• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia

Long Island Estate Planning Attorneys

ESTATE, TRUST PLANNING &
ELDER LAW INFORMATION CENTER

Call Now: (800) 295.1917

  • Attend Our Free Webinars
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Client Testimonials
    • Meet Our Team
  • Services
    • Blended Family Planning
    • Elder Law
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Guardianship
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Nursing Home Planning
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Commack Elder Law
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Harrison Elder Law
      • Hauppauge Elder Law
      • Rockville Centre Elder Law
      • White Plains Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Definitions
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • FREE Seminars
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Is My Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Legacy Wealth Planning Consultation Form
    • Medicaid Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Harrison Probate
      • Hauppauge Probate
      • Long Island Probate
    • Probate Checklist
    • Special Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning for Niches
      • Trust Administration
    • Top Estate Planning Techniques
  • Communities We Serve
    • Nassau County
      • Garden City
      • Lynbrook
      • Malverne
      • Rockville Centre
    • Suffolk County
      • Commack
      • Dix Hills
      • Hauppauge
      • Nesconset
      • Smithtown
    • Westchester County
      • Harrison
      • Mamaroneck
      • Rye Brook
      • White Plains
  • Webinars
  • BLOG
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Contact Us
Home » Parents w/Minor Children » Questions To Consider When Choosing a Guardian for Minor Children

Questions To Consider When Choosing a Guardian for Minor Children

November 18, 2015 by Anthony Moccia Leave a Comment

Choosing a Guardian for Minor ChildrenPeople typically think of a Last Will and Testament as a method by which they can determine who will receive their estate assets after death. Your Will, however, also serves one other vital function – allowing you to nominate a guardian for your minor children. If, following your death, your minor children are in need of a legal guardian to care for them a court will be charged with appointing one. Your Will is the only opportunity you have to tell that court who you would choose were the decision yours to make. Before you throw out the first name that comes to your mind as your nomination for guardian, however, take the time to really think over your choice. To help you, ask yourself the following questions to consider when choosing a guardian for minor children:

  1. With whom do my children have an existing relationship? Unless your child is an infant when he/she loses a parent, the loss will be felt deeply. Bringing in a guardian the child does not even know will likely make the entire situation more stressful for the child.
  2. Who shares my basic parenting philosophies and style? Although not completely necessary, it helps to nominate someone who will parent much like you do. The older the child, the more important this becomes because it is harder for the child to adjust to a new style.
  3. Who lives nearby or would be willing to relocate? If the children are in school, keeping them in the same school, with the same friends, will help create stability at an extremely unstable time.
  4. Who is not so committed to a career that they would have time for my children? This may require some thinking ahead. Where do you see your friends/family members in five to ten years? If the answer involves the fast track to a partnership or something similar they may not be a good choice for guardian.
  5. Who has the patience to be a surrogate parent? Parenting is a difficult enough job without having to deal with a child’s grief and loss. As yourself who among your friends and family has the required patience.
  6. Who has the financial security to take on my child(ren)?

Hopefully, you plan to leave funds behind in your estate plan to help with the continued care of your children; however, you don’t want a guardian accepting the job just for the money. Your choice of guardian will ideally be financially secure himself/herself.

Only after carefully considering the answers to all these questions (and likely many more) will you be ready to sit down with your estate planning attorney and make your final decision. If you have additional questions or concerns about choosing a guardian or estate planning in general, contact the experienced New York estate planning attorneys at The Law Offices of Kobrick & Moccia by calling 800-295-1917 to schedule your appointment.

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Anthony Moccia
Anthony Moccia
Anthony Moccia is an attorney and partner at The Law Offices of Kobrick & Moccia.His practice focuses on estate planning and elder law.He is a member of the New York State and Nassau County Bar Associations.He frequently presents free seminars on wills & living trusts to area residents and his seminars are said to be “informative, entertaining & easy to understand.”
Anthony Moccia
Latest posts by Anthony Moccia (see all)
  • “Last Will and Testament” Origin - April 1, 2021
  • Do I Need a “Durable” Power of Attorney? - April 2, 2020
  • Joint Tenancy Pros and Cons - March 31, 2020

Filed Under: Parents w/Minor Children

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
Estate Planning Tips for Parents of Minor Children
Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
Have You Made Provisions for Your Minor Children?
Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
What is Nomination of a Guardian in New York?
Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
Protect Your Children – Create An Estate Plan
Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
Estate Planning Challenges for Blended Families
Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
What is a Custodial Account?

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia

Download our free estate planning worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

GARDEN CITY

1305 Franklin Avenue Suite 170
Garden City, NY 11530
United States (US)
Phone: (516) 248-9500
Fax: (516) 248-7606

HAUPPAUGE

150 Motor Parkway Suite 401 (Regus)
Hauppauge, NY 11788
United States (US)
Phone: (631) 941-3400
Fax: (516) 248-7606

HARRISON

600 Mamaroneck Avenue, 4th Floor
Harrison, NY 10528
United States (US)
Phone: (914) 701-0777
Fax: (516) 248-7606

MAP

kobrick_sidbr_map

Office Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

footer-logo
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

The information on this Attorneys & Lawyers / Law Firm website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

Kobrick and Moccia, Attorneys at Law. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

Law Offices of Kobrick and Moccia
Attorney Advertisement
© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.