Jay Zigmont, founder of Childfree Wealth, a specialist RIA firm, has announced the launch of a venture aimed at better supporting the estate planning needs of Americans who do not have children or other close heirs.
The platform aims to deliver a comprehensive way for the approximately 50 million Americans without children to create their estate documents and name a professional fiduciary team to step in as their medical and financial power of attorney, executor and trustee.
“Estate and care planning in the U.S. is built around the assumption that you’ll have kids to step in when something goes wrong,” Zigmont said in a statement. “If you don’t have children, you are often left in what I call a fiduciary void. Childfree Trust exists to fill that gap.”
The membership-based service allows users to create “childfree-specific” legal documents via a guided online process. Their planning is then supported by a 24/7 emergency call center that allows medical professionals and hospitals to reach the user’s designated fiduciary team.
This approach ensures continuity of care and decision-making for emergencies, Zigmont said, without defaulting to courts or distant relatives.
“Our platform gives childfree people a way to organize everything in one place and name a professional fiduciary team that will actually be there when it counts, whether that’s tomorrow or 30 years from now,” Zigmont said. “You don’t have to rely on an overwhelmed sibling or a distant nephew, and you don’t have to leave it up to the courts.”
Launch of the service coincides with the publication of a white paper that draws on proprietary survey data. The report identifies widespread gaps in estate and long-term care readiness: Nearly 80% of childfree adults do not have a will, while 70% have no legal planning documents at all. Other results show fewer than 13% have long-term care insurance, despite being more likely to need paid care later in life.
“Without children, many feel paralyzed by the question of who will inherit their estate or serve as power of attorney,” Zigmont said.
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