If you plan on starting a family here in Louisiana, you may consider adopting. Besides looking at your current home and lifestyle to determine your readiness for adoption, you should also closely examine your bank account.
For consideration, American Adoptions focuses on a number of financial areas related to adoption. Keep these ideas in mind when developing an adoption budget.
Agency fees
Should you decide to use an agency to help with the adoption process, prepare for fees. Specifically, such fees are necessary for managing the adoption, screening potential birth mothers and adoption education. Be sure you are clear on what fees you can expect to pay and how the agency uses them before signing on with a specific agency.
Medical fees
Both birth mother and baby require proper medical care during the adoption process. Look into insurance programs and state and federal programs that may cover such costs.
Legal fees
Adoption comes with a lot of paperwork. Looking into hiring a legal professional who specializes in adoption is a good idea. This is especially true considering that you may need to appear in court during the course of your adoption. Just like with the adoption agency, get a firm understanding of how much you can expect to pay in legal fees for your specific case and what those fees are for.
Living expenses
Going back to looking at your current home to ensure it is ready for a growing family, you may want to help the birth mother with living expenses. Work with your adoption attorney to check Louisiana laws to determine whether the state currently permits such expenses.
This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.