, summer camp medication management often requires planning ahead to comply with laws and regulations.

Camp practices surrounding medication are governed at the state level. Depending on where the camp is located, it may have some latitude regarding how it oversees and dispenses medications. The camp’s specific policies about medication management should be spelled out in writing.

If your child takes prescription medicine, you will probably have to sign a permission and waiver form that allows the camp to dispense it. It is normal for these forms to gather information about the medication’s name, dosage, and dispensing instructions.

Other Considerations for Campers Age Eighteen or Older

When planning for a minor child who is headed off to camp, most of the legal legwork falls on the parents. The situation is different for campers age eighteen or older. Although they may still be living at home, an eighteen-year-old is legally an adult. Therefore, they require their own estate planning documents.

All young adults should have a basic estate plan in place, even if they have little or no money or property. If your legal adult child does not have an estate plan, now is a good time to put together the following documents before they head off to camp for the summer:

  • Medical power of attorney: A power of attorney grants another person the legal authority to act on the signer’s behalf. In the case of a medical power of attorney, someone (the agent, surrogate, proxy, or attorney-in-fact) is allowed to make medical decisions on behalf of the principal (the person granting the power of attorney). The principal can revoke a power of attorney at any time.
  • Advance directive or living will: Injuries are quite uncommon at summer camp, and serious injuries are even rarer. But whether at camp or while traveling between camp and home, there is the possibility—however remote—that a camper could become so badly hurt that end-of-life decisions, such as tube feeding, mechanical ventilation, and resuscitation, will need to be made. A living will is a legal document that spells out a patient’s preferences with respect to end-of-life decisions if the patient is unable to communicate their preferences.
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act authorization form: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) created national standards for disclosing patient health information. Under the HIPAA privacy rule, parents have access to the medical records of their minor children. But after the child turns eighteen, parents no longer have automatic access. By signing a HIPAA authorization form, a person older than eighteen can give their parents (or anyone else) legal permission to access their protected healthcare information, allowing authorized individuals to communicate with a healthcare provider about the patient’s care, condition, and treatment, but not make medical decisions.
  • Financial power of attorney: As with a medical power of attorney, a financial power of attorney gives someone (an agent or attorney-in-fact) the legal authority to act on another person’s behalf. A financial power of attorney may be limited to tasks such as cashing checks, paying bills, and making bank deposits. Although more financial transactions are done online these days, if the child does not have access to the internet or a device at camp, they may need somebody else to temporarily handle their finances.

We hope your child’s stay at summer camp goes off without a hitch. But in case something unexpected happens, a bit of advance planning can go a long way and provide much reassurance.

The parents of minor children hold all the cards when it comes to legal permissions. Children age eighteen or older must take a more active role in their summer camp preparation. If you or your child have camp-related legal questions, our estate planning attorneys are here to help. Contact our office to set up an appointment.

[1] CNBC, Coronavirus Forced 62% of Summer Camps to Close This Year and Early Estimates Predict the Industry Will Take a $16 Billion Revenue Hit, Make It (Jul. 3, 2020, 9:30 AM), https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/03/coronavirus-forced-62-percent-of-summer-camps-to-close-this-year.html.

No Contribution Is Too Small

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Most American strive to earn a decent-sized paycheck to support themselves and their families when they go to work. Stay-at-home parents, however, work to provide valuable nonfinancial contributions to their families everyday. They make sure that the home runs smoothly and that their family members have what they need to be successful and happy. If something were to happen to the stay-at-home parent, how would the family’s needs be met?

Considerations

Traditionally, the stay-at-home parent is responsible for

  • childcare;
  • cleaning and maintaining the home;
  • driving family members to activities;
  • preparing meals; 
  • purchasing clothes, personal items, and household supplies for the family; and
  • managing the household’s administrative needs (e.g., scheduling appointments, planning events, coordinating family schedules).

While many of these tasks and responsibilities may be overlooked or underappreciated on a day-to-day basis, have you considered how much money or time you would need to complete them if the stay-at-home parent were no longer able to? The employed parent would need an additional source of income to outsource the tasks or would have to take time away from their job or free time to complete the tasks.

Multifaceted Approach to Protecting Your Family

We believe that, for you and your family to be properly protected with comprehensive financial and estate plans, it takes a team. First, you need to quantify the cost of the services provided by the stay-at-home-parent so you know how much money or time performing these tasks will take. A financial advisor can assist you with making sure that these numbers are accurate. They can also help you determine if the employed parent should make larger contributions to their retirement account or contribute to a spousal individual retirement account for the stay-at-home parent.

