One of the most essential documents you’ll ever make throughout your life is your will, and this is never more important than when it comes to your family. When your time comes, it’s critical to make sure your assets are being distributed in the right way and to the right people, especially when your children are involved.
We’re sure you want to give your children the earnings and benefits of your life to help them make the most of theirs. However, you need to make sure you’re doing this in the right way and minimizes the risk of problems and issues down the line, or even jeopardize your children getting their inheritance at all.
There are several things you’ll need to know to get the best results, four of which we’re going to explore today. Remember these when organizing and creating your will and you can be sure everyone in your family will have the best experience during one of the hardest times; helping to make things a little easier.
It’s always worth remembering that a legal process like will writing can be quite complicated. While you may be perfectly capable of doing it on your own, it will always take some of the stress out of it if you’re able to talk to a professional along the way. Legal firms like Casey & Associates can take the stress and pressure out of writing your will, though it’s still worth getting to grips with what needs to be included in this document.
- Naming a Guardian
The first thing you need to do is name a guardian who is going to look after your child, especially if they’re underage in your country and not legally an adult. This is typically around the 18 years old mark. This is so important because this is the person or family who will be looking after your children.
If you don’t name a legal guardian, things can get very complicated with parties like social services having to get involved. After you’ve passed, you don’t want to make things even more complex for your children; so name a guardian to make things easier for everyone. Be sure to talk to this guardian first.
2. Use a Financial Test
Sometimes, you might be in a position where you want to give your children their inheritance, but there are many concerns parents may have when it comes to actually giving your children that money. This is where a financial test comes into play.
With a test, you can see how your children will spend the money they’re giving and then you can see how to provide them with their inheritance which best suits them. Whether you want to give them a lump sum, or you’d instead give them monthly installments, so they don’t blow it all in Vegas.
3. Start Using and Set Up Trusts
Trusts are one of the best ways to keep your inheritance assets save and to ensure your children can access their inheritance safely. With a trust, you’ll be able to appoint your children and anybody else in your family or other loved ones to be trustees who can then access these assets.
With regards to your children, it’s best to set up a trust per child and then give them access to their own trust and not each other’s, while making sure everything is kept fair and how you want it. This is also important to think about for lots of reasons, especially if you have an IRA from a parent you want to give away, or money or assets from a business.
4. Don’t Forget Inheritance Tax
Inheritance tax is unavoidable, and you’ll need to consider this when writing your will. You don’t want to give your children a large payout of assets only to find they’ve been heavily taxed and left in an even more stressful situation. The rules of this will depend on your individual State or Country.
You will need to talk to a professional will service who will be able to talk you through the details of your individual situation, and how it will affect your children, so make sure you’re booking an appointment to talk through everything, so everyone is clear.
Summary
As you can see, there are several things you’re going to want to think about when it comes to organizing your child’s inheritance and sorting out your wills. The more you can be prepared, the easiest the legal side of the process will be for the ones you love; the importance of which can never be understated.
