One of your most important duties as a parent is to select and legally document guardians for your children. This doesn’t mean automatically naming godparents or trusting that the grandparents will step in if necessary, assuming they will even be young and healthy enough to do so. As a responsible parent, you need to carefully consider and decide who would be the best people to raise your children if you could not. Read More
A Little Tough Love: You Need to Select Guardians for your Kids, or Someone Else WILL.
Ok, let’s get right down to it, and talk about the reason you’re reading this article: your children. What would happen to your children if something happened to you? Do you know? Do you really know? It’s been my personal mission- and our firm’s driving force- to make sure that every child in the Commonwealth is protected, should the unexpected occur, and that parents have all the knowledge and tools needed to Read More
A ‘Friends’ Thanksgiving: Talking About Guardians
It has been a long time since David and I tuned in to ‘Friends’ to watch the antics of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe. But our oldest daughter, Hannah, recently came home from college with Mono. After the initial concerns, questions, blood tests and actual diagnosis, we settled in to a new routine which quickly let to binge-watching ‘Friends.' To our surprise, Season 8, Episode 9 was about estate Read More
The Dangers of Legal DIY: When Something is NOT Better Than Nothing
Go online, and you’ll find tons of websites offering do-it-yourself estate planning documents. Such forms are typically quite inexpensive. Simple wills, for example, are often priced under $50, and you can complete and print them out in a matter of minutes. In our uber-busy lives and DIY culture, it’s no surprise that this kind of thing might seem like a good deal. You know estate planning is important, and even Read More
Frequently Asked Estate Planning Questions- National Estate Planning Awareness Week
I hope you've enjoyed reading and learning about estate planning during National Estate Planning Awareness Week. We believe that knowledge is powerful and being prepared is liberating- and we appreciate you, area parents, for partnering with us in our mission to educate families - especially young families - about the importance of planning. To wrap up the week, I'd like to take a moment to summarize everything Read More
What is Your “Plan C?” Reflecting on Schoharie
It’s not an easy discussion. But, we have a responsibility to have it. In fact, I believe that one of my most solemn duties as a parent is to make sure that my children are protected, always. Even in the event of my death. As an the Client Services Director of an estate planning law firm, it is also my responsibility to educate parents about planning for the worst, while they are young and healthy. Even if Read More
Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary Helping Parents Protect The People They Love The Most
Acton, MA - September 18, 2018 - The Parents Estate Planning Law Firm, a boutique estate planning law firm based in Acton, announced its 20th anniversary this week. Originally founded in 1998 by Attorney David Feakes as Feakes Associates, The Parents Estate Planning Law Firm offers estate planning services exclusively, with a special focus on working with families with young children. “As a Dad myself, I believe Read More
5 Common Estate Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Since estate planning involves thinking about death, many people put it off until their senior years, or simply ignore it all together, until it becomes too late. This kind of unwillingness to face reality can create major hardship, expense, and mess for the loved ones you leave behind. While not having any estate plan is the biggest blunder you can make, even those who do create a plan can run into trouble if they Read More
Naming Guardians for your Children: The Six Steps to Do it Right – Part 2
One of your most important responsibilities you have as a parent is to select and legally document guardians for your children. This doesn’t mean naming godparents, or just trusting the grandparents will step in if necessary. It means consciously deciding who would raise your children if you cannot, and then legally documenting your choices. (Making sure the people you’ve chosen know what to do if they’re ever called Read More
Naming Guardians for your Children: The 6 Steps to Do It Right—Part 1
One of your most important responsibilities as a parent is to select and legally document guardians for your children. This doesn’t mean just naming godparents or trusting the grandparents will step in if necessary. It means consciously deciding who would raise your children if you cannot. And then it means legally documenting your choices and making sure the people you’ve chosen know what to do if they’re ever Read More
