One of the primary concerns for families with minor children have with regard to their estate planning is the care, both personal and financial, of the minor children if both parents predecease the child before he or she reaches the age of majority. The appointment of a guardian (typically a relative or close friend) provides a level of comfort for parents who wish to be certain of who will take of their children if they are no longer around.

Relying on a guardianship appointment alone may not sufficiently protect your child from certain financial problems that are common with children who receive large sums of money at an early age. In New York, a child reaches the age of majority at 18. Unless the child consents to the continuation or appointment of a guardian, all monies and property held for their benefit must be released to them directly. In rare circumstances, a child can petition the Surrogate’s Court prior to reaching 18 if the appointed guardian is not fulfilling his or her responsibilities or the court finds guardianship to not be in the child’s best interest.

It is rare to find an 18 year old with sufficient financial maturity to handle the administration, investment and maintenance of large sums of money. It is for this reason that I strongly advocate establishing trusts for children under both last will and testaments and under lifetime trusts. The benefits are substantial and clear: first, by continuing to have a fiduciary (rather than the child) as the responsible party for the assets, the value of the assets have a reduced chance of being wasted or used for frivolous or harmful purposes.   Second, by retaining the assets in a trust and not in a child’s name, the assets can be shielded from potential creditors of the child.

Finally, using a trust gives the donor of the assets-the testator under a will or a grantor of a trust-the ability to structure the distributions and usage of the assets to best accommodate their wishes and the needs of the children beneficiaries. The donor is typically a parent or close relative and may have a better understanding of a child’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to managing money.

There is no perfect solution that ensures that assets being inherited by or gifted to a child will not ultimately be wasted or abused. However, by relying on your own knowledge of a child rather than arbitrary deadlines, the chances of seeing the assets used for the intended purposes greatly increases.

Please contact info@levyestatelaw.com for more information.