Honoring Your Service: Estate Planning Essentials for Military Families

In recent months, more and more military families have reached out with a familiar concern: “We know estate planning is important… but how do we make sure our plan actually works with our military benefits, deployments, and constant relocations?”

It’s a powerful question and an essential one.

Military families face unique challenges that civilian households simply do not encounter. Benefits must be coordinated carefully. Duty stations change every few years. Deployments happen with little notice. And the systems governing military and civilian life do not always communicate well with one another.

Veterans Day offers the perfect moment to pause and reflect on how well your current plan, or lack of a plan, protects the people you love. An effective estate plan for a military family must go beyond standard documents and address the realities of service with precision, clarity, and foresight.

Below, we walk through the essential elements of military-focused estate planning, the risks families face when plans are incomplete or outdated, and the steps you can take now to safeguard both your benefits and your legacy.

Why Military Families Need a Tailored Estate Plan

Service members and their families navigate an intricate blend of military and civilian systems. And while benefits like Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI), the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) are powerful tools, they can create significant problems if not integrated properly into your estate plan.

A few common examples:

• An outdated SGLI beneficiary form sends the payout to the wrong person.

• A minor child is listed as beneficiary, triggering court involvement and a mandatory lump-sum payout at age eighteen.

• Assets titled in one state conflict with new residency laws after a PCS move.

• Powers of attorney lack the special language required by DFAS, VA, or Tricare, creating delays when your spouse urgently needs access.

  
  

None of these are rare. In fact, they are some of the most common issues military families face, and all are completely preventable with a coordinated plan.

Frequent relocations complicate things further. Estate laws vary widely by state, and a plan drafted at your last duty station may no longer function as intended once you relocate. Many families discover years later that their documents are outdated, incomplete, or unenforceable simply because they were never reviewed after a move.

Deployments introduce another layer of planning needs. Your spouse or agent may require immediate authority to manage finances, handle Tricare documentation, sign housing paperwork, coordinate with VA representatives, or make healthcare decisions. A standard civilian power of attorney rarely includes the specialized language necessary to do this.

Your estate plan must account for all of it, clearly, consistently, and proactively; so your family can act confidently when it matters most.

Coordinating and Protecting Your Military Benefits

Military benefits form the backbone of long-term financial security, but only when structured properly. This begins with reviewing all beneficiary designations for:

• SGLI

• TSP

• Retirement accounts

• SBP elections

• Civilian life insurance

• Pensions

  
  

These designations always override your will or trust. That means if your legal documents say one thing but your SGLI form says another, the SGLI form wins, even if it is outdated.

Retired service members should also evaluate their SBP decisions regularly. The cost of coverage, the level of protection, and its interaction with civilian life insurance all deserve thoughtful review to prevent unnecessary expense or duplication.

Another essential step is organizing service-related records, including your DD-214, because these determine eligibility for VA benefits, burial honors, and survivor programs. Without them, your family may face delays or even lose access to benefits you earned.

As part of the Life & Legacy Planning® process, I work closely with families to gather, categorize, and securely store all benefit information so your spouse and children receive the support they deserve without navigating burdensome administrative hurdles during an already difficult time.

Your burial and memorial preferences should also be documented clearly. Eligibility for national cemetery burial, military honors, government markers, and burial flags is a significant part of your earned benefits, and your family should know exactly how to honor your wishes.

Planning for Every Stage of Military Service

A comprehensive plan for a military family should function seamlessly during active duty, deployment, retirement, incapacity, and death.

To accomplish that, the following components are essential:

1. Advanced, military-specific powers of attorney: These must include DFAS, VA, and Tricare authorization, allowing your chosen agent to act immediately and effectively. Generic POAs often fail when presented to military agencies.

   
   

2. Healthcare directives valid in both military and civilian settings: Your healthcare agent must be empowered to speak directly with military physicians and ensure your medical preferences are honored no matter where you are stationed.

   
   

3. Instructions for personal property of military significance: Uniforms, medals, awards, and memorabilia often carry deep emotional and historical meaning. Documenting your wishes ensures these items are preserved and passed down respectfully.

   
   

4. Ongoing legal guidance throughout your service: Military life is transitional by nature. A static, one-time set of documents cannot protect a family experiencing repeated moves, deployments, or retirement shifts. That’s why we review and update your plan as your circumstances change, ensuring accuracy and effectiveness every step of the way.

Honoring Your Service and Safeguarding Your Family

Your service reflects courage, sacrifice, duty, and profound commitment. Your estate plan should reflect that same level of dedication by providing your loved ones with clarity, organization, and support when they need it most.

When we create your Life & Legacy Plan, your family will know:

• where to find essential documents,

• how to access accounts and military benefits,

• whom to contact for guidance,

• and what steps to take without confusion or fear.

  
  

They will not face VA claims alone. They will not have to decipher outdated documents during a crisis. They will have a trusted advisor who understands their unique needs and stands ready to support them at every stage.

This Veterans Day, and every day, you deserve a plan that protects your service, your values, and your family’s future.

Schedule your complimentary 15-minute Discovery Call here