Halfway Through the Year!

It is July already! That means we are halfway through the year! It was just six months ago that we had a new vision of what goals we wanted to achieve! It was the beginning of the year that we promised to get our affairs in order, including our physical and financial health. We know that getting ourselves financially and physically in order is not a destination but a journey.

We know many former school athletes who had six-pack abs and were incredibly muscle-bound who became barrels of blubber with a lack of effort and focus on maintaining the standard that we have achieved. Our goals and priorities regularly change. We have the privilege of making the commitment regarding how we want to set our goals and priorities. We just need to remember that our lives, like our bodies, are dynamic as well as our capacity to maintain and invest in the maintain. The relationships that we have today are not the relationships that we had yesterday and may not be the relationships we have tomorrow. People change. They move. They marry people we may or may not like. They get sick. They die. All these incidents change our relationships.

I am startled by the number of calls that we have received when my answer has had to be that it is too late to take any initiative-taking steps at this point. We just need to wait until the transition happens. I have received quite a few calls that have sought guidance on how to manage the financial affairs of a person who no longer was responsive or was fighting dementia. A very real standard to sign any legal document is that someone must be of “sound mind.” That sound mind standard is not a truly clear black-and-white line but differentiated based upon the legal purpose. Signing testamentary documents has a different standard than signing a contract. The understanding of the information is the underlying principle. We, unfortunately, receive calls asking us to come to the hospital to have documents executed for people who are terminally ill. Many times, the courts have challenged documents that are executed close to the date of death. This, has often, created conflicts and controversy that affect relationships and families and significant legal fees that could have been avoided if our affairs had been in order.

Far too often we wait unnecessarily. I encourage people to appreciate that there is no downside to planning in any situation. Planning for the worst while hoping for the best is the strategy that always leaves an individual, families, businesses, and communities in the best position. Alternatively, we find ourselves in situations that create reactions that are not prepared for with resources that do not honor and respect relationships that are important to us.

We have a responsibility to the people that we love and those who love us to flow with the dynamic lives with which we are blessed. We are excited to share that responsibility with you to create the plan and build the legacy that you would like for your family.