Did you know? In Missouri, almost half of our active military members have direct family members, such as a spouse or children.
With thousands of local neighbors and their families making the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country, our team wanted to find a way to give back; after all, protecting our Ozark family’s legacy is what we’re all about. We aim to help bring peace of mind to these families, knowing that their legal affairs are handled.
Read more about military families’ various estate planning needs and how Ozarks Legacy Law helps give back to those who keep us safe.
Estate Planning Necessities for Military Families
Establishing a thorough estate plan for military members is critically important, and special estate planning issues often need to be considered. For instance, members often move to different bases, which may be in a different state (or even country!). This may impact your estate plan and require it to be updated to reflect the laws of the current place of residence.
Estate planning items that should be regularly reviewed and updated include…
- Life insurance
- Active-duty members have access to low-cost life insurance for their families. An estate planning attorney can help ensure that beneficiaries are designated appropriately.
- Will
- An imperative piece of any estate plan to ensure that your assets are distributed the way that you want them to be upon your passing. Upon a major life event, meeting with an estate planning attorney to review & update your will as needed is highly recommended.
- Trust
- A trust works similar to a will in that you can designate who receives the assets upon incapacity; however, a trust also provides instructions on how to handle the assets inside. Some families find that a trust-centered plan is a better fit for their needs. As with a will, it is recommended to review & update the perimeters of the trust upon major life events.
- Survivor benefit plans (SBP)
- These plans pay a specified sum monthly to your immediate family upon your passing. Specific to active-duty military members, dependency and indemnity compensation provides these monthly payments upon the following conditions: death while on active duty, death due to service-related injury or sickness, or eligible for VA compensation due to total disability.
How We Support Our Ozarks Families
Ozark Legacy Law’s McCune Military Family Program provides free-of-charge estate planning support for Ozarks active military members & families. The program was established in honor of retired Ozarks Legacy Law team member Vickie McCune and her family. Vickie was our first Client Services Director, serving thousands of clients in the community over her 10+ years of service with the firm. Vickie is also a military spouse, mother, and grandmother, with her husband, children, and granddaughter all having served in the US Armed Forces.
Are you, or do you know of, an Ozarks active-duty military family that may be interested in this program? Call our office today at 417-233-5858 or click here to learn more.
