Blog reader: Make a plan, make it legal - The Working Mom by Kay ...

Source: legaldocs101.com

The other day, I spent a couple of very enjoyable hours?sipping coffee and talking?with?Cristy Tackett-Hunt, who?says she?s passionate?about women?s advocacy issues and likes to read this blog (yay!!!).

Hunt ? a?working mom and estate-planning attorney at Snyder Park Nelson & Schwiebert law office in Rock Island ? wanted to visit with me, so I?could get a message to all of you.

First of all, this?is not a commercial for her. But she wants us all to know how important it is to file legal documents to prepare for what might happen if we die suddenly,?especially if we?re?leaving children behind.

Hunt said she?realizes this is something people might not want to think or talk about, but ?this is really important to women,? she said.

For most moms,?the urge to provide for our loved ones is ingrained?in?the very fiber of our being, so?how could we not prepare what might happen if we?re gone?

The first step, and maybe the most important step, is to designate a legal guardian for your children in the event that?you and their other parent were both to die. Who do you want to raise them in your absence?

It?s not good enough to just tell someone, ?I want you to take care of my kids if I die.? You?ve got to put it into a legal document, she said.

?If you have a child, you need to do this immediately,? she added. ?And if you don?t have a plan, you do ? and that?s to let the court decide that for you.?

Hunt also talked about why it?s important to get help preparing a comprehensive?estate?plan, which could?include financial trusts and other safeguards for your loved ones.

?Estate planning is not just for rich people,? she said. ?We all have people we want to take care of.?

If you were to die tomorrow, would you have a plan in place to designate who would take care of your kids? Did you know children can?t own property until they?re 18? Who would you trust that property with until they are old enough to take it over?

What if you and your child?s other parent both are injured in an accident, and can?t take care of the children temporarily. Who have you designated as their short-term guardian?

What about life insurance? Long-term care insurance?

Have you thought about any of this yet?

This entry was posted on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 11:56 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://workingmom.qctimes.com/?p=3959

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