Then, after you understand what it would cost to replace the stay-at-home parent’s efforts, it is important that you meet with an insurance agent who can counsel you on the right amount and kind of insurance that you need to obtain. When thinking about estate planning, many people think of using life insurance solely in the event of their death. However, it is also important to plan financially for what would happen if the stay-at-home parent were to become disabled or incapacitated, because they would likely be unable to complete the same tasks as they did before. You may be able to do this type of planning by obtaining disability insurance.

It may also be a good idea to meet with your certified public accountant or tax preparer to make sure that you are claiming the right credits and deductions and noting the right expenses on your annual income tax returns to maximize your family’s single income. 

Additional Planning Considerations

In addition to the above-mentioned items, a properly drafted estate plan can ensure that your money and property are protected and used in a way that matches your ultimate wishes. If you have not created an estate plan, the state’s default plan will take effect upon your death. Although the laws in each state vary, your money and property will generally go first to your surviving spouse and then to your

  • descendants (children and grandchildren);
  • parents;
  • siblings; and
  • siblings’ children (nieces and nephews)

in that order, depending on who survives you. The amount that each person receives also varies depending on your state’s law.

One thing that we focus on to protect families like yours is making sure that any life insurance proceeds are protected from your beneficiaries’ creditors and predators and are available to support the intended beneficiaries according to your wishes. One way to do this is to name a trust as the beneficiary of the life insurance policy. There are two different types of trusts that can protect life insurance proceeds.

  • Revocable living trust.A revocable living trust is one that you create during your lifetime, and you can change it until you die or become mentally unable to manage your affairs. In most cases, you are the trustee and continue to manage the money and property in the trust. In addition, you can continue to use the money and property during your lifetime. If you become unable to manage your financial affairs, a successor trustee that you previously selected can step in without court involvement and manage the trust on your behalf.

For individuals with accounts and property valued below the current lifetime estate tax exemption amount or who have already set up a trust, naming a revocable living trust as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy can be a useful option. Naming the revocable living trust as the beneficiary ensures that, at your death, the policy’s death benefit will be paid to the trust to be used by or for the trust beneficiaries’ benefit according to the instructions already in the trust agreement. Because the trustee must follow the trust’s instructions, we can design a plan to better protect this money from your beneficiaries’ creditors, divorcing spouses, or other undesirable people. 

  • Irrevocable life insurance trust.An irrevocable life insurance trust is an added layer of protection because it can both own the life insurance policy and be named as the beneficiary. You can create an irrevocable life insurance trust either by transferring ownership of an existing policy to the trust or by the trust purchasing a new policy. Using your annual gift tax exclusion, you make cash gifts to the trust to pay the insurance premiums. Upon your death, the trust receives the death benefit and the trustee distributes the money according to the instructions in the trust document. If you have accounts and property valued close to or above the current lifetime estate tax exemption amount, this strategy allows you to remove the value of the life insurance policy and the death benefit from your taxable estate, potentially saving your loved ones money on estate tax.

Choosing a Guardian for Minor Children

We can also help you name a guardian for your minor children. If the other legal parent is still alive and able to care for the minor children, they can continue to provide care or assume caregiver responsibilities. It is also a good idea to plan for what would happen if both legal parents were unable to care for the children, just in case. Although you can name a guardian (and multiple backup guardians) for a minor child in a last will and testament, this document does not become effective until you die. Therefore, you should also name a guardian (and multiple backup guardians) to care for your minor children if both parents were to be alive but unable to provide care, in a separate writing that meets state law requirements. If you do not proactively and legally establish your choice for your minor children’s guardian, a judge will make the decision for you. The judge will refer to state law regarding which relative would be first in line to be responsible for the children’s care and custody. This person may or may not be the one you would have chosen. The law gives preference to family members, but the court does not have the time or resources to learn everything you know about these people before deciding on a suitable guardian. Choosing a guardian and a couple of backup guardians in writing gives you a voice in the proceeding.

Protecting families is our passion. We welcome the opportunity to work with you to help protect you and your family. Call us to schedule your appointment, or visit our website to learn more about our firm and process.

