A letter of intent is frequently recommended for parents of children with disabilities to share information for when the parent dies. However, letters of intent or a letter of instruction can also be a helpful resource for executors, says the article “Planning Head: For detailed instructions consider a letter of instruction” from The Mercury. This is especially valuable, if the executor doesn’t know the decedent or their family members very well.
Legal documents, like a last will or trust, address specific issues and aren’t necessarily the right place to include personal information about the child or the parent’s desires for the child’s future. Comprehensive estate plans, especially for loved ones with special needs, require more information..
The goal is to create a document to make clear what the parents want for the child after they pass, whether that occurs early or late in the child’s life.
For a child with special needs, the first questions to be addressed in the estate plan concern who will care for the child if the parent dies or becomes incapacitated, where will the child live and what funds will be available for their care. Once those matters are resolved, however, there are more questions about the child’s wants and needs.
The letter of intent can answer questions about the special information only a parent knows and is helpful in future decisions about their care and living situation. You can list preferences for education, travel, living arrangements and other insights that can impact quality of life.
The letter of intent concerning an estate should also include information about wishes for a funeral or burial and contain everything from directions for the music list for a ceremony to the writing on the headstone.
Once the letter of intent is created, the next question is, where should you put it so it is secure and can be accessed when it is needed?
Don’t put it in a bank safe deposit box. This is a common error for estate planning documents as well. The executor may only access the contents of the safe deposit box after letters of administration have been issued. This happens after the funeral, and sometimes long after the funeral. By then, it will be too late for any instructions.
Keeping estate planning documents in a safe deposit box presents other problems. If the bank seals the safe deposit box on notification of the owner’s death, the executor won’t be able to proceed. This can sometimes be prevented by having additional owners on the safe deposit box, if permitted by the bank. Any additional owners will also need to know where the key is located and be able get access to it.
The better solution is to keep all important documents including wills, financial power of attorney, health care directives, insurance forms, cemetery deeds, information for the family’s estate planning attorney, financial advisor, and CPA, etc., in one location known to the trusted person who will need access to the documents. That person will need a set of keys to the house. If they are kept in a fire and waterproof safe in the house; they will also need the keys to the safe.
If the parents move or move the documents, they’ll need to remember to tell the trusted person where these documents have moved., Otherwise, a lot of work will have been for naught.
You can benefit from the peace of mind that comes from completing your legal planning. Contact our office today.
Reference: The Mercury (Jan. 19, 2022) “Planning Head: For detailed instructions consider a letter of instruction”
