Archive for December, 2009
This week as you look into next years crystal ball what do you see?
Will you be more sympathetic towards family and close friends?
Will your concern be so strong that you want to get things right?
Will others see your compassion as you help others, that in turn will trigger respect for you ?
Will you be concerned about the well-being of your family knowing that they too are concerned about you ?
Will you be more loving to family and friends ?
Because your ideals might be aroused with these visions, might you want to improve anything connected with your family because you know there is a better way to do things ?
This Crystal Ball then is showing you are now in the frame of mind to sit with your spouse to draft that long overdue Living Will and Family Will.
Any New Begining, spawns greater hope for the future, providing you act to take advantage of what is offered you.
Go for it!
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Last Will and Testament
Came across this terrific article and wanted to share it with you. We want to extend credit for this timely information to Gregory J. Litwin, Notary with the Notary Group at (info@thenotarygroup.ca )
Ever pretended that you had died? Perhaps you should !
When making your Last Will and Testatment perhaps one should think about dying……Ask yourself, have I reviewed my Will with my executor to ensure he or she is aware of my wishes and if there are any questions, I’m here to clarify.
Ask, does my executor know where my Will is , where my assets are and what they consist of ? Do I have any debts or liabilities, does anyone owe me any money, who does my tax return ? Is my executor aware of my wishes as to my personal belongings, do I have a favorite charity that I would donate something to ? Do I wish to be buried or cremated, and which funeral home do I wish to take of of me after I am gone. What do I want done with my ashes if I’m cremated,where will my body be interred, do I wish to have a funeral service, a wake, a celebration of life ?
Have you prepaid and / or pre-arranged your cremation / funeral service with a funeral home ? Perhaps you should consider this, as it will remove a tremendous burden from your executor and your family when they often have to decide these things at a most difficult time.
What if you died and your family and / or executor was not advised of these things : would they guess as to your wishes ? I believe the key is one of communication. I recommend that you make a list of your assets and liabilities and keep this list with your Last Will and Testament, possibly in a safe deposit box and / or fireproof safe, but again the key would be to advise your executor of the whereabouts of your Will and to grant them access if held in a safe deposit box. You should up-date this list every couple of years. You could also make up a list as to your personal things and up-date this list as you acquire more sentimental things and / or perhaps you’ll give some of your precious things away, prior to your death.
Do you have life insurance? If so, how much, who’s the beneficiary, and company is it with ,and again keep the life insurance policies with your Will. How about RRSP’s and / or RIF’s. Same thing applies and if you’ve named a beneficiary, this beneficiary would rceive this sum prior to the distribution of your estate assets. What about your pension ? Does it continue to your spouse or does it cease ? Do you have a contact person with your pension fund and / or your life insurance, and perhaps the name of your banker, that your executor can contact when you die.
I know many people fear death, but let us not fear talking about “putting the cards on the table “ and believe me, when you do you will feel so much better, knowing your loved ones are aware of your wishes and you will feel so much more secure and confident knowing your wishes will be followed correctly.
I believe Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “ The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. “ Let’s open the door to communication and eliminate this fear.
This blog advises to Register the location of where you will keep this important document with a World Wills Location and Search Registry so it can be easily found by your executor.
Wills
There can be no greater love for a spouse and children then when a Living Will and a Family Will are drafted for their protection.
Some, even consider a Will as a form of an insurance policy guaranteeing some stability to the remaining family members after the passing of the main household breadwinner.
As we move toward the year 2010, a new and very constructive approach is that many wives are now also drafting Wills as well as their husbands.
To this corner, that is an extremely positive factor that will further insure written declarations for families to follow.
Couples who take these extra steps are to be congratulated for their insistence to provide more comfort for any remaining family.
There can be no greater display of love, affection and caring than when a person is given a gift certificate from a lawyer, notary or financial planner to have drafted a Living Will and a Family Will.
It is a wonderful feeling when you give the perfect gift for someone that keeps on giving. Much like the pink rabbit with the TV battery commercial.
Don’t be bashful if it takes a change of attitude to admit that this document is a vital link for the good and wellfare of the family. Bite the bullet and good luck !
All the money in the world cannot buy the satisfaction, the contentment, the sense of achievement and the overwhelming peace of mind that comes with knowing a family’s Living Will and Family Will have been successfully completed and their location has been duly registered with a Location and Search World Registry so they can be found quickly when needed.
The families whose parents have obeyed the above creed, will forever benefit from their parents attention to detail with minimal fear knowing they have a simple plan to follow .
Giving a gift certificate obtained from a lawyer, notary or a financial planner to someone to have a Living Will or Family Will drafted, has to be considered the greatest gift of love !
