Meet Nathaniel Chittick | Attorney: Trusts & Estates – Special Needs
We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathaniel Chittick and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Nathaniel, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
Establishing clear family values is something that is important to my family. As an estate planning attorney, I have ensured my children will have the financial resources to succeed if something happens to me. However, more important that passing on resources, I want to pass on my values. Our family core values are represented by the acronym, HIKER (Humor, Integrity, Kindness, Experience, and Responsibility). We could have picked other words to describe our values, but the important thing is that we tell family stories that relate back to the value words we did pick. I think this has given the kids a sense of belonging to something special and hopefully helps to guide their choices and actions for many years to come.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
After serving in the Marines and Army for more than 25-years, I felt called to move back home and join a private estate planning law firm. This was a scary choice, because I only needed a few more years on active duty to qualify for an immediate retirement and pension. By leaving early, I delayed my Army pension more than 15 years, but it just felt like the best choice for me and my family.
I’m now in my third year of private practice and I am confident the gamble paid off. I’ve been blessed with wonderful clients who refer their friends and families back to me. I most enjoy educating people about what I do and how various trust products might benefit them. As the father of a an autistic son, I connect deeply with other special needs families. There is probably nothing better than witnessing the moment a mom or dad realizes what a special needs trust (SNT) means for their son or daughter, and knowing I’m the one who can help them set it up. People tend to procrastinate when it comes to estate planning, so I like to make the process as efficient as possible and I usually find I’ve made friends along the way.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spot in Athens may be Add Drug Store. There is something so nostalgic about walking into a pharmacy to find a lunch counter that hasn’t changed much since I was a kid. I used to walk to Add two or three times a day as a kid to buy a pack of Topps baseball cards or get a coke. It is really cool that my kids can now share in that experience. Somehow the burgers, fries, and chocolate malts still taste the exact same. And, you should definitely check out their fried hotdog!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I credit my career to my grandfather, Marion “Vic” Vickers, and my third son, Miles Chittick. I followed my grandfather’s footsteps, joining the Marines after high school. Though our stories are almost 60-years apart, they are eerily similar. My grandfather was an Army infantry lieutenant in World War II, landing at Salerno, Italy in 1943. I was a Marine infantry lieutenant, leading a platoon in Iraq in 2003. My grandfather later led a tank unit, as did I. And, while my grandfather became an IG officer, I became a JAG officer. My grandfather passed in 2015, age 96, and blessed me with an inheritance I never anticipated. The gift came a critical time for me, but I realized it might have caused more harm than good had it come even a few years earlier. I think that was when I first considered estate planning as a possible career choice after the military.
In 2019, my third son, Miles, was diagnosed with autism while my family was stationed in Korea. A fellow JAG officer suggested Miles might benefit from a special needs trust (SNT) something I had never heard of before. In researching SNTs for Miles, I found my new passion. Helping special needs families now makes up a large portion of my private law practice.
Website: https://www.FamilyValuesTrust.com
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