Taxation & Estate Planning

I've written before about the importance of maintaining records for your children, and especially those children who have special needs, so that if a guardian is ever needed there will be complete records available for whoever will be taking over their care.  While medical records are important, equally important to include in the letter of intent is the following information (which is by no means a complete list):

• an outline of your child's day,
• their likes, dislikes, fears and what calms them,
• who attends to their bathing and grooming (can they do it themselves or do they need assistance)
• can they handle money? tell time? read?
• the type of clothing they prefer (fabrics, tags/tagless)
• the type of food they like and don't like,
• their hobbies and activities,
• their relatives and friends, 
• any assistive devices they use,
• places they like to visit,
• what holidays they celebrate and how, 
• their asset and income and the information about any Special Needs Trusts you have set up for them,
• any wishes that you have for them.

Obviously, the information will change as the child grows, so it is vital revisit the letter every 6 months or so. And if you've given copies of the letter to anyone, make sure you provide them with updated copies. 

To see some examples of letters of intent, visit Patti Dudek's blog where she has some samples posted: click here.