For further information contact:

Cynthia A. Gebelein, Client Services Director

P 919-443-3035

Cindy@CarolinaFEP.com www.CarolinaFEP.com

August 31, 2009, Cary, NC:

If anything good comes out of Michael Jackson's untimely death, it will be a universal wake-up call to parents that says, "You must keep up to date guardian appointments for your children in the event of your death of incapacity!" With a custody battle brewing between the Jackson family, Michael's Nanny and the biological mother of Michael's children (who might not be the biological mother after all according to reports), and the battle between creditors over his estate, news outlets are finally reporting on the absolute necessity of estate planning for all families with children. Parents rich and poor, young and old must realize it's time to put the "It won't happen to me" or "I'll worry about it late." mentality aside when it comes to estate planning and do what's necessary to protect your children's well-being and care if, and when you can't be there.

Michael Jackson had a slew of lawyers who handled his affairs. You would think someone, somewhere would have made sure that Jackson's estate plan stayed up to date and would have taken the time to explain exactly what would happen to his children and his assets if he passed away suddenly-or even found himself unable to care for the kids due to his drug addiction or complications from Lupus. Clearly, if Michael Jackson's estate planning could fall through the cracks, imagine the millions of people that would find themselves legally unprepared should the worst happen to them. While, you cannot predict how or when you will die, you absolutely can dictate how your children and your assets will be handled after your death with advanced legal planning.

"One of the common myths about estate planning is that "It's just for rich people." or "It's only necessary for old people."- both cannot be any further than the truth! The truth is ... if you have a child, whether you have $10 or $10 million dollars, you must name legal guardians for your child in the event of your inability to care for them. Naming guardians requires naming both short-term guardians for the immediate term and long-term guardians. If you don't put your guardianship decisions in writing, your child could end up in the middle of a very messy custody battle-or even worse-in the care of Social Services," remarked Jackie Bedard, a Personal Family Lawyer and founder of Carolina Family Estate Planning in Cary. "Naming guardians for your kids is so vitally important that the association I belong to has created a website: www. kidsprotectionplan.com where parents can go to name guardians free of charge without even stepping foot into a lawyer's office."

For those who realize they need something more comprehensive to make life as easy as possible for their family, Carolina Family Estate Planning provides families and small business owners access to an affordable lifetime relationship with a personal lawyer. With the affordable nature of these resources, there is no excuse for leaving your family a huge mess like Michael Jackson's family. Jackie continued, "Use this horrible event as a wakeup call and take control of your future for your kids! Don't wait another day to document exactly who you want to raise your children if something happens to you before they can care for themselves. Take the time to document the values you'd want passed on to your kids and how you'd want them to be raised if you were no longer around. Do it now; or the court may end up making these choices for you, to the detriment of your kids."

To further aid families, Jackie's firm, Carolina Family Estate Planning is honoring certificates from Alexis Martin Neely's (best-selling author of Wear Clean Underwear—a Fast Fun, Friendly—and Essential- Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents and frequent guest on CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS broadcasts) Family Wealth Institute for a free Family Wealth Planning session (a $750 value) through the end of October 2009. The offer is open to homeowners with children living in Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Raleigh, Chapel Hill and surround communities. To learn more about this extraordinary offer call Carolina Family Estate Planning at: 919-443-3035. A limited number of appointments are available, so call today.

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Jackie Bedard is the founding of Carolina Family Estate Planning. She believes that when done right, family estate planning, or as she prefers, family wealth planning prepares our children and heirs for a future without us, whether that is two weeks or eighty years from now. "I believe family wealth planning involves deciding proactively the legacy you want to leave and then focusing on what you can do in the here and now so that you not only pass on your financial wealth, but also your values, insights, stories and experiences—the richness that is your family's total wealth. Family wealth planning is about life, not death", stated Jackie. "We use an educational, counseling-oriented approach with flat fee billing. We never want our clients to be worried about watching the clock or receiving an unexpected bill for a telephone call or copying fees. We focus on educating our clients and aiding them in making truly informed decisions that are going to work for their family's dynamics. We include specialized services such as our Kids Protection Plan, Priceless Conversations, ongoing reviews every three years and for those needing ongoing legal counsel, we have affordable membership programs available." Located at 1143F Executive Circle, in Cary, Carolina Family Estate Planning offers complete assurance and true peace of mind. For more information call 919-443-3035 or visit: www.CarolinaFEP.com.

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1. http://www.CarolinaFEP.com