Ohioans: Don't Forget to Draft a Family-Focused Estate Plan Before Spring Break!

Spring Break is fast approaching for many school districts here in Central Ohio. Planning the perfect getaway with your family is likely high on your agenda. Amid the excitement of booking flights, reserving hotels, and arranging thrilling activities, one crucial aspect of travel planning is often forgotten: preparing a Kids Protection PlanⓇ to ensure the safety and care of your children should an unexpected event occur. Albeit an unwelcome thought, if something happens to you on vacation, you'll want to get a plan together for your children. Proper protection allows for a stress-free trip where making cherished memories is the highlight.

The Unseen Dangers of Travelling Without an Estate Protection Plan in Place

The thrill of vacation planning often overshadows the potential risks associated with travel.

But consider this scenario: you become incapacitated due to an unforeseen accident while traveling - perhaps you get hit by a car in a bustling city or are involved in a boating accident. What happens to your children in those critical first hours or days? If you aren't able to communicate, your children could be placed in the care of social services until authorities can determine a temporary guardian. What if your child is hurt in the accident with you and you can't authorize their medical care? Catastrophic events can, and do, happen.

These issues can be even more complicated when traveling internationally due to different laws regarding child custody and emergency care. Without explicit legal documentation outlining temporary guardians, your children may face distress while authorities tackle bureaucratic hassles. Domestic travel also presents challenges regarding out-of-state guardianship arrangements without proper documents in place.

Key Elements of A Kids Protection Plan While Travelling

A comprehensive Kids Protection Plan, crafted as part of our Life & Legacy PlanningⓇ process, provides immediate access to crucial legal documentation and instructions should an emergency situation arise. At DuPont and Blumenstiel, we provide you with physical and digital copies of these documents through a special software called EverPlans. You can even share these documents with trusted family members and loved ones. Your Kids Protection Plan may include designating temporary guardians, detailing your children's medical needs, allergies, medications, and daily routines, along with several other key components.

With our comprehensive Kids Protection Plan, we also consider scenarios often overlooked by parents. First, you may choose to receive ID cards that list emergency contacts that can care for your children in your absence. Second, we’ll create medical power of attorney forms that allow designated caregivers to authorize treatment for your kids if medical care if needed. Third, your plan will include temporary guardianship documentation so your kids are never taken into the care of strangers, while the authorities locate the long-term guardians for your children. Finally, if there is anyone you would never want raising your children, we document that (confidentially), too. 

Our Estate Plans go beyond the basics – they include information about your children's daily lives, favorite foods, bedtime routines, and comfort items to help caregivers maintain normalcy during stressful situations.  You can also include passwords for electronic devices, social media accounts, and educational platforms your children might need to access.

How to Prepare Your Estate Before You Travel

Before embarking on your Spring Break adventure, schedule a session with us to consider potential issues and make informed decisions for your children's well-being.

We’ll start by carefully selecting both local and long-distance temporary guardians who can respond quickly in an emergency, considering factors like their proximity to your vacation destination, their ability to travel on short notice, and their familiarity with your children's needs.

Then, we’ll support you in creating an emergency response plan that outlines exactly what should happen in various scenarios. This includes who should be contacted, in what order, and what immediate actions they should take. We'll be here at home to support your trusted loved ones should they need it.

Making these arrangements isn't about dwelling on worst-case scenarios – it's about creating peace of mind so you can fully enjoy your vacation. Think of it as travel insurance for your children's wellbeing - something you hope you'll never need but will be incredibly grateful to have if an emergency arises.

Your Next Step Toward Peace of Mind: Create Your Life & Legacy Plan

As your Personal Family LawyerⓇ affiliated family, we help our clients establish comprehensive Estate Plans, including Kids Protection Plans. We have Central Ohio families ensure their children are protected, regardless of where their travels take them.

Start today by booking a Life & Legacy Planning Session. Just call our office at 614-389-9711.

Estate Planning Attorney, Gregory S. DuPont, JD, CFP

After I graduated from law school in 1992, I focused on estate planning and probate. As a former accounting major, the detailed financial component was a perfect fit. Beyond that, I was able to counsel my clients, help solve their problems, and serve their needs — everything I originally set out to do. It wasn’t until years later that I realized I could do more, provide more, and be more for my clients.

Back in my early years, I was working on a case that involved a trust dispute. While representing the family in a deposition it struck me that the family was ultimately burning through at least $1,500 an hour paying for all of the counsel in the room. I realized that the entire situation could’ve been prevented with proper planning, if the family just had an advisor they trusted. Although my team and I were meeting a need by helping them settle their conflict, we weren’t addressing the real issue, which was how the problem arose in the first place. I didn’t want to simply capitalize on unfortunate situations — I wanted to safeguard them from happening in the first place. So, I made a change. 

I took a few years off from growing my law practice to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). My hope was that a broader understanding of the financial services industry and the tools of financial planning would allow me to better guide the clients at my own law firm. Thus, after gaining what I considered to be sufficient experience in the world of finance, I ultimately began to merge my financial planning, tax planning and legal practices together. Sometime later, after over 30 years in the legal industry, I decided to open a coaching business, Wealth Solutions Network, and bring my multidisciplinary knowledge to attorneys across the country. Through this network, my ultimate goal is to save a million families from excess taxation and risk before I turn 65.

I've had the pleasure of educating consumers, attorneys and financial advisors alike through regular speaking engagements and authoring multiple books.

I center my multiple businesses around education, guidance, and relationship-building. This comprehensive combination gives me the opportunity to more effectively serve both individuals and their families.

Today, my clients can give me a call and ask questions without worrying about the hourly billable factor. I describe myself as “a friend in the law". I find that this friendly approach benefits myself and my clients alike.

Outside of the office, you’ll hardly ever see me without my wife or daughter, and that’s perfectly okay with me. My clients and my family are all I need.