Each year on November 11, our nation pauses to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who’ve served in the Armed Forces. Beyond the ceremonies and flags, Veterans Day is a meaningful moment to ask a vital 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 see why military families need specialized planning, how to protect your military benefits, and what steps keep your plan working during service, through retirement, and beyond.
Why Military Families Need a Different Kind of Estate Plan
Military families face unique challenges when 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. These are crucial safety nets—but only if they’re coordinated with the rest of your plan.
- Outdated or misaligned beneficiaries. If your SGLI or TSP beneficiary form lists someone you named years ago, benefits can go to the wrong person, creating conflict and delay. If a minor child is listed directly, a court will need to appoint someone to manage those funds—costing your family time and money—and your child could receive everything outright at 18, with no safeguards.
- Frequent moves. Estate laws differ by state. 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 Without periodic reviews, your plan can become outdated or even ineffective.
- Deployment realities. When you’re serving abroad or in harm’s way, your family needs immediate authority to handle finances and healthcare. Standard form documents often lack the language required for military systems, potentially blocking your spouse or agent from DFAS, VA, or TRICARE communications when they’re needed most. That’s the last thing you want in a crisis.
How to Protect and Maximize Your Military Benefits
Your hard-earned benefits are an essential part of your family’s long-term security—if they’re properly integrated into your estate plan.
- Review beneficiary designations—then align them with your plan. SGLI, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and retirement accounts each have beneficiary forms that override your will or trust. Keep these current and coordinated to avoid accidental disinheritance (e.g., an ex-spouse unexpectedly receiving benefits).
- Evaluate SBP elections in context. If you’re retired, the Survivor Benefit Plan can provide ongoing income to a spouse or dependent. We help you analyze SBP alongside life insurance and other assets so your coverage is balanced, cost-effective, and intentional.
- Organize service records. Your DD-214 and other records are necessary to access VA benefits, military burial honors, and other entitlements. As part of our Life & Legacy Planning® process, we help you organize these documents, inventory assets, and record benefit access details so your loved ones can act quickly and confidently.
- Document burial preferences. Eligible veterans may receive burial in a national cemetery, headstones/markers, burial flags, and Presidential Memorial Certificates. Your plan should clearly state whether you want military honors, your preferred cemetery, and who to notify, so your wishes are carried out without confusion.
When these elements are in place, your benefits don’t just exist—they work for your loved ones when it matters most.
Build a Plan That Works in Every Stage of Service
Military life changes often. Your plan must protect your family now and later—during active duty, deployments, retirement, and potential incapacity.
- Tailored Durable Power of Attorney. Ensure your spouse or trusted agent can manage financial and legal matters—including communication with DFAS, VA, and TRICARE—without court delays. As your Personal Family Lawyer® Firm, we draft custom POAs designed for your military service (not just one-size-fits-all forms).
- Healthcare Directives that work everywhere. Your health care directive should be valid in both civilian and military hospitals, with authority for your chosen advocate to coordinate directly with military medical personnel.
- Trust planning for minors and special needs. Avoid direct distributions to minors; consider a living trust with age-based or milestone-based distribution, and special needs provisions where appropriate.
- Personal property and memorabilia. Uniforms, medals, and service mementos carry deep meaning. Document who should receive them—and the stories behind them—so your legacy is preserved for future generations.
- Ongoing relationship, not one-and-done documents. Traditional law firms deliver paperwork and disappear. We stay with you through deployments, relocations, and retirement, reviewing and updating your plan so it continues to work as life evolves.
Proper planning isn’t just paperwork. It’s a relationship.
Veterans Day Quick-Review Checklist
Use this short list as a starting point:
- SGLI / TSP / retirement beneficiaries updated and aligned with your plan
- Custom Durable POA with DFAS/VA/TRICARE authority
- Healthcare proxy & directive valid in civilian + military settings
- DD-214 and service records organized and accessible
- Trust plan for minor or dependent beneficiaries (no direct payouts at 18)
- Burial/military honors preferences documented and shared
- Personal property/memorabilia instructions and stories recorded
- Annual review scheduled (or review after any PCS, promotion, marriage, birth, or retirement)
Honoring Your Service—and Your Family
You deserve someone in your corner who knows you and has your family’s back. Life & Legacy Planning® goes beyond drafting documents; it ensures your loved ones have clarity, guidance, and support—whether you’re deployed, retired, or gone.
When we plan together, your family 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
When the time comes, your loved ones won’t face VA claims or the legal system alone—they’ll have someone who already knows them and their story. Your plan will reflect your values, stories, and traditions of service, so your legacy lives on in the lives of those you love.
Take the Next Step This Veterans Day
Schedule your complimentary 15-minute discovery call to ensure your dedication to our country translates into lasting security for your loved ones.
- Call: 262-254-0068
- Email: info@MyAnchorLaw.com
- Web: MyAnchorLaw.com
- Direct: https://calendly.com/myachorlaw/15min
This article is a service of Attorney John F. Koenig, Anchor Law, Life and Legacy Planning, LLC, a Personal Family Lawyer® Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That’s why we offer a comprehensive Life & Legacy Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session™.
The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer® Firms, a source believed to provide accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.