Honoring Your Sacrifice: Estate Planning Essentials for Military Families

Each year on November 11, the nation pauses to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who’ve served in the Armed Forces. Veterans Day last week offered military families a meaningful reminder to reflect on an important question: Is your family truly protected if something happens to you?

If you’ve served or are part of a military family, your planning needs go far beyond standard estate documents. From coordinating military benefits to preparing for deployment, your estate plan must work in ways most civilian plans never consider.

In this article, you’ll learn why military families need specialized estate planning, how to protect your military benefits, and what steps ensure your plan works during service, through retirement, and beyond.

Why Military Families Need a Different Kind of Estate Plan

Military families face unique challenges when it comes to protecting loved ones. You may have access to benefits like Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI), Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments—crucial safety nets that require careful coordination.

Without that coordination, even well-intentioned plans can fail. For example, if your SGLI beneficiary form lists someone you named years ago, your life insurance could go to the wrong person, creating confusion and conflict for your loved ones. Or, if you named a minor child as your SGLI beneficiary, a court would need to appoint someone to manage those funds until your child reaches adulthood—costing your family time, money, and stress. Not to mention, your child would receive all the funds outright at 18, with no restrictions and no plan for their future security.

Frequent relocations add another layer of complexity. Estate planning laws differ by state, meaning a plan created when you were stationed in California may not work as intended after a move to Virginia or overseas. Without periodic reviews, your plan can become outdated or even invalid.

Deployment presents its own risks. When you’re serving abroad or in harm’s way, your family must have immediate authority to make financial and healthcare decisions. Standard powers of attorney often lack the specific language required for military systems, leaving your spouse or decision-maker unable to access key benefits or accounts when they’re needed most. These are not details you want your loved ones figuring out during a crisis.

How to Protect and Maximize Your Military Benefits

The benefits you’ve earned through service are a crucial part of your family’s long-term security—but only if they’re properly integrated into your estate plan.

Start by reviewing all beneficiary designations. Your SGLI, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and retirement accounts each have forms that override your will or trust. If those aren’t up to date, your benefits could unintentionally go to someone like an ex-spouse, leaving your current family with nothing.

If you’re retired, the Survivor Benefit Plan deserves special attention. It can provide ongoing income for your spouse or dependents after your death, but the cost and coverage should be evaluated alongside your life insurance and other assets to ensure balance and efficiency.

Your DD-214 and other service records are equally important. Without them, your family may face delays accessing VA benefits, burial honors, or other entitlements. As part of my Life & Legacy Planning® process, I help clients organize these critical documents, along with an inventory of assets, service-related information, and benefit access details. This is essential—otherwise, your loved ones may not be able to act quickly and confidently when they need to.

Finally, include burial preferences in your plan. Veterans are entitled to burial in national cemeteries, headstones or markers, burial flags, and Presidential Memorial Certificates at no cost—but your family needs to know how to access them. Your plan should clearly document whether you want military honors, which cemetery you prefer, and whom to notify.

When these elements are in place, your benefits don’t just exist—they work for your loved ones when it matters most.

Building a Plan That Works in Every Stage of Service

Military life is ever-changing. That’s why your plan should work not just after you die, but during active duty, deployments, retirement, and potential incapacity. Your plan should include:

• A durable power of attorney tailored to military life, ensuring your spouse or agent can manage financial and legal matters—including communication with DFAS, VA, and Tricare—without court delays. Standard documents rarely meet these needs.

• Healthcare directives that work in both civilian and military medical systems, allowing your chosen advocate to coordinate directly with military healthcare personnel.

• Clear instructions for sentimental items like uniforms, medals, and service memorabilia, ensuring they’re preserved and handled according to your wishes.

• Ongoing guidance from someone who understands military life. Traditional lawyers create documents and disappear. As your Personal Family Lawyer®, I stay connected with you and review your plan regularly as your life evolves.

Proper planning isn’t just a set of papers. It’s a relationship.

Honoring Your Sacrifice—and Your Family’s

You deserve someone in your corner who has your back, and your loved ones do too. That’s why Life & Legacy Planning goes beyond drafting legal documents. I make sure your family has the clarity, guidance, and support they need—whether you’re deployed, retired, or gone.

When we create your Life & Legacy Plan together, your loved ones will know:

• Where to find important documents

• How to access accounts and military benefits

• Whom to contact first for help

• What steps to take without confusion or delay

And when the time comes, your family won’t face the VA claims process or legal system alone—they’ll have someone who already knows them and their story.

Your Life & Legacy Plan reflects not just your financial wishes, but also your values, stories, and service traditions, so your legacy continues in the lives of the people you love.

Last week’s Veterans Day was a powerful reminder of your service and your family’s sacrifices. Honor that legacy by taking the steps now to protect the people who matter most.

Ready to protect your wealth and everything it represents? Click below to schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call today.

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