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Dec. 2024 / Jan. 2025
How to Make the Most of Each Day Don’t Let Life Pass You By
Whether we think about it or not, time plays a crucial role in our lives. Every day, we have a set number of hours to accomplish our tasks, spend time with our loved ones, and get a good night’s sleep. If we waste an hour doing something less important, we don’t get that time back because time is forever fleeting. We have to make the most of our time because we never truly know if the next day will be our last. Maximizing our days and getting the most out of them is up to us. As we enter winter and experience the shortest days of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on the power of time, its role in our lives, and how we can effectively make the most out of each day. Since our lives will inevitably end, we need to be intentional with our actions and put effort forth to do what is most important to us. This is something that many of us struggle with, as we let the day lead us instead of taking charge ourselves. We get up in the morning, go through our daily routine, head to work, and cherish every moment. There’s nothing wrong with living this way, as it allows us to put food on the table and accomplish work goals, but we could also be doing more with the time we’re given. So, take those extra few minutes each day to soak up the sunset with your loved ones or participate in one of your favorite activities. It could lead to a happier or more fulfilling life. While it would be wonderful to say we want to make a change and be more intentional with our time, that’s impossible for everyone. Many of us must incorporate strategies to make the most of each day. Every night, I outline three things I absolutely have to do the next day. Most of the time, my three things include praying, working out, and journaling. Those are the top three things in my routine that help keep me organized, but I’ll also include time for family and friends each day.
hit all the critical things and grow professionally and personally. Not every day can bring growth, progress, and success, but by keeping these things in mind, I can accomplish what’s most important and keep myself organized. By staying in a routine, I maintain my discipline.
“We have to make the most of our time because we never truly know if the next day will be our last.”
If you’re struggling to maintain a routine, take a moment to look at your priorities and determine what matters most to you. Do you want to have dinner with your family every night? Do you want to spend an hour at the gym before starting work? Do you want to grow in your career? These are all questions you should consider when determining your priorities. However, be sure to put yourself first when determining your priorities, even if your family is what’s most important to you. If you can’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to care for others! By evaluating what’s most important in your life and developing strategies to ensure you stick to a daily routine, you can make the most out of each day, even if it’s the middle of winter and you only get a few hours of sunlight!
At the end of each day, I’ll look back and see if I did those three things before reflecting on everything I learned. My best days are when I can
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ople to Thank
Avoid These Common Estate Planning Errors to Protect Your Legacy Benjamin Franklin once famously said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This quote applies to nearly every aspect of our lives, but it becomes even more true when discussing estate planning. Many people believe their assets are too small or insignificant to require an estate plan, but this is just one common misconception about estate planning. Your estate plan allows you to plan and bring your desires and wishes to fruition. While there are many misconceptions and rumors about how estate plans work, there are also some common errors that people with estate plans often overlook. I’ve seen my fair share over the years. Here are two common mistakes that can derail your estate planning efforts. Failure to Designate a Contingent Beneficiary Not long ago, I was working with a client with no children. They were adamant that they didn’t want their assets going to their nieces, their only living relatives. However, their estate plan at the time stated that everything would go from one spouse to the other if one were to pass away before the other. They didn’t have a contingent beneficiary, which determines where the assets go when both spouses have passed. Since their nieces were next of kin, probate court would transfer any assets to them. We worked together to create an estate
HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND FINANCIALLY FIT MERGING MONEY AFTER 50 Are you tying the knot after 50? (Congratulations!) For older couples getting ready to walk down the aisle, there are unique financial considerations to take into account. Merging finances at this exciting stage involves retirement plans, adult children from previous relationships, and different priorities for the future. Get ready for the honeymoon phase as we explore how to merge marital finances in your 50s and beyond. Understanding Your Significant Other’s Spending At this point in your life, your financial habits and values are well established compared to 20-somethings still finding their financial footing. Being transparent about your income, savings, and spending with your partner is essential. You may even want to review each other’s credit reports. Discuss your hopes for retirement and what it will take to get there. You may be more set in your money mannerisms, so it will take planning to reach your shared lifetime goals. Combining Accounts Newlyweds who are 50-plus must decide if they will merge their accounts fully or maintain separate ones. At this age, you likely have more assets to consider. Maybe you’ll keep individual bank accounts and create a joint account for shared expenses like bills. Reviewing your estate plans together is essential to ensure your wishes for wealth distribution to heirs are clear. Embarking on this new chapter means more than just sharing a life — it’s about blending finances in a way that makes sense for both of you. Communicating about your finances and shared goals ensures your golden years together are filled with financial harmony and peace of mind.
plan that ensured their assets would go where they wanted. Designating a contingent beneficiary is an integral part of estate planning that often goes unnoticed.
