July 13, 2010
How family values factor into an Estate Plan
My girl friend recently tried to make homemade tomato sauce. I don’t mean opening a can of purée and adding some seasonings. I mean using tomatoes fresh off the vine from her back yard, boiling, peeling and cooking them. It is some chore, but when it is all said and done, it is mouth watering! My parents are Italian immigrants and when I was young we spent summers with family in Italy and part of the family cultural experience was spending a hot day burning our fingers from handling so many tomatoes. It didn’t seem like much fun then, but at the age of 40 it is a memory I have never forgotten; I think back on it fondly.
My parents have always raised us with their traditional values and beliefs. I have been blessed with healthy parents whom are still with me and able to enjoy my daughter and pass along the same traditions to her.
Typically when people think about estate planning they think about the basics: who gets what and how much. When clients leave my office they know differently. It is about more than money and “things”. It is about making certain that your children are continued to be raised with values, traditions and beliefs that, as parents, you want to see they are continued to be exposed to. It is about encouraging your children to succeed and continue to be exposed to religious education and family values.
We are not your typical estate planning law firm. We work with our clients to determine how to pass along values and traditions by discussing options; what will work best for their family. We explore guardian options and what specific concerns they may have.
As part of the plan, our clients are provided with a Guardian Letter. This is a letter from the natural parents to the guardian where the natural parent can express their feelings on how they would like their child raised. They can express their desire that they attend a certain church because maybe it has been a big part of their lives. In addition they can express their values regarding volunteering or learning to save or education. Leaving the guardian with guidance in their own words is invaluable not only to the guardian, but to the children. It is leaving a little piece of the past for the future.
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