Estate Guard

Estate Guard — S4 Financial (Legacy Division)

Mission: Ensure that if Tory is incapacitated or dies, Lindsey and the three kids are financially protected, legally empowered, and not left navigating a maze of benefits, accounts, and paperwork in grief.

Why This Exists

Tory has:

• 3 children (ages 3, 7, 14) who depend on him
• A wife who would need to manage a complex financial picture alone
• VA disability benefits with specific survivor rules
• Military survivor benefits (SBP eligibility via Guard)
• Multiple employer benefits (Lilly life insurance, 401k, pension)
• Investment accounts across 5+ institutions
• Rental property with its own obligations
• A financial plan that assumes he's alive to execute it

Without an estate plan, all of this becomes a legal and financial nightmare for Lindsey. Courts decide custody nuances. Default beneficiary designations may be wrong. Tax implications multiply. Benefits go unclaimed.

This skill exists because love isn't a plan. Documentation is.

Procedure

When Invoked — Estate Check

1. Read current estate data:

   • Financial Plan: ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Family/Financial-Plan/Owens_Family_Financial_Plan.md
   • COP S4 running estimate
   • MEMORY.md for any estate-related entries

2. Audit estate readiness:

━━ ESTATE GUARD AUDIT — [DATE] ━━

DOCUMENT STATUS:
  Will:                    [EXISTS / MISSING / STALE]
  Revocable Living Trust:  [EXISTS / MISSING / N/A]
  Power of Attorney:       [EXISTS / MISSING]
  Healthcare Directive:    [EXISTS / MISSING]
  Guardian Designation:    [EXISTS / MISSING]
  Letter of Instruction:   [EXISTS / MISSING]

BENEFICIARY AUDIT:
  Transamerica 401k:   [Named beneficiary: ___]
  E*Trade Brokerage:   [Named beneficiary: ___]
  TSP:                 [Named beneficiary: ___]
  Lilly Life Insurance: [Named beneficiary: ___]
  SGLI/VGLI:           [Named beneficiary: ___]
  USAA Accounts:       [Named beneficiary: ___]
  Rental Property:     [Title: joint / sole / trust?]

LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE:
  SGLI:        $400,000 (if still eligible via Guard)
  Lilly Group: $XXX,XXX (verify: 1x, 2x salary?)
  VGLI:        [converted? amount?]
  Private:     [any additional policies?]
  TOTAL:       $XXX,XXX
  NEED:        $XXX,XXX (see calculation below)

SURVIVOR BENEFIT ANALYSIS:
  [What Lindsey and kids would receive monthly]

GAPS:
  1. [Most critical gap]
  2. [Second]
  3. [Third]

PRIORITY ACTIONS:
  1. [Most urgent action with deadline]
  2. [Second]
  3. [Third]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Estate Components Checklist

Legal Documents

• Last Will & Testament — Names executor, guardian for minor children, asset distribution
• Revocable Living Trust — Avoids probate, provides continuity, protects minor children's inheritance
• Durable Power of Attorney — Lindsey can manage finances if Tory is incapacitated
• Healthcare Power of Attorney — Lindsey makes medical decisions
• Living Will / Advance Directive — End-of-life preferences documented
• Guardian Designation — Who raises the kids if both parents die? (Must be in will)
• Letter of Instruction — Non-legal document listing all accounts, passwords, contacts, insurance policies, where to find everything. THIS IS THE MOST PRACTICAL DOCUMENT.

Beneficiary Designations (Override the Will)

Critical: Beneficiary designations on financial accounts OVERRIDE the will. A will that says "everything to Lindsey" is meaningless if an old 401k still lists an ex or a parent.

Action: Verify every beneficiary designation annually. Update after any life event (birth, death, divorce, marriage).

Life Insurance Needs Calculation

Income Replacement Method

Lindsey's income need (if Tory dies):
  Current household expenses:     ~$8,668/mo
  Minus Lindsey's TriMedX income: -$4,915/mo (after tax)
  Minus VA DIC benefit:           -$1,612/mo (if eligible — surviving spouse)
  Minus Social Security survivor: -$X,XXX/mo (depends on earnings record)
  ─────────────────────
  Monthly gap:                    $X,XXX/mo

  Gap x 12 months x 20 years = $X,XXX,XXX needed

  Plus:
  - College fund (3 kids x $100K each): $300,000
  - Mortgage payoff: $245,000
  - Emergency buffer: $50,000
  ─────────────────────
  TOTAL INSURANCE NEED: $X,XXX,XXX

Current Coverage

  SGLI:              $400,000 (verify eligibility)
  Lilly Group Life:  $XXX,XXX
  VGLI:              $XXX,XXX (if converted)
  Private Term:      $XXX,XXX (if any)
  ─────────────────
  TOTAL COVERAGE:    $XXX,XXX
  GAP:               $XXX,XXX

If there's a gap > $100K, flag immediately. Term life insurance is cheap for a 42-year-old.

Military-Specific Survivor Benefits

Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)

• Guard members can elect SBP at retirement
• Pays 55% of retired pay to surviving spouse
• Cost: ~6.5% of retired pay (deducted from pension)
• Decision needed at retirement enrollment — cannot be added later
• With RPED 2040: Tory should model SBP cost vs private insurance

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

• VA pays DIC to surviving spouse if death is service-connected
• Current rate: ~$1,612/month (2026)
• 100% P&T rating increases eligibility likelihood
• Must file VA Form 21-534EZ within 1 year of death for best outcome

Chapter 35 — Dependents' Educational Assistance

• Children of 100% P&T veterans eligible for up to 36 months of education benefits
• Rylan, Emory, and Harlan all eligible
• Must be used between ages 18-26
• This is worth $50-100K+ per child — it should be factored into college planning

TRICARE

• Surviving spouse and children retain TRICARE eligibility if Tory was receiving military retirement pay
• If Tory dies before retirement age, CHAMPVA may apply instead

Trigger Events (When to Re-Audit)

Letter of Instruction Template

This is the document Lindsey actually opens first. Not the will, not the trust — this.

LETTER OF INSTRUCTION — Tory Owens
Last Updated: [Date]

FOR LINDSEY:

1. IMMEDIATE CONTACTS:
   - Estate Attorney: [name, phone]
   - Financial Advisor: [name, phone]
   - VA Benefits: 1-800-827-1000
   - Lilly HR Benefits: [number]
   - USAA: [number]
   - Insurance Agent: [name, phone]

2. WHERE TO FIND THINGS:
   - Will: [location]
   - Trust documents: [location]
   - Life insurance policies: [location]
   - This computer's password: [secure method]
   - Password manager: [method]
   - Financial accounts list: [see WealthBuilder app or Financial Plan]

3. FIRST 30 DAYS:
   - File VA DIC claim (Form 21-534EZ)
   - Contact Lilly HR for life insurance + pension survivor benefit
   - Contact SGLI/VGLI for military life insurance
   - Do NOT make any major financial decisions for 6 months

4. FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS:
   [List every account with institution, account type, approximate value]

5. RECURRING OBLIGATIONS:
   [Mortgage, car payment, insurance premiums, subscriptions to cancel]

6. FOR THE KIDS:
   [Guardian wishes, education wishes, values to instill]

The Standard

Estate planning is the one domain where procrastination has catastrophic consequences. Every other skill in this system can recover from missed data or stale estimates. This one can't. If Tory dies without a will, Indiana intestacy law decides. If beneficiaries are wrong, the wrong person gets the money. If there's no letter of instruction, Lindsey navigates the worst week of her life without a map.

Build the plan. Update the plan. Hope you never need the plan.