More and more, women are postponing having children to focus on their careers. In order to facilitate this postponement, many choose to harvest and freeze their eggs. By 2013, more than 2,000 babies were been born from harvested and frozen eggs. A recent article discusses some estate planning implications for those who plan to harvest and freeze their eggs.
Planning for frozen eggs is a complicated area of estate planning that is still developing. Compounding the complication in this area is the fact that the applicable laws differ from state to state. If you have frozen your eggs and want your potential children to be included in your estate plan, it is important to consult an attorney in your state who can apprise you of what you will have to do.
In some states, estates have a “close by date,” after which they cannot remain open after a person’s death. Therefore, if a grandparent wants a potential grandchild to take from his or her estate, the mother must bear the child within a certain amount of years from the grandparent’s death. The best way to attempt to provide for potential children from frozen eggs is to include a section in your will or trust that clearly defines who you would like your beneficiaries to be.
For expert assistance in estate planning for your potential family, contact us at X.
