South Carolina Estate Planning Lawyer

Estate Planning for Families with Young Children

You’ve worked hard to build a life worth protecting. Now the real question is — what happens if something happens to you?

For families with young children and significant assets, the stakes are high. Without a proper plan:

  • A judge will decide who raises your children if you pass away

  • Your assets could be tied up in lengthy probate — or passed directly to young children who aren’t ready to manage wealth

  • There’s no protection from lawsuits, divorce, or outside influences that could drain your child’s inheritance.

What We Help With:

  • Naming legal guardians who share your values

  • Creating a trust to manage money for your children until they’re ready

  • Protecting assets from your children’s future divorces or creditors

  • Avoiding court, keeping your affairs private, and ensuring your voice is heard — even if you’re not here

Estate planning isn’t just about death — it’s about being in control, even in the unexpected.

Estate Planning for Blended Families

Blended families bring love, complexity, and sometimes tension — especially when it comes to inheritance.

Without a clear plan, assets may:

  • Pass entirely to a second spouse, leaving children from a prior relationship with nothing

  • Be fought over in court by stepchildren, siblings, or former in-laws

  • Create resentment, confusion, and irreparable damage to family relationships

Estate planning gives you the tools to be fair and intentional — to make sure everyone feels seen, protected, and secure.

What We Help With:

  • Drafting wills and trusts that balance loyalty to current and former family members

  • Ensuring that children from a first marriage aren’t accidentally disinherited

  • Protecting your spouse while reserving assets for biological children

  • Reducing opportunities for conflict or legal challenges

A strong estate plan ensures your wishes are honored — and family harmony preserved.

Estate Planning for Families with Adult Children

Your children may be grown, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to inherit.

Without planning, your estate may:

  • Pass directly to adult children with no protection from divorce, lawsuits, bad spending habits, or addictions

  • Be drained by a child’s ex-spouse or creditors

  • Spark family conflict over perceived “fairness”

  • Leave assets vulnerable to being lost within a single generation

Estate planning for families with adult children is about strategic protection — setting up guardrails so that your wealth does what you intended: helps, not harms.

What We Help With:

  • Creating lifetime trusts that protect inheritance from outside threats

  • Structuring distributions based on maturity, need, or milestone events

  • Offering planning for special needs, addiction recovery, or estranged relationships

  • Helping you communicate your wishes to avoid confusion or future challenges

A well-built estate plan protects your children — even from themselves.

Our Process

We make estate planning easy to understand and even easier to complete. You’ll never feel judged or overwhelmed — just supported and informed.

  1. Schedule a free consultation

  2. Tell us your goals, fears, and family dynamics

  3. We craft a personalized estate plan that reflects your values and protects your people

  4. We walk you through every step — and even store your plan securely

Serving Families in Okatie, Bluffton, Beaufort, Hilton Head, and South Carolina.

We offer virtual and in-person estate planning services across the state of South Carolina, combining heartfelt care with sound legal experience.

Estate Planning for Every Stage in Life

Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy or the elderly, it’s for every family who wants to avoid confusion, conflict, and costly court battles when it matters most.

At LowcoTerra Law Firm, we help families create thoughtful, legally sound estate plans that protect their assets, honor their wishes, and keep their loved ones out of court and out of conflict. Whether you’re starting a family, preparing for retirement, or navigating the complexities of a household, we’re here to guide you with clarity and care.

What Is Estate Planning — and Why Does It Matter?

Estate planning is the process of legally preparing for what happens to your assets, children, and healthcare decisions if you become incapacitated or pass away.

It typically includes:

  • A will (for naming guardians, distributing property, and settling affairs through probate)

  • A trust (to keep assets private, avoid probate, or protect them from creditors and long-term care costs)

  • Durable powers of attorney

  • Advance healthcare directives

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Some families are best served by a will. Others need a trust. Some need both. The right plan depends on your goals, values, family structure, and risks — and we help you decide what works best for your legacy.

Ready to protect what you’ve built? A great place to start is by attending one our free seminars or webinars but you can also give us a call at 843-593-8182 or contact us to get started today!

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Yes — a will is a great start, but it only takes effect after you die and must go through probate court. An estate plan can include trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and more — all designed to protect you and your family while you're still living and after you're gone.

  • A will outlines your wishes and must go through probate. A trust allows you to avoid probate, protect your privacy, and control when and how assets are distributed.
    Neither is "better" — it depends on your goals. Some families need both. We help you decide what’s right based on your life, assets, and legacy.

  • Absolutely. Even adult children can lose an inheritance due to divorce, creditors, or poor decisions.
    We create trusts and protections that:

    • Guard assets from outside risks

    • Provide structure if your child struggles with spending, addiction, or instability

    • Preserve family harmony and future generations

  • Yes — estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy. It’s for:

    • Protecting your children and naming guardians

    • Avoiding unnecessary legal fees and delays

    • Keeping control of your healthcare decisions

    • Preserving your home and savings from court or nursing home costs

    If you own a home, have children, or care about who makes decisions for you — you need a plan.

Ready to Get Started?

Contact Us.

hello@lowcoterra.com
(843) 593-8182

10 State Road S-7-50
Bluffton, SC 29910