Estate Planning for Young Families: What Happens If You Can’t Speak for Yourself?

Guest: Raj Aujla
Host: Dr. Tamara Patzer
Show: Thought Leaders Show: Legal Edition
Recorded: August 13, 2026

Estate planning isn’t only about what happens after you die.

It is also about what happens to you, your children, your finances and your family if you are alive but suddenly unable to make decisions for yourself.

In this episode, Dr. Tamara Patzer talks with California estate planning attorney Raj Aujla about why young families often wait too long to put basic protections in place.

Raj walks through practical questions involving medical decisions, children, guardianship, finances, wills, trusts and California probate.

In This Episode

• Why young parents need estate planning
• Medical decision-making during incapacity
• Durable powers of attorney
• Advance health care directives
• Guardianship for minor children
• Why naming a godparent may not create legal guardianship
• Grandparents caring for grandchildren
• Wills versus trusts
• California probate
• Privacy and estate planning
• Why trusts are not only for wealthy families
• Protecting the family during incapacity as well as death

About Raj Aujla
Raj Aujla is a California estate planning attorney and founder of Aujla Legal in Pasadena, California.

His practice focuses on helping families understand wills, trusts, incapacity planning, probate and family protection.

Connect With Raj
Aujla Legal
LinkedIn: Raj Aujla

Questions This Episode Answers
Do young parents need estate plans?
Who takes care of children if both parents are hospitalized?
Is a godparent automatically a legal guardian?
Does a spouse automatically have authority to make every decision?
What is the difference between a will and a trust?
Does a trust avoid probate in California?
Do grandparents need legal authority when caring for grandchildren?

Legal Disclaimer: This program is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

• Host
• Recent Episodes

Tamara "Tami" Patzer

Tamara "Tami" Patzer is a No. 1 best-selling author, publisher, and video producer at Blue Ocean Authority.She is the creator of Women Innovators Radio with its sister book publications:No. 1 Women Innovators: Leaders, Makers and GiversBook Series and Big Message, Big Mission book series. She works with authors,influencers, innovators, and trendsetters to Get Media Exposure.

Recent episodes from Tamara "Tami" Patzer (see all)

• The Last Love Letter: Why Estate Planning Is an Act of Love with Traci O’Neal Ellis, Esq. - September 17, 2026
• Raj Aujla: Estate Planning for Young Families: What Happens If You Can’t Speak for Yourself? - September 17, 2026
• Evan W. Turk, Esq. — Asset Protection by Design: Estate Planning Before the Crisis - September 17, 2026