Step 3: Leaving a Real Legacy – Who You Are & What’s Important to You

How We Guide You to Leave a Legacy That’s About Much More Than Just Your Money

After you are gone, your loved ones will miss you deeply. They will long for your words of counsel and concern. Hearing your voice again would be a tremendous gift.

Through our unique legacy process, you can give your loved ones the most precious gift – a lasting expression of your love. What could be more valuable?

At the Law Office of Spencer Ball, we believe estate planning is not just about transferring your financial assets and personal belongings. It’s also about capturing and transferring your  valuable intangible gifts: who you are and what’s important to you – your values, insights, stories and experience.

Several years ago, my dad died.  He had left me a voicemail message on my cell phone and for years after he died, I would listen to it when I missed him. Until the very bad day when it was accidently deleted.

How I wish I still had that voicemail message. Or even better, that I had a recording of my dad telling me what he loved about me, what his hopes for me were, what life lessons were most important to him, what values he most wanted for me, or even just saying my nickname that he had always called me.

When I was first in practice, I would tell my clients to record a message for their loved ones and put it in a safe place or simply write notes to their children letting them know how they felt about them.  But so few people ever actually did it. We just get so caught up with the day to day of our lives that focusing in on leaving a legacy seems to take a back seat.

So we realized we’d have to build this into our planning process and not make it just another thing you’ll get done someday. That’s what at our Law Office we make it part of our planning for every client to help you capture and pass on more than just your money: your intellectual, spiritual and human assets, who you are and what’s important to you.

For more information about how we help you pass on your most valuable assets – your values, insights, stories and experience  – to  your loved ones, or about our resources for leaving your family with a true legacy, please contact us.

WHAT WOULD IT BE WORTH?

Can you picture someone who’s passed away, someone you love and miss deeply?   Can you recall a conversation you had with them? Can you remember the sound of their voice and what they told you?  What if you could hear their voice again?

What if they could speak to you—heart to heart—and share their wisdom and advice?  What would it be worth to you to hear their words one more time?

What is it worth to you to know that they’ll always know exactly how much you love them?  It’s worth a lot to us and we are honored to be able to provide you and your family with this gift.

Planning for the Lifetime Care of Your Children

Having A Will Simply Does Not Ensure the Care of Your Kids If the Unthinkable Happens!

If you are a parent of children who are counting on you, your estate plan must begin with ensuring your children would always be taken care of by the people you want, in the way you want, no matter what happens.

At the Law Office of Spencer Ball, one of our areas of greatest expertise is in planning for the well-being and care of the children you love.

Without advance legal planning for the care of your children, if the unthinkable happens to you, here’s what could happen:

• Your children could be placed into the care of  Child Protective Services (yes, even if you have a will in place and even if you have a living trust) and, yes, it would very likely only be temporary, but trust me, you never want your children in the arms of strangers.  Not even for a minute.
• Your children could be put into the custody and care of someone you would never want, like that one family member who has good intentions, but you’d never want raising your kids.
• A judge who doesn’t know you, or your family, will decide who will raise your kids, even if it’s the last person you would ever want;
• Your family could get into a long, drawn out custody fight or there could be a challenge to the guardians you have designated;
• Up to 5% of the value of your assets could be lost to court costs and other unnecessary fees through the probate process, a court process that can tie up your assets for years and deprive your kids of the resources they need to live comfortably, which can totally be avoided with advance legal planning;
• When your kids turn 18, they get a check for whatever assets are left;
• There are unscrupulous people out there who make it their business to look at the public records to find out when 18 year olds are getting that inheritance check;
• The vast majority of estate planning attorneys do not address these issues, and do not plan from a parents perspective.

Yes, these things scare us too. That’s why we offer a Kids Protection Plan with every estate plan we do for families with young children.

What is a Kids Protection Plan®?

A Kids Protection Plan® is a set of instructions, legal documents and even an ID card for your wallet, which you need to have if you have kids at home who count on you for their well-being and care.

If you are in an accident, your Kids Protection Plan® will make sure your children are never taken into the custody of Child Protective Services or the care of anyone you wouldn’t want because the police don’t have clear instructions from you.  And your Kids Protection Plan® will ensure your children are raised by people you choose, not someone chosen by a Judge who doesn’t know you.

To get started with your Kids Protection Plan®, contact us.                                      Google Analytics Website Tracking UA-51406537-1