Who will raise your children after your death?

Nominating guardians in your will is essential to ensuring that if the worst happens, the people you trust and love are raising your loved ones.  Guardians oversee the general welfare of their wards.  They may choose their education, make health care and financial decisions and manage the child’s residency and day-to-day activities.

But choosing a guardian is not a decision that should be made once and forgotten.

A will usually has a lifetime of 5 to 7 years before it should be reviewed.  A will should also be updated after every significant life event.  It is imperative that the guardianship is reviewed at this time, especially if you drafted your will when your children were very young.

Nominated guardians will have aged, may have relocated or even passed away.  They may have re-married, had (more) children of their own, suffered a loss…  There are many reasons you might have to re-assess the guardians you nominate.

You should always have a back up for every person named in your will and this is especially true of the role of guardian.

US Comedian Carol Burnett recently became a guardian for her grandson, at the age of 87.  Whilst this was actually an elective process for this family, what is the right solution for the worst when you drafted your will, may change over time.  Grandparents could be the right choice for your children, if they are retired and financially independent – they raised you!  But make sure that if they are no longer the right choice, you update your will.

If you need to nominate guardians for your children, contact us now.