DUBUQUE, Iowa – As credit unions continue to build trust services divisions and alliances, some that haven't gone down that road yet may wonder if there's a real need. Six Iowa CUs that formed a partnership with First Community Trust, N.A. in 2001, have offered at least 14 reasons why members might want to consider estate planning and trust services. Among them, protecting assets inherited by heirs from lawsuits, divorces and other claims; planning for Medicaid and its impact on the estate if the member must go to a nursing home; and protecting children from a prior marriage if a member dies first. The six CUs that have aligned with First Community Trust are Dupaco Community CU, Du Trac Community CU; Collins Community CU; John Deere Community CU, which received approval to change its name to Veridian CU in 2006; University of Iowa Community CU; and IH Mississippi Valley CU, in Moline, Ill. Other reasons members might consider estate planning include providing for special needs children and grandchildren; preventing or discouraging challenges to the estate plan; and "Brady-Bunch" family estate planning, which assure that the stepparent doesn't spend a child's inheritance and/or provide for a spouse without sacrificing the intended legacy for children of a prior marriage.