There will be fewer Mothers, Wives and Families grieving after the passing of a loved one, if many more families recognize the value of giving gifts of love like a Will not only as a Christmas gift, but also as a birthday, and an anniversary gift.
Last Will and Testament
It is that time of year when thoughts of gifts for family are swirling through everyone’s mind.
Shopping around for that special gift can sometimes be exasperating and tiring, and one forever wonders if it will be the proper gift ?
Here is a suggestion ?. For Mom, ( the one person in the family that would be missed the most if she were missing ? ) think about a most unique gift that will go on being appreciated for a long time. Arrange for a visit to a lawyer, notary or financial planner to help your Mom get a Living Will drafted ? This will be a valueable document for Mom to have in the event she becomes handicapped thru any kind of illness or accident that would prevent her from operating the family household as she always has.
For Dad, also arrange a time with a lawyer, notary or financial planner to finally get a Family Will completed. It will be this document that lays out exactly the wishes of both your parents for the protection and well-being of the family members and their futures.
No question, both of these gifts would be unique and forever lasting , and would probably be the topic of conversation around kitchen tables everywhere.
Are your parents special enough for you to consider trying a different type of Christmas gift ?
Family Wills
too often _ is “ Hell On Earth “ for the surviving spouse and family.
There probably is not a human being in the world that would want to deliberately leave confusion and a mess for the loving family to deal with.
Yet_ _ _ it is an amazing occurance that befalls too many families daily.
Too many mothers, wives and families grieve too often unnecessarily because there was no Family Will left !
Only one comment can be made here.
Take a good look in the mirror to see the individual (s ) who can change all that in a New York Minute.
Family Wills
But being un-organized or dis-organized has a cousin called “Chaos”
When a couple decide to marry, each brings to the arrangement one person who may be a strong organizer, and the other not-so-good- at organizing. They will be champions if both are good organizers.
During my years in the corporate jungle, the company I was with engaged us in management developement annually at the American Management Association in Chicago. At these sessions were often speakers and trainers from Xerox, 3M, IBM, GM and Chrysler.
One day, at one session of over 100 in attendance, the 3M guy made a ststement that rather shook the complete class? He said “until you have been fired once or twice, you would not be a successful manager!” He was alluding to the “fear factor” that was most prevalent for managers being unable to make the harsh decisions daily necessary for any good manager for fear of being fired.
That fear factor hovers over most individuals whenever major decisions are necessary even in our daily lives. Some of that fear of the unknown is a major factor with couples in a home when it comes time to sit down to do some serious estate planning for the future of their family.
Another speaker lead the discussion titled Time Management. He said “being organized isn’t an accident” He verbally tricked some younger aspiring upstart managers into describing how they controlled time. Then he challenged them and reminded them that “nobody controls time “ “ No one has the ability to stop or alter any clock on any day ”
Those people who are successful at getting things accomplished every day, organize “how they USE THEIR TIME ONLY.” They organize their TO DO LIST and stick to it thereby accomplishing what others cannot do because they never have, nor follow any game plan.
When it comes to drafting Living Wills and Family Wills, that fear of the unknowqn, mortality, sickness and accidents interfere’s with the common sense logic of completing these necessary family protection documents.
When families recognize the ultimate protection value as the greatest gift they can ever leave for a family, they develope a warmer feeling to address this problem.
It is in the hands of the parents to guarantee as much future happiness for the family as can be planned.
_ _ happen within their own timeframe. Young or old.
Are you completely satisfied that you are prepared for anthing unexpected that might befall you or a family member?
Are you certain that you are going to live forever to look after any family you might have?
Would you gamble all the possessions you have accumalated to date, that nothing is ever going to happen to you?
Would you even gamble one more day, week, or month, that you do not need a Living Will and a Family Will to guarantee the comfortable future and well-being of your family?
Life has a peculiar way of interupting our best intentions and plans, and too often, this interuption happens before we are prepared.
Don’t get caught off-guard!
Less than 20% of the world population have any Wills, and often, more than half of those Wills cannot be properly executed because they cannot be found when needed.
Which group are you in ?
Will planning
The parents have the power of the almighty to guarantee comfort and happiness for all time to all their family possessions.
Don’t let them down now!.
Would you leave your family without food for any length of time ? Without heat in their home ? without Medical protection ?.
Would you deprive them the opportunity to live in your home and carry-on a family lifestyle as they should after you have gone ?
If you don’t take the time today to sit with your spouse to draft that much needed document to insure none of the above will happen, you will have abdicated your your responsibility and let them down badly?
Get that Will drafting started today. Bequeath happiness and contentment and let them remember you as the most caring person in the world.
Get prepared today. Time may not always be on your side.