Do It Now: Name a Guardian for Your Minor Child(ren)

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We know it’s hard. Thinking about someone else raising your children stops us all in our tracks. It feels crushing and too horrific to consider. But you must. If you don’t, a stranger will determine who raises your children if something happens to you – your child’s guardian could be a relative you despise or even a stranger you’ve never met.

No one will ever be you or parent exactly like you, but there is someone who could muddle through and provide for your children’s general welfare, education, and medical needs. Parents with minor children need to name someone to raise them (a guardian) in the event both parents should die before the child becomes an adult. While the likelihood of that actually happening is slim, the consequences of not naming a guardian are more than intense.

If no guardian is named in your will, a judge – a stranger who does not know you, your child, or your relatives and friends – will decide who will raise your child. Anyone can ask to be considered, and the judge will select the person she deems most appropriate. Families tend to fight over children, especially if there’s money involved – and worse – no one may be willing to take your child; if that happens, the judge will place your child in foster care. On the other hand, if you name a guardian, the judge will likely support your choice.

How to Choose a Guardian

Your child’s guardian can be a relative or friend. Here are factors our clients have considered when selecting guardians (and back up guardians).

  • ●How well the child and potential guardian know and enjoy each other
  • ●Parenting style, moral values, educational level, health practices, religious/spiritual beliefs
  • ●Location – if the guardian lives far away, your child would have to move from a familiar schol, friends, and neighborhood
  • ●The child’s age and the age and health of the guardian-candidates:
    • ○Grandparents may have the time, and they may or may not have the energy to keep up with a toddler or teenager.
    • ○An older guardian may become ill and/or even die before the child is grown, so there would be a double loss.
    • ○A younger guardian, especially a sibling, may be concentrating on finishing college or starting a career.
  • ●Emotional preparedness:
    • ○Someone who is single or who doesn’t want children may resent having to care for your children.
    • ○Someone with a houseful of their own children may or may not want more around.

WARNING: Serving as guardian and raising your child is a big deal; don’t spring such a responsibility on anyone. Ask your top candidates if they would be willing to serve, and name at least one alternate in case the first choice becomes unable to serve.

Who’s in Charge of the Money

Raising your child should not be a financial burden for the guardian, and a candidate’s lack of finances should not be the deciding factor. You will need to provide enough money (from assets and/or life insurance) to provide for your child. Some parents also earmark funds to help the guardian buy a larger car or add onto their existing home, so there’s plenty of room for extra children.

Factors to consider:

  • ●Naming a separate person to handle this money can be a good idea. That person would be a guardian of the estate or a trustee, but not guardian of the children.
  • ●However, having the same person raise the child and handle the money can make things simpler because the guardian would not have to ask someone else for money.
  • ●But the best person to raise the child may not be the best person to handle the money and it may be tempting for them to use this money for their own purposes.

Compromise Will Likely be Necessary

Naming a guardian is a difficult decision for most parents. Keep in mind that this person will probably not raise your child because odds are that at least one parent will survive until the child is grown. By naming a guardian, however, you are being responsible and planning ahead for an unlikely, yet possible, situation. It’s important to realize that no one besides you will be the perfect parent for your child, so typically this means making compromises in some areas. Select the person you think will muddle through the best.

Let’s Continue this Conversation

We know it’s not easy, but don’t let that stop you. We’re happy to talk this through with you and legally document your wishes. Know that you can change your mind and select a different guardian anytime you’d like – and – the chances of needing the guardian named in your will is slim; but, you’re a parent and your job is to provide for and protect your children, so let’s do this – together. Call our office now for an appointment and we’ll get your children protected.

Avoid Living Probate: How to Keep Guardians and Conservators Out of Your Estate

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While most proactive individuals know the importance of having a well-rounded estate plan, it is typically considered as something that will take effect after they have passed away. But there are in fact many ways in which comprehensive estate planning can have a positive impact on your life while you are still around to reap the benefits.

Planning for Incapacity

Most people who reach old age come to a point at which they are no longer in a position to handle all of their affairs on their own. In many cases this incapacity is due to dementia or other cognitive impairments associated with the elderly. At that point, the decisions they’ve made with their estate planning attorney can have major repercussions on their lifestyle and the handling of their wealth.

