DO THEY REALLY WANT THAT? Why You Should Ask Your Heirs About Your Possessions
Transfers of wealth are common from baby boomers to their generation X, Y, and Z children and grandchildren. But money isn’t the only thing that gets transferred to younger generations — boomers are lovingly passing along tons of mementos, heirlooms, and tchotchkes that their offspring may not want. If you’re planning to hand down these kinds of things or have already listed them in your will, you might want to rethink your plans. The odds are that younger generations either don’t want your stuff, don’t need your stuff, or just don’t have room for it, much like yourself. So in reality, leaving things to them might be more of a burden than a blessing. Even though there might be a great backstory to your cherished items, your heirs will likely have other thoughts about their value. Let’s face it: Their tastes are not your tastes!
So, before you make finite decisions about which of your belongings need to be preserved as a legacy for your heirs, have an open and candid conversation. If you do, two things are likely to happen: If they want it, they’ll tell you so. If they don’t want it, they’ll be honest about it, or you’ll be able to see in their response that they aren’t interested. Should the latter be the case, don’t take it personally. It’s not meant to be a comment on you or how they’ll choose to cherish your memory. Instead, see which of your items you might be able to auction or sell at consignment stores and which you can donate to places in need. You might have to swallow your pride, but in the end, it’s best for everyone involved. If you have questions about how to properly leave possessions to heirs who do want them, contact our office so we can help.
take a break
CINNAMON-SPICED CANDIED SWEET POTATOES
INGREDIENTS
• 4 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, then cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp kosher salt • 1/4 tsp ground cloves • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed • 4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Place sweet potato wedges in a 4-quart baking dish. 3. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and cloves over sweet potatoes. 4. Dot with butter and place cinnamon sticks around sweet potatoes.
5. Bake, turning every 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid is syrupy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 6. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. 7. Discard cinnamon sticks and serve.
Inspired by FoodAndWine.com
3
718-698-2200
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online