Not Understanding What Becomes Public Information
Would you say that you live a private life? Unless you’re a professional athlete or aiming for a position in politics, you likely answered yes to that question. However, if you don’t
have an estate plan when you pass away, your assets will go through probate court, where it is determined who will gain possession of them. Just like that, all of your assets just became public information. You must have a foolproof estate plan to keep your life, assets, and possessions private.
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For more common errors, be sure to check out page three!
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More Common Estate Planning Errors to Avoid
Not Realizing There Is a Delay in the Distribution of Assets You might believe your loved ones will receive your assets almost immediately after you pass, but this is never the case if probate is involved. In most cases, at least nine to 12 months before your assets can go to their rightful new owner. Let’s say you owned a property your kids want to sell to help with their expenses. They could petition to sell the property before nine months have passed, but they wouldn’t be able to distribute the money to the heirs until after they reach the distribution of assets stage during estate administration.
On page two, we discussed a couple of the most common estate planning errors we see at our office. But those are only a few mistakes that plague people’s estate planning efforts. Below, we’ll share a few more to keep in mind. These are all incredibly important, and failing to fix these errors can make things harder for your loved ones in the future. Failing to Understand the Expenses Associated With Transferring Assets One of the biggest estate planning mistakes we regularly see is people deeding their house to their kids. They think this is the best way to ensure the home stays in the family, but they fail to realize how much their children may need to pay in taxes and other fees. Let’s say you have a home worth around $150,000, some money in the bank, and a vehicle you plan on passing to your kids after you pass away. With everything totaled up, your estate would be valued at over $250,000. You would be looking at over $9,000 of probate expenses and registration that you could have avoided entirely if you had built your estate plan properly. Now, consider that most people in Ohio have homes worth well over $250,000. Those fees would be even higher. Putting these significant assets into a living trust is much better for keeping them in the family and helping your heirs avoid paying obscenely high fees.
TAKE A BREAK
Korean Steak Slaw
INGREDIENTS • 2 tbsp gochujang or sriracha hot sauce • 2 tbsp soy sauce • 3 tbsp sesame oil, divided • 2 sirloin steaks, about 1 lb total
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix gochujang, soy sauce, and 2 tbsp sesame oil. Set aside 1 tbsp of mixture to use for dressing. Place steaks in bowl with the remaining marinade and coat. 2. Julienne radish and carrot into strips. Shred red cabbage and slice 3 green onions. Mix the reserved marinade with the remaining sesame oil and rice vinegar, then toss with vegetables in a large bowl to coat. 3. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Fry steaks for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare, brushing with the marinade as they cook. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into thin strips. Slice the remaining green onions and add to the slaw. 4. Serve sliced steak over the slaw and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
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1 daikon radish 1 large carrot 1/2 red cabbage 5 green onions, divided
CARDINAL COCOA FROSTY GARLAND
GENEROSITY MENORAH MITTENS PEPPERMINT
PINECONES SNUGGLE UNITY YULE
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2 tbsp rice vinegar
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2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
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INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
1
The Importance of Being Intentional With Your Time Combining Finances When Tying the Knot Later in Life
2
Key Errors to Avoid in Estate Planning
3
Additional Errors to Avoid in Estate Planning
Korean Steak Slaw
Take a Break
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The Anti-Snoring Pillow
Snore No More The Innovative Motion Pillow
If you have ever had to migrate from the bed to the couch, chances are you are either a dog with bad gas or your spouse has a snoring problem. While we have no sophisticated technological solution for the former, a new anti-snoring pillow may help dampen the effects of snoring. The Motion Pillow is a promising solution to an age-old problem and was even awarded a Best of Innovation award at CES 2024. You are
using AI to determine whether the sounds it hears are your snores or other audio interference. If it detects snoring, it will activate the inflatable airbag inside the pillow to lift your head, applying tension and opening your airway. According to 10minds, which is based in Seoul, South Korea, this automatic detection and inflation reduces snoring. The company claims that 93% of its study participants experienced a reduction in snoring and a 44% decrease in snoring time.
probably thinking, “People have had pillows forever. How can a pillow be innovative?” Well, this pillow utilizes AI technology, an inflatable airbag, and a companion app, which work together to reduce the amount and volume of users’ snoring. Here is how it works. Buzzwords to Put You to Sleep These days, every product advertises some sort
Custom Comfort If you are worried about an AI snuffing out
your snoring, you’ll be relieved to know that the Motion Pillow has a companion app. The app measures your sleep time, how long you snore, and how long the airbag is inflated each night, but it also lets you customize how much the pillow inflates. If you are interested, you can buy your very own Motion Pillow for just $699.99.
of AI integration. The difference is that with the Motion Pillow, integrated AI actually does something helpful. The Motion Pillow is accompanied by the Motion System, a separate appliance that sits near a user’s bed and wirelessly connects to the pillow. The Motion System listens in while you sleep,
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