It’s one of the most important questions in estate planning — and one that doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer: at what age should your children inherit?

If you do nothing, the default answer under Kansas and Missouri law is 18. And while 18-year-olds are legally adults, most parents we work with aren’t comfortable with the idea of their child receiving a large inheritance at that age. (As Daniel often jokes with clients — most 18-year-olds would buy a new car.)

So what are your options?

Option 1: Inherit at 18 (the default) If you have no estate plan in place, minor children will inherit at 18. For most families, this isn’t ideal.

Option 2: Lifetime Trust Shares At the other end of the spectrum, some families choose to keep assets in trust for their children’s entire lives. This provides the strongest protection against creditors and divorce — meaning if your child goes through a difficult divorce, their inheritance stays protected.

Option 3: The Gold Standard The most common approach we recommend is a staged distribution — often called the “gold standard” because it’s stood the test of time. A typical structure might look like this:

• One-third at age 30
• One-third at age 40
• One-third at age 50

This gives your children access to their inheritance as they mature, while still protecting a portion from creditors and divorce at each stage.

What makes estate planning so rewarding is that every family is different — and every plan should be too. If you live in Kansas or Missouri and want to explore what the right inheritance structure looks like for your family, we’d love to talk. Schedule a free consultation at djslaw.us.