Single with children
Single parents need a will more than anyone — and most don't have one.
Without a nominated guardian, the court decides who raises your kids. Without a trustee structure, a teenager could inherit a six-figure life-insurance payout outright.
What matters in your case
Get these four things right.
Guardian nomination is non-negotiable
If both legal parents are unavailable (you and any co-parent), the court chooses a guardian from interested relatives. Your nomination is given strong deference.
Don't leave money to a minor
An 18-year-old inheriting $300k of life insurance outright is a planning failure. Use a testamentary trust with a trustee and staggered distribution ages.
Consider the other parent's involvement
If there's a co-parent in the picture, the legal default is that they take over. If that's not what you want, document specifically and consult an attorney.
Healthcare proxy and HIPAA
Name someone who can make medical decisions for you. The court process for incapacity without a proxy can take weeks.
The longer answer
Single parents carry every estate-planning weight a married parent carries — without the safety net of a co-parent who's automatically next in line. The mistakes a married couple can absorb are mistakes that hurt single-parent kids directly.
Two structures matter: who raises the kids, and how the money supports them. Often the same person; sometimes deliberately different. A relative with steady judgment may be the right guardian; a friend with financial expertise may be the right trustee. Naming both lets you split decision-making across two people who keep each other accountable.
Life insurance is usually the single biggest asset a young single parent leaves behind. Make sure the beneficiary form names the testamentary trust, not the kids directly. Otherwise the insurer sends a check to a 12-year-old — actually to a court-appointed conservator, which is its own slow process.
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