Take Alex for example. Long before Alex retired from his long and successful career as an IT manager at a large corporation, he put a cursory estate plan in place with a will detailing who would get which of his assets upon his death. But, Alex didn’t update his plan as he aged. In his late seventies, he developed Alzheimer’s and it became unclear to his family how to proceed with his medical care and wealth management. Since Alex did not formally choose an individual to be in control of his affairs in the event of incapacity, it falls upon the court to appoint a guardian or conservator. Unfortunately, that’s where things get complicated.

What is guardianship?

Guardianship goes by a few other names, so it’s important to get familiar with various terms used to indicate similar and somewhat overlapping concepts. The other terms you may hear include “conservatorship,” “plenary guardianship,” and “living probate.”

It’s important to note that these terms are used in slightly different manners from state-to-state, with some states using “guardian” and “conservator” interchangeably. Others maintain the distinction of a guardian being a person who makes decisions about medical care and living arrangements, whereas a conservator makes decisions about property and assets. In either case, the guardian or conservator is essentially a substitute decision maker that’s authorized by the court to make decisions on behalf of the incapacitated person.

3 Reasons You Should Avoid It

In the process of living probate, the court tries to settle on solutions that will fit the incapacitated individual’s best interests. That being said, there is a much better way. Here are just a few of the reasons guardianship and conservatorship are not ideal fallbacks:

  1. Cost: To put it simply, living probate is expensive. The legal fees associated with court-appointed attorneys representing incapacitated individuals can chip away at their estates very quickly. Living probate also brings your affairs into the public sector.
  2. Privacy: Alex may not have wanted his family to have to experience the financial and emotional costs of his living probate court proceedings, but he may also have felt less than enthusiastic about his personal affairs being discussed in a public forum.
  3. Clarity: In addition to it being costly and a compromise of privacy, living probate is also full of guesswork. If Alex had assigned powers of attorney and established long-term care provisions in his estate plan, his affairs would be handled exactly as he wished in the event of his incapacity. When the court is involved, they usually apply default rules of state law, which means the legislature is essentially making some choices for you and your family.

How to Structure Your Estate Plan

So what does an individual like Alex need to do in order to avoid the chance of his family having to go through living probate? There are a few specific steps we can take to make in planning your estate to ensure your affairs never end up in a court-appointed guardian’s hands:

  • ●Powers of attorney: A complete estate plan includes named powers of attorney who will fulfill the roles of guardians and conservators in the event of your incapacity. The difference is that these individuals will be chosen by you rather than by the court. There are a number of different types of powers of attorney for specific purposes, such as a healthcare power of attorney or a general durable power of attorney, the latter of which controls the management of your finances.
  • ●Long-term care planning: Although you may never need long-term care, building a strategy for it into your estate plan will allow you to relax knowing that you’ll receive long-term care according to your wishes if that becomes necessary. This type of planning also helps protect the assets in your estate plan from being used up on medical expenses before going to your beneficiaries.

Avoiding guardianship and conservatorship through living probate is a relatively pain-free process if handled well ahead of time. Get in touch with us today to go over the parts of your estate plan that may need amending to give you and your family the best possible outcomes. We are here to help and can quickly get your estate plan in optimal shape. 

Got Stuff? George Carlin Says You Need An Estate Plan!

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Got Stuff? George Carlin Says You Need An Estate Plan!

George Carlin would have been a great pitchman for estate planning. You may remember his stand-up routine on “stuff.” We all have stuff, and we’re pretty particular about our stuff. We move it around with us, it’s hard for some of us to get rid of it, and some of us don’t like our stuff mixed up with other people’s stuff.

During your lifetime, you collect a lot of stuff, some of it valuable and some of it not. But because it’s your stuff, it means something to you. You already know you can’t take it with you when you die, so there has to be some way of distributing your stuff to other people.

Normally, you want your stuff to go to people you care about… your family and special friends, sometimes a worthwhile cause. And you may want certain people to have certain things to remember you by.

Document Instructions for Your Stuff

When you die, all your stuff, no matter how valuable or invaluable it is, is called your “estate.” In the simplest terms, an “estate plan” is your instructions for getting your stuff to the people you want to have it after you die.

Important Legal Mumbo Jumbo

An estate plan must meet certain legal requirements, including that it must be written down, it must be signed by you, and it must be witnessed by other people who see you sign it. Your estate plan may be very simple, or it may be more complex, depending on how much stuff you have, how long you want your stuff to provide for the people you care about, and when you want them to actually get your stuff. For example, you’d probably want to wait a few years before that cute two-year-old receives grandpa’s antique pocket watch.

