"If you'd hit her in the passenger door, you probably would have killed her," the officer told me as I looked over the crumpled front of my mini-van. I was a bit shaken, but relieved. It could have been so much worse, especially for 'Marge'.
That February day began like any other day for 'Marge', an elderly lady who was just driving a few blocks from her home to the local mall. She probably had her mind on the things she wanted to purchase and didn't realize she had turned across traffic in front of me without looking. I had just enough time to swerve slightly. Thankfully, I crashed into her front quarter-panel, instead of T-boning into passenger side door.
Fortunately 'Marge' only received only a fractured sternum from the collision, but in her fragile state it would take weeks for her to heal. Even though the accident was her fault, and I had only suffered a few sore muscles and inconvenience as a result, it still left me shaken.
The whole incident had taken only seconds to occur. One moment I was running a lunch-time errand, the next moment my air bag was exploding and tires were screeching. What if 'Marge' had been traveling faster or I hadn't swerved? What if she had hit me head-on? The results could have been devastating for both us and for our families.
I'm the husband of a wonderful woman and proud father of four young children. My mind flashed to what life would be like for them should something happen to me. I was comforted knowing that even though such an event would be very difficult for them, it wouldn't have to be financially devastating. We'd already put an estate plan in place, including life insurance to adequately provide for my family in my absence. That February day was a personal and stark reminder of the extreme importance of such planning.
As a Certified Financial Planner, I've seen the effects that failing to plan has had on those left behind. I've seen a wife and her children, after 30 years of marriage, be forced to move in with her parents and rely on them financially because her husband died unexpectedly in his sleep. They always thought they had plenty of time to plan.
I've talked with children who have had their careers and family life put on hold while they had to settle the estate of a parent who put off taking care of business. I've seen families torn apart, fighting over the inheritance, because their parents never made sure their wishes were known and would be carried out.
There have been family farms and businesses unnecessarily lost because of onerous estate taxes. Thousands and thousands of dollars that Dad thought would go to the kids went to Uncle Sam instead. And why? Because Dad didn't want to spend the one or two thousand dollars it would take to put the right estate plan in place. He was penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Did you know that 70% of Americans fail to do any estate planning? Are you one of them? If so, why? Unless you have discovered the Fountain of Youth, there is simply no excuse for not planning for the settlement of your estate. Do you want to leave your loved ones in a mess? Do you want your wife to struggle through a complicated and emotional probate process? Do you want your kids fighting tooth and nail over what you leave behind?
Getting your affairs in order doesn't have to be difficult. And you don't have to 'get everything together' in order to do it. Certified Financial Planners like myself can walk you through the process and come up with a plan that will be simple, cost-effective and ensure that your wishes are carried out. An attorney can then draft the necessary documents.
The point is, there is simply no excuse for not putting your affairs in order. Even if you have documents in place, make sure they are current. Don't put if off any longer. Like 'Marge' found out, you never know when your future will take an unexpected turn.
Hvis du har spørgsmål om dette eller andre finansielle emne, jeg vil gerne høre fra dig. Du kan kontakte mig online på www.guardingyourwealth.com eller gratis på 1-877-827-1463.
SÆRBERETNING:
Har denne "investering From Hell 'er blevet anbefalet til dig af din rådgiver?
Det håber jeg ikke! Dette gratis 47-side særberetning er fyldt med
solid information, du behøver at vide for at beskytte dig selv. Denne rapport
kunne spare dig og dine kære tiere, selv hundredtusindvis af
dollars. Hvis du vil have din kopi blot klikke her:
http://www.guardingyourwealth.com/SpecialReports/GeneralEIA.htm
Mr. Voudrie er en Certified Financial Planner og formand for Legacy Planning Group, Inc., en Private Wealth Management Firm i Johnson City, TN.
Nedenstående liste omfatter flere artikler relateret til ovenstående artikel fra "Estate Planning" artiklen kategori.
Folk er interesseret i ovenstående artikel "Estate: She Came Out Of Nowhere" er også interesseret i de relaterede artikler anført nedenfor:
Asset Protection er alles ønske, men voksne deler en egenskab - at de kan blive sagsøgt når som helst, uanset årsag, uanset om grundlagt eller ej. Civile søgsmål, som spænder fra det alvorlige til det useriøse. Har du fornærme nogen i dag med noget, du sagde? Har du nogen grund til at lide pludselig whiplash syndrom på parkeringspladsen? Er du en professionel står over for en utilfreds kunde eller patient? Ejer du en virksomhed, der beskæftiger en person, der gjorde noget uansvarligt virksomheden tid? Har du begået en fejl på siden af forsigtighed ... eller kaste forsigtighed til vinden?
Når en person dør, de aktiver, der ejes af ham skal være placeret og beskyttet. Disse aktiver kaldes som dødsboet. Gælden for den afdøde skal betales af boets aktiver. Når gælden er betalt af den ejendom, uanset stadig kan så fordeles blandt modtagerne er nævnt i afdødes vilje eller i henhold til provinsbyen lov intestacy. Når en person dør uden en vilje, han siges at have døde testamente.
Et af de største spørgsmål seniorer står overfor, når de bliver ældre, er, hvordan man bevarer en arv til deres børn. Deres største frygt er, bruger alle de penge på Assisted Living og / eller plejehjemsanbringelse. Da hver familie situation er anderledes, så er hver enkelt løsning. Måske du kan lære noget af erfaringerne fra en af mine klienter.
Living trusts er normalt oprettes, således at alle aktiver kan blive videregivet til arvinger eller begunstigede uden nødvendigvis at gå skifteretten måde. Mange mennesker har oplevet tilfælde, hvor ejerne af aktiver forgå, modtagerne kampen i løbet af disse aktiver, bare fordi der ikke var etableret levende tillid, som direkte vil gå til aktiver til den egentlige modtagere.
Med begyndelsen af et nyt år, ser det overalt du tænder du høre noget om selv-forbedring. Der er planer om vægttab, motion regimer, at holde op med at ryge, går grøn og meget mere. Hvad med din økonomi? Selv hvis du tror, din økonomi er i "god form", kan alle bruge lidt "tune up 'for at sikre alt kører gnidningsfrit. Og det er ikke så svært at gøre, som du tror. Der er nogle meget enkle trin, du kan tage, der kan gøre en verden til forskel.
De fleste amerikanere ved ikke, hvordan deres formue skal fordeles, når de dør. Arizona advokat Steve Allen, kendt som "ejendom planlægning læge, har" startet en hjemmeside til at forklare komplicerede emner af testamenter og tillid.
The American Bar Association, siger, at 19 procent af amerikanerne ikke har en vilje. Steven Allen, en ejendom planlægning ekspert, siger, at dette kan give familierne mere sorg og hjertesorg efter en elsket en dør.
| 
