The Dog Days of Summer: A Good Time to Plan
While Canis Major has its time (which the Greeks connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck), some of us have just a little extra time to arrange/review our affairs.
Maybe you are already taking your children to college, or preparing them for school, or enjoying the quiet before they come home from camp.
Maybe you face other transitions, whether caused by age, illness, death, or just a change of mood or circumstances. Perhaps a new child, grandchild, or spouse is on the scene, or someone has or is departing it. Maybe it is just time for your next business venture. Maybe your success has you thinking about how you would like to help others.
Whatever your next adventure or journey, now is a good time to make sure You and Yours are legally prepared should things not play out according to plan.
Your people should know the path forward when you are not there to advise them. Authority should be vested in the people who will carry out your wishes.
If you already have a plan, please take the time to make sure the people you've named to make your decisions are still the ones you want making those decisions.
When my sister became a doctor, my parents naturally looked to her to help them with their medical decisions. We gave her legal authority to make these decisions as well.
When I moved back to the US, it made sense for me to have more authority as to my parent's affairs. We adjusted our affairs appropriately.
Maybe you've moved. Maybe the people you named have moved, or moved on. Maybe your children have become capable, responsible adults and should have more authority. Maybe they are taking more chances or facing larger potential liabilities and their legacy should be insulated from potential creditors.
Or your children have become adults, and they should be taking care to ensure you still have proper access and authority.
As my children age out of their Uniform Trusts for Minors Accounts (UTMA), we set them up with their own revocable trusts: they add me back as a trustee. They have executed wills and health care instructions so that their mother and I can talk to their doctors and manage their affairs if for any reason they can't.
The right plan gives the best odds that Your Legacy is the one you intend.
The bottom line is that the right plan can smooth unwelcome transitions. It can keep families functioning and together. It can make sure your child has access to the right resources at the right time. It can make sure your business is properly managed when you can't. In short the right plan gives you the best odds that Your Legacy is the one you intend.
If you find that these days give you the opportunity to pause and review, and that review leaves you with questions, you should get these resolved. I would be happy to help you do that.
If it is time for adjustment of your plan, book now. The new school year and the Jewish New Year (my particular holidays) are already looming on the calendar.
For Your Peace of Mind, it might make sense to make sure your affairs are in proper order.
If you'd like to explore what is right for you, please call and set up a time to do this.
Happy Jewish New Year 5782
To those whose people made monotheism a thing, and arguably made the world we live in possible, I wish you a Sweet and Meaningful New Year. May the world continue to partake of the bounty our shift in thinking hath brought.
All My Best for a Sweet, Meaningful, and Satisfying 5782!
David R. Herz
Happy Jewish New Year 5782
To those whose people made monotheism a thing, and arguably made the world we live in possible, I wish you a Sweet and Meaningful New Year. May the world continue to partake of the bounty our shift in thinking hath brought.
All My Best for a Sweet, Meaningful, and Satisfying 5782!
David R. Herz
My Mother had a Stroke Last Week
My mom had a stroke last Thursday evening.
Now, as an attorney who helps people plan for just this, you'd think I was ready, and in many ways we were. We did create the documents. We all know the plan who answers for what, and who takes care of what.
But we had a problem. When my father was alive, we knew where everything was. He even had a map of where everything was stored in his office. And at his end, the only issues to iron out were financial, and that wasn't an emergency, and that got sorted out without a hitch.
My Mother is Not My Father
Suffice it to say, my mother is not my father. She has a different filing system. And my sister the doctor called, the one who is the designated healthcare representative, and asked, “Where's the Healthcare Power of Attorney?”
And I didn't know. And maybe it seems like a small thing, but in that moment it was a big thing. It is even on my checklist even, the one you can download at Herz.Law:
Do your people know where to find your vital documents?
I realized I had not checked with my mom about her filing system. And maybe it seems like a small thing, but in that moment it was a big thing. My sister needed to answer for her, to make medical decisions, and we didn't know where the authority was.
Fortunately, she found it, under a mattress in a guest bedroom, but that wasn't stress that anyone needed in those moments.
My point is without your people knowing where your documents are when you need them, it's as good as not having any.
So make sure the right people know. And while you are at it, make sure your documents still say what you want them to, and that the right people are still designated. Check them against the checklist.
And if you want to review it with me, then Schedule a Call, and we'll take a look.
In the meantime, you should have a great Easter, or the rest of your Passover, if you celebrate. And as you are with your family, you might want to check in with your people to make sure they know what is important and what they should do if something happens to you.
I send you All My Best,
David R. Herz
If You Can't Tell People, Who Will?
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It's wet, you're tired, it's just another mile. You fade a moment and lose control.
Who will make your decisions if you can't?
If you are over 18, no one has automatic access to your records. If you have two loved ones who have different ideas about your care, and what steps should be taken, who will get to choose?
Who even knows what you want?
Who will know when You can't tell people?
It's up to you to leave instructions. I can help you do that.
I am opening my law office, Herz PLLC, in Bridgeport where I’ll be concentrating on just this type of planning: health care representative and guardian designations, trusts, wills, your legacy planning in short.
If you haven’t yet named someone to make medical decisions for you when you can’t, you should. And if you have kids, you should also be thinking about who will take care of them if you can’t.
I’m having a special right now to kick-start my return: "Pay What You Can Afford" for a simple will and health care directive. And You Decide what You Can Afford. This offer is good until July 31, 2020, or I have the first twenty takers, whichever comes first.
Please know that any plan you come up with is likely to give you a better result than what the state will impose if you don’t share your wishes. Also know that while a will and health care directive are a good start, in many cases, more advanced planning makes more sense. While I do my best to take care of all my people within their means, any additional or other services are not included in the “Pay What You Can Afford” promotion. Particularly, this promotion does not include emergency/urgent services and unusual travel expenses. All services to be provided at the new location: 1836 Noble Avenue, in Bridgeport.
You can book an appointment at Herz PLLC. Use the Quick Consult Link.
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