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It’s the circle of life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love ’Til we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle The circle of life –Elton John, “Circle of Life” After a long labor and a nail-biting wait, our first grandchild was born Dec. 8 to our daughter, Sara, and her husband, Jeremy. Welcome to this wild and wonderful world, Jack Oliver.
one. But Sara was convincing, and our golden retriever, Jazmine, was a loving part of our family for over 11 years. The Circle of Life “moves us all, through despair and hope, through faith and love, ‘til we find our place, on the path unwinding.” It’s humbling to recognize that we are just a speck on this infinite circle. My wish for Jack is that his hopes far outweigh his despair, and that he finds much faith and love along his small slice of this unending loop.
It’s a whirlwind of feelings: wonder, hope, and possibilities, all tangled with memories of our own newborns a long time ago. I can’t describe my precise feelings, only that I have a new place in my heart that I didn’t know existed. Sara was our first child, so I guess it was natural for me to flash back to her birth and childhood. The first time
Speaking of circles — when our kids were young, we took them to Kensington Park. We walked down a long dirt path to a small lake and made a game of skipping and throwing stones in the water.
What happens when you throw a stone in the lake? It causes ripples. Who could have foretold the ripples we would create when I met my amazing wife 30-plus years ago? Our chance meeting — that stone tossed in the lake — created a splash that has expanded out into ripples we never imagined. You, Jack, are a major ripple on the surface of our always changing waters. I hope you are curious about life. I hope I see you grow up to be as kind, compassionate, and generous as your parents. I hope to teach you just a little about life along the way, and to leave the world a better place for you. You are a bundle of hope, a boundless future in a tiny cradle. And I am eager to see the light you will carry to this world.
she opened her eyes, with pink flushed cheeks. The first time she rolled over, crawled, and wobbled 3 or 4 steps ( she’s walking! ). The first time I took her out in the snow. It took us half hour to bundle her up in her snowsuit, and I tipped her sled over, which left her crying with a face full of snow. Thirty minutes to get her outside, and she was inside within two minutes!
I can remember her first stitches when she split her lip on the deck and we had to rush her to the emergency room. I look back at her seeds of independence at age 9, when she wrote a compelling essay on why she should have a dog. I didn’t want
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MichiganEstatePlans.com • 888.487.6150
Don’t Spend Another Year Lonely! 5 WAYS TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS IN RETIREMENT
VolunteerMatch.org to find opportunities in your area sorted by organization type.
dog park or obedience classes. If nothing else, you’ll have your dogs in common!
Friendship just might be the fourth secret to longevity, right behind eating well, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic, making friends can reduce stress, improve your self-confidence, and give you purpose in life! People with good friends are also more likely to exercise and less likely to drink to excess. But making friends is tough, especially in your golden years. To finally kick loneliness to the curb in 2022, try these five tips. you truly want one) will incentivize you to leave the house for walks, vet visits, and more. You’ll likely attract new friends in the neighborhood when they stop to pet your pup, and you can also meet people at the 1. Get a dog. Adopting a dog (assuming
4. Move to a 55-plus community. Also
2. Join a hobby group. The easiest way to find friends with similar interests is to pursue those interests. If you like to quilt, join a quilting group, and if you kayak, look for an outdoors club near you. Facebook is a great resource for finding online hobby groups, too! Just type your interest into the search bar and select “Groups” on the left-hand side of the screen. 3. Volunteer. Volunteering has similar benefits to joining a hobby group with the added benefit of giving back to the community! There’s likely a cause for whatever you’re interested in, whether that’s food, animals, or sports. Visit
called retirement communities or active adult communities, these neighborhoods are known for their low-maintenance housing, amenities, and group activity options — and they’re all over the U.S. If you want to find friends in your age group to swim and play tennis with, a local real estate agent can help you find them.
5. Become a mentor. Mentorship is a valuable way to form friendships across
generations. You can sign up for an existing program in the field you retired from or reach out to a local college or high school career center and offer your services. They’ll likely have graduates who’d love to meet you!
The end of the year or beginning of a new one is always a good time to look over your estate plan as well as other documents to make sure that everything is up to date and accurate. Now that the federal estate tax exemption is $11.7 million, it is essential that you take a look at your plans to make sure they still make sense. As tax thresholds are so high right now, it may make more sense to update any tax strategies you already had in place. If your family has undergone any changes in dynamics such as a marriage, death, birth, or divorce, give your will or living trust a once-over to check the distribution scheme. Are the listed beneficiaries still who you would like to leave assets to? Also, are the individuals selected to serve as your fiduciaries such as your trust protector and successor trustee still able to act on your behalf if need be? Was your estate plan put in place before 2003? If so, your estate plan will need to be updated with the new health care directives that comply with HIPAA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as HIPAA’s rules became effective in 2003, despite its creation in 1996. Examining Your Estate Plan in January
While you’re at it, review any beneficiary designations on plans such as your 401(k), IRA, and health savings accounts to be sure that everything is current and accurate. Are your car and homeowners insurance policies providing proper coverage to best suit your needs?
Lastly, gather all of your documents for your 2021 taxes. This way, when tax season rolls around, you are organized and prepared!
If there are any questions or areas in which we can assist, give us a call at 517.548.7400 today! We are here to help.
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MichiganEstatePlans.com • 888.487.6150
The new year offers an opportunity to get rid of bad habits and develop a new plan and routine to grow in any way you want. However, Jan. 19 has become known as the day most people give up their resolutions and abandon any ambitions, returning to their old patterns and way of life. SETTING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS YOU’LL KEEP Making Them Stick
Solution on Pg. 4
Helpful Resources • Is your estate plan up to date? Ask us about our FREE Estate Planning Check-up. Call our office or email Julie@mtolaw.com