How Do You Get an Estate Plan?

You decide who you want to get your stuff and when you want them to get it. Your attorney then puts your instructions into a legal document called a will or trust. (There are distinct advantages to using a trust, but we’ll save that discussion for another time.) Also, while you can legally write your own, you have a much better chance of your estate plan working if you have an experienced attorney do it for you. To be frank, laypersons mess it up all of the time.

What Happens if I Just Don’t Get Around to It?

What if you die and you don’t have an estate plan? Well, there still has to be a way to get your stuff to other people, so the state in which you live has a plan waiting if you don’t have one. The only problem is that you won’t have any say in who gets your stuff, and someone might get left out – and – your stuff may go to a stranger – some “heir at law” that you don’t even know.

Example 1: If more than one of your relatives want the same part of your stuff, that can get messy and expensive… and a lot of your stuff will be used to pay the courts and attorneys to sort it all out. (Happens all the time.)

Example 2: If you’re not married and you want your significant other to get some of your stuff when you die, you’d better get your plan in place, or it just won’t happen. Under the state’s plan, your stuff will go to your blood relatives. Period.

Example 3: If you’re married and you’ve got kids, don’t be too sure that your spouse is going to get all your stuff. Your kids will probably get their share of your stuff, which means your spouse may not get enough of your stuff to live on.

By the way, if your stuff includes kids, then you’ve really got to get a plan. Otherwise, the court will decide who will raise them if something happens to both parents.

Scary thoughts? You bet!

The Bottom Line

If you’re responsible enough to have your own stuff, you need to be responsible for making sure what will happen to it after you’re gone. Let’s make sure you do it right; call the office now and we’ll help you translate your plans for your stuff into a legally binding document.

5 Things Every New Mother Needs to Know About Wills

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As a new mother, you naturally want to ensure your new baby’s future in every way. For many new mothers, infancy is a time for celebrating new life, and making a will is the last thing on their minds. For others, the process of bringing new life into the world sparks intense feelings of wanting control and needing organization. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, you might be struggling to figure out what steps you need to take to protect your children’s future should the unthinkable happen. Here are five key things every new mother should know about wills.

1. Naming a guardian could be the most important part of your will.

If you pass away while your child is a minor, the first issue to be addressed is who will assume responsibility for your child’s care. If you don’t name a guardian for your child in the will, the courts may decide this question for you, and the guardian might not be the person you would choose. Selecting a trusted guardian is in many ways more important at this stage than deciding about how to pass any assets you own.

2. Name an executor you trust.

To ensure your child does receive all that you have allocated when she comes of age, choose a trustworthy executor. Many people choose a family member, but it’s just as acceptable to appoint a trusted attorney to handle your estate. Typically, an attorney has no emotional attachment to the family, which might seem bad, but usually results in less potential conflict.

3. Named beneficiaries on your financial accounts may override the will.

Many accounts allow you to name a beneficiary. When you pass away, the funds go to the beneficiary named on the account, even if your will states otherwise. If you’re creating a will with your child in mind (or adding the child to an existing will), you should review your investment and bank accounts with your financial advisor to make sure there are no inconsistencies when naming beneficiaries. It’s also a good time to check retirement account and life insurance beneficiary designations with your financial advisor and your attorney.

4. A will is not always the right document for your goals.

When naming your child as a beneficiary, a will only goes into effect after you die. If your will leaves property outright to a minor child, the court will step in and hold the assets until your child turns 18. Most 18 year olds lack the maturity to handle even a modest estate, so we don’t recommend outright inheritance for minor children.

A trust, on the other hand, goes into effect when you create it and can provide structure to manage the assets you leave behind for the benefit of your child. An experienced estate planning attorney can advise you on the best option for your family and your circumstances.

5. In the absence of clearly stated intentions, the state steps in.

Think of a will, trust and other estate planning documents as an instruction manual for your executor and the courts to follow. You must be clear and consistent in your stated intentions regarding your child, as well as for others. If you’re not clear or if you don’t leave any instructions at all, the probate courts will step in and follow the government’s plan, which can lead to long delays and is probably not the plan you would have selected for your child and family.

Providing for your baby’s long-term welfare may start with just a simple will, but to be fully protected, you probably need more. That’s why it’s important to talk with a competent estate planning attorney to make sure you have the right plans in place to fulfill your goals. We’re here to help! Contact us today to talk about your options to protect your new baby.