During her pregnancy, Khloé spent lots of time with her other sister, Kimberly, and her family. Watching her interact with her own kids, Khloé really connected with Kim’s mothering style and pondered if she might be a better choice as guardian.

“I always thought Kourtney would be the godparent of my child, but lately I’ve been watching Kim, and she’s been someone I really gravitate to as a mom,” said Khloé.

To make things more challenging, Kourtney always assumed she’d be named guardian and said as much. Over the years, Khloé had lots of fun times with Kourtney’s family and Kourtney thought her own passion for motherhood would make her the natural choice.

For guidance, Khloé asked her mother, Kris Jenner, how she chose her kids’ guardians. Kris’ answer was to compare how her two sisters raised their own children.

“You just have to think,” Kris told her, “‘Where would I want my child raised, in which environment? Who would I feel like my baby is going to be most comfortable and most loved?’”

In the end, Khloé chose Kim. She explained her decision had nothing to do with her respect or love for Kourtney; it was merely about which style of parenting with which she felt most comfortable.

“Watching Kimberly be a mom, I really respect her parenting skills – not that I don’t respect Kourtney’s, I just relate to how Kim parents more,” said Khloé.

Lessons learned

Khloé’s actions are admirable for several reasons. First off, far too many parents never get around to legally naming a guardian to care for their children in the event of their death or incapacity. Khloé not only made her choice, but she did so before the child was even born.

Khloé also took the time to speak and spend time with her sisters beforehand, so the family understood the rationale behind her decision. Khloé was lucky her choices were close family members, so she had ample opportunity to experience both of their parenting styles.

Depending on your life situation, you might not be able to spend that much time vetting your choice. But at the very least, you should sit down with each of your top candidates to openly discuss what you’d expect of them as your child’s new parents.

Furthermore, with multiple family members vying for the guardian role, Khloé’s quick action may have prevented a potential nightmare. If she’d delayed naming a guardian and something happened to her, Kourtney, Kim, and even other family members could’ve gone to court seeking guardianship of True.

This could have led to years of contentious legal battles that potentially could cost the family huge sums of money and impose incalculable hardship on the children. Even if you think something like this would never happen to your family, why take the risk, especially when its so easy to avoid?

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While the Kardashians are wealthy and famous, you too can provide the exact same level of protection for your kids, even with minimal financial resources. It is imperative as soon as it is physically possible to choose someone who will step in to raise your children if you cannot. You must also legally document your choice and make sure the individual you have selected knows what to do if they are called upon.

NORELL ALBANIS is an estate planning attorney, and can be reached at 239-314-2353 or by visiting albanislaw.com.

The post One Instance Where ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ Might Be A Good Idea appeared first on SWFL Family.

But here’s the thing … if you have children, or anyone else you care about, you may not have an “estate”, but you do need estate planning if you want to ensure your loved ones wouldn’t be stuck in court and/or conflict, if anything happens to you.

Here are a few important estate-planning issues for young couples to consider as soon as they start a family.

Care and custody of your children

If you die or become incapacitated before your children reach 18, they will need a legal guardian. To ensure your children are only ever in the care of people you want and choose, you need to name both temporary and long-term guardians for your children.

What if the long-term guardians you have named are not local? If something happens to you and your child is home with a babysitter, or at school, you want to also name local friends or family who would immediately be able to be called upon by authorities.

And you need to legally document your guardian choices. Many people mistakenly believe that identifying friends or family as the “godparent” of their child is enough – it’s not. Further, naming just one person or a couple won’t cover it either. Name at least three options, in case back-ups are needed.

It’s also wise to name guardians not just in your will, but also in a standalone document that is easily accessible for authorities. Your children’s babysitters and temporary guardians should have legal documentation on hand to step in and make immediate, short-term decisions for your little ones.

Your children’s inheritance

Remember, when you die, the assets left to your minor children will need to be managed by someone at least until they turn 18. If no one is identified for this task, the court steps in and may appoint “professionals” to take over the role, which could deplete much of your children’s inheritance. And, it’s totally unnecessary. With just a bit of prior planning, you can keep your loved ones out of the court system and give total control to the people you know, love, and trust.

Who makes decisions for you?

Finally, no matter what your age is, or how big or small your assets are, you should put in place the documentation that appoints the people you would want making decisions for you, if you cannot make your own decisions. Many people think of estate planning as planning strictly for death, but you also need to think about what would happen if you lacked capacity to communicate your wishes.

Without a Durable Power of Attorney, who would take care of your financial affairs if you couldn’t manage them yourself? Without Advance Healthcare Directives, who would make tough medical decisions on your behalf? And how would they know what your wishes would be? Once again, the focus here is on keeping the people you love out of court during what would be a hugely stressful time for them.

Estate planning is a key part of growing up, and showing up for the people you love. So, yes, you may be a young family, but once you’ve become a family, you’re not too young to plan well to make things as easy as possible for the people you love.

Norell Albanis, Esq. is an estate planning attorney in Naples, Florida.

The post Is Your Family Too Young to Need an Estate Plan? appeared first on SWFL Family.