Every parent’s nightmare is that your family will be torn apart over money when you pass. I will let you in on an ironic little secret about the inheritance you hope to leave. Money makes people crazy! If you have not planned appropriately - and sometimes even when you have - it is very possible that your family will be torn apart over dollars and cents and over your “stuff.”… Read More
Retirement Digest: Leaving Our Legacy
If there is one person I follow whose writing causes me to stop and think on a regular basis, it’s my friend Jeremy Walter. In a recent article, he wrote about how we leave our legacy. Jeremy’s post, whether he meant it this way or not, coincides with the unexpected passing of Kobe Bryant and eight others to include Kobe’s daughter. An outpouring of love and great stories commonly follow… Read More
My (Ir)Rational Fear
Over the past few months, I’ve started to worry about dying. This sounds morose but stay with me because this is really a post about life. Irrational as though it may seem for a 36-year-old to worry about dying, I seriously do. Oddly though, I don’t worry about dying in a car accident or anything like that - I worry about having a heart attack. Much of this angst can… Read More
7 Estate Planning Essentials
For most people, estate planning looks something like this: “When all is said and done, more was said than done.” - Lou Holtz Anyone who has helped in the estate resolution process for a loved one knows it can be either an enormous pain or relatively painless (excluding the loss of your loved one, of course). The level of difficulty is almost certainly determined by the planning or lack thereof done… Read More
Writing a Letter to Your Loved Ones
This site is all about living a better retirement and having a bigger impact. An idea I have heard from a few people recently is to write a letter to your loved ones - particularly those you hope to have some sort of impact on. In my case, I have two young sons. Regardless of their age, I am making a commitment to write a letter to them each year… Read More
Giving Money to Your Children - An Alternative Strategy
There are two times people can give money to their children - at death and during life. Thank you Captain Obvious. But more and more, I hear people saying that they’d like to give the money now rather than at death so they can experience the enjoyment of giving and seeing what a difference it can make in the lives of their children. I’d like to challenge that strategy today…. Read More
Dealing With Loss
It’s been a tough month. About a month ago, a friend of mine lost their son unexpectedly. Though we rarely talk due to being far away, it is a dear friend whom I’ve known nearly my entire life and our families are still very close. His son was just 24 years old. Clearly taken from us far too soon. Then last week, another friend lost their daughter unexpectedly. She was… Read More
A Letter to Grandparents
In September, it will be four years since my grandfather passed away and I still think about him every single day. He was my hero. His presence in my life and the impact that he had on me will stay with me forever. At his funeral, my brother and I were given the distinct honor of delivering the eulogy. My sister and our cousin were on stage with us as we… Read More
