See Ron Adams' article
in the March issue of
"Arizona Parenting"

Simple Wills: Why Can't I Just Use the Internet? Online "will kits" or computer programs that produce estate planning documents are popular because they're cheap. But saving money now can subject survivors to unnecessary legal fees to fix what often turn out to be useless documents.

Does Your Teenager Need a Will? Creating a will can put a young person in the mindset of someone who is going to have a successful financial life and has thoughtfully taken on adult responsibilities.

Avoid Confusion in Crisis Through Proper Estate Planning Baby Boomers often find themselves making medical and financial decisions for their aging parents. These decisions often fall to one child, with other siblings out of the loop.

11 Things to Ask Before Hiring an Estate Planning Lawyer Questions to ask before engaging an estate planning lawyer to help you plan for the well-being of your money, your family and your life.

Selecting the Guardian for a Minor Child Who would you like to be the guardians of your children if you pass away?

Adoptive Parents and the Adoption Tax Credit If adopting a child is in your thoughts (and on your heart), you should know about the adoption tax credit that the federal government offers to adoptive parents of eligible children, particularly special needs children.

Special Planning for Special Needs Children Special children require special planning. One of the risks that a family with a special needs child may have is that a well-meaning loved one could accidentally disqualify the child from receiving government benefits.

Safe-Smart Rules for Kids and Grownups We live in a world where childhood sexual abuse exists. A good way to protect kids is to equip them with the right kind of safety information, such as these Super-Ten “Safe-Smart” Rules.

Estate Planning for Your Pets? Does your estate plan include instructions regarding who will care for your pets after you die or if you become disabled or seriously ill?

Your Wealth: What's in Your Wallet? What about wealth as it relates to your kids and pets if you are in an accident? Is that covered in your wallet?

Understanding Prenuptial Agreements The time and effort of pre- or postnuptial agreements can save money, pain and time if the marriage fails or when a spouse dies.

Post-Divorce Planning After completing a painful process like a divorce, the last thing most people want to do is sit down with lawyers and financial professionals to review their financial planning. But the need for this type of action after a divorce may be critical.

Credit Card Balance Transfers: Look Before You Leap Before you accept a balance transfer offer, you want to make sure it will help achieve your goal of paying off your credit card debt

Mortgage Loan Modification: Frequently Asked Questions If making your mortgage payments is a challenge, or if you have an adjustable rate mortgage, you may be considering a loan modification. Here are answers to frequently asked questions

Keep Uncle Sam and Lawsuit Lawyers Away from Your Children's Inheritance You can leave to your children what you've worked so hard to build in such a way that it stays protected

Check back in August for information on our next no-cost

Kids Safety Net Workshops

Hosted by family lawyer (and mom) Crysti Beitler Niven ... with free playtime, pizza and cupcakes for the kids!

Legal Planning for Moms!

As a mom, there are legal planning steps you can take to further protect your kids. We invite you to participate in a free program to help keep your kids protected!

Hoopes Adams & Alexander sponsors periodic "meet-up" groups, led by family lawyer Crysti Beitler Niven, for East Valley moms who want to learn more about a variety of everyday planning and legal topics. To learn more, or to join our group of moms who have learned how to protect their kids, just click the link below.

• Visit "East Valley Moms"

Don't Make These Mistakes When Naming a Guardian

If you have named a guardian for your kids, it's just possible that you made one of these six common mistakes:

You may have named a couple to act as guardians, but you have not indicated what should happen if the couple broke up or one of the spouses died.
You may not have named enough alternate guardians to serve if your first choice cannot.
You may have considered financial resources of potential guardians when deciding who should raise your children. Your guardians do not have to also be financial decision-makers for your kids; your guardians are the people who will be in charge of your kids' emotional, spiritual and physical well-being – not necessarily their money. It's your responsibility to leave enough money behind to take care of your kids, either through savings or life insurance. You can name someone other than your guardians to take care of that money if the best-choice guardians are not good with money.
You may have not provided for someone to take care of the money you are leaving behind. That means your money could go outright to your kids at 18 – unprotected.
You probably named only long-term care guardians and did not make any arrangements for the short-term care of your kids if you were in an accident. This means your kids could be taken out of your home and into the care of strangers until the authorities could figure out what to do.
You probably did not exclude anyone who might challenge your decisions or who you know you would never want raising your kids.

The good news: Avoiding these mistakes is easy when you work with us. In creating a Kids Safety Net plan, we specifically focus on the needs of parents like you!

Questions? Call (480-345-8845) or email family lawyer Crysti Beitler Niven.