Without a will, the wrong person has a legal path to your kids.

When there's no will naming a guardian, Mississippi law says a chancery court judge decides. The judge weighs factors: fitness, relationship, ability to care for the children. The judge does not know your family. The judge does not know that you and your mother-in-law haven't spoken in three years. The judge does not know that your brother went through a rough patch. The judge works with what's in the courtroom.

In that case, a relative the parents would never have chosen petitioned for guardianship. There was no document saying otherwise. The judge had no legal basis to refuse.

I tell this not to frighten you, but because it is true and it happens more often than most people know.

Here is what a will does at its most basic: it names the person you trust to raise your children if you can't. That's it. That's the most important sentence in the whole document.

It also prevents an 18-year-old from receiving a lump sum with no guardrails. If you're divorced, it puts a structure between your ex-spouse and the financial decisions for your kids.

None of this requires you to be wealthy. It requires an afternoon and a decision you've already thought about making.

The Kids Protection Plan I offer exists for one reason: to make this easy. One appointment. A clear price. Documents that protect your children's lives, not just your assets.

If you've been meaning to get around to this, I'd ask you to consider one thing: the worst possible version of not having done it.

You already know what that looks like. That's why you've been meaning to do it.

Call my office at (662) 552–7275 or email janbutler@mac.com. We'll set a time and get it done.

Jan R. Butler

Law Office of Jan R. Butler

Eupora, Mississippi