Father’s Day and Estate Planning: The One Question Every Parent Needs to Answer
Fatherhood is filled with visible acts of love.
Coaching the team. Attending the school play. Helping with homework late into the evening. Being there when your child needs encouragement, guidance, or simply someone to listen.
Most fathers spend years showing up for their families in ways that matter deeply.
And most fathers have also thought, at least once, about what would happen if something happened to them.
Maybe it was during a long drive home. Maybe after hearing about a friend’s unexpected loss. Maybe while watching their children sleep.
The thought comes.
Then life gets busy again.
Father’s Day celebrates the dads who show up every day. But there’s another question every father eventually has to answer:
If something happened to you tonight, who would protect your children tomorrow?
If you haven’t answered that question in a legally enforceable way, this is where to start.
Why the Answer in Your Head Isn’t Enough
One of the first questions we ask parents during a Life & Legacy Planning® Session is:
Who would raise your children if you couldn’t?
Most parents answer immediately.
They know exactly who they would choose.
The problem is that the answer often exists only in conversations, assumptions, or informal understandings.
Without legal documentation, the people you would choose have no automatic authority.
If something happens, a court—not you—determines who will care for your children.
Family members who all love your children may have different ideas about what should happen. Even in close families, disagreements can arise during an emotional and stressful time.
The issue isn’t whether people care. The issue is whether your wishes have been clearly documented.
The bottom line: If you haven’t named guardians in writing, you haven’t fully answered the question yet.
The First 72 Hours Most Parents Never Think About
When parents think about guardianship, they usually focus on the long-term question:
Who would raise my children?
Far fewer think about the immediate question:
Who can legally step in today?
If both parents are hospitalized unexpectedly, who can:
Pick your children up from school?
Authorize medical treatment?
Access emergency information?
Make day-to-day decisions while things are being sorted out?
A will does not solve this problem.
Even if your will names guardians, that document generally doesn’t become effective immediately. There can be a gap between the emergency and the point at which legal authority is formally established.
That gap is exactly why we include a Kids Protection Plan® as part of our planning process for families with minor children.
A Kids Protection Plan allows you to:
Name short-term guardians
Name long-term guardians
Provide immediate authority for trusted caregivers
Reduce the risk of temporary placement with people you would not choose
The bottom line: Long-term guardianship matters. But what happens in the first few hours and days matters too.
The Part of the Plan Many Fathers Overlook
Guardianship is only one piece of the puzzle.
The other question is:
How will your children receive what you leave behind?
Without thoughtful planning:
Assets may be managed through court processes
Minor children may gain access to inheritances at an age you would never choose
Beneficiary designations may override your intentions
Probate may reduce privacy and increase costs
Most parents aren’t simply concerned about who gets what.
They care about:
When children receive assets
How those assets are protected
Whether those resources help their children thrive
A complete plan considers all of these questions.
The bottom line: A will is often an important starting point, but it is rarely the entire plan.
What You Can Do Right Now
If you have children, there is one question only you can answer:
Who would protect them if you couldn’t?
Without a plan, that decision may ultimately be made by a court.
With a plan, your wishes can guide what happens next.
At Starsia Law, we help families create Life & Legacy Plans® that go beyond documents. We take the time to understand your family, your concerns, and your goals so we can build a plan that works when your loved ones need it most.
That includes:
Naming guardians
Creating a Kids Protection Plan®
Coordinating beneficiary designations
Structuring inheritances thoughtfully
Providing ongoing guidance as life changes
Most importantly, we build a relationship with your family so there is someone to call when something happens and you can’t be there yourself.
Father’s Day is a celebration of showing up.
Planning ahead is one more way to do exactly that.
Schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call to learn how we can help you protect the people you love most.
This article is a service of Starsia Law, a Personal Family Lawyer® Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love.
The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer® firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.