This section lets you tell us about your family members so your estate planning documents can reflect your wishes and your family situation accurately. You don’t need to make final decisions here, and you don’t need to include anyone you’re unsure about yet. We will review everything with you before documents are finalized.
Why we ask for family information
Family information helps your estate planning professional understand who may need to be considered in your plan. This can include children, parents, or siblings. In some cases, the law requires certain family members to be addressed; in others, this information simply provides helpful context.
Listing someone here does not mean you are deciding to leave them anything. Those decisions are made later and reviewed carefully with you.
Children
Tell us about your children, including both living and deceased children, so they can be properly identified in your estate planning documents.
Living children
You’ll be asked whether you or your spouse or partner have any living children. This can include:
- Your biological or adopted children
- Children from prior relationships
- If you are widowed, both your children and the children of your deceased spouse
Children may be minors or adults.
If you have living children, you can add each child individually. When you add a child, we ask for basic identifying information such as their legal name, date of birth, and preferred name. This helps ensure your documents clearly identify each person and avoid confusion later.
Additional information for adult children
If a child is an adult, you may be asked for additional details, such as:
- Where they live
- Their marital status
- Whether they have children of their own
Knowing where a child or family member lives can matter for practical and legal reasons. For example, if someone may serve in a fiduciary role (such as executor or trustee), their state of residence can affect tax considerations and administrative logistics.
Collecting this information also allows us to maintain an accurate record of each family unit within your family tree, which is especially important in multi-generation or blended-family planning.
Deceased children
You may be asked whether you or your spouse or partner have any deceased children. This can include:
- Your deceased children
- If you are widowed, any deceased children of your deceased spouse
If a deceased child has surviving descendants (such as children or grandchildren), those descendants may have inheritance rights under the law. That is why we ask whether they exist.
Including this information does not mean they will automatically inherit or that decisions have already been made. It simply allows us to understand the full family picture and ensure your documents are prepared accurately and in compliance with the law. If surviving descendants exist, we can later discuss whether and how they should be included in your estate plan.
Special situations
You may see additional questions if:
- A child is married
- A child has children of their own
- A child has a disability or special needs that may affect eligibility for government benefits
These questions help ensure your estate plan is structured in a way that reflects your wishes and, where applicable, preserves eligibility for benefits.
What if I have children but do not want them to benefit from my estate?
Please still enter your children’s information. Listing a child does not mean they will receive assets. We can discuss your wishes and ensure they are reflected appropriately in your plan.
Parents and Siblings
You also have the option to add information about other family members, such as parents or siblings. This is most helpful when:
- They could serve in a fiduciary role
- They may be beneficiaries under some circumstances
- They could be considered next-of-kin if no one else is available
Adding someone here does not give them rights or guarantees. It simply gives us the information needed to think through contingencies with you.