Over the holidays, my wife and I took our two daughters to see Disney's Frozen. The movie tells the story of Elsa and Anna, whose parents, the King and Queen of Arendelle, pass away when the girls are young - leaving them heirs to the kingdom. As the girls come of age, and without the guidance of their parents, the greedy Duke of Weselton seeks to exploit the riches of Arendelle, while (spoiler alert) the charismatic Prince Hans woos a naive Anna in the hopes of stealing the throne. As my daughters performed one of the songs from their now "favorite movie of all time" for my wife's birthday (she is 29 just for the record), I was struck by the lessons for us as parents.
First, you need to make sure that the money you leave behind for your children is protected from creditors, predators, and divorce. Thankfully, there are estate planning options to safeguard them.
Second, it's important to have a written plan in place that ensures your children would be raised by whom you want, how you want, and with the values and guidance that are most important to you.
At its core, Frozen is a story about love and the importance of family. With a little planning, you can protect your family too.
To learn more about how you can protect your kids, check out our videos that answer some of the most frequently asked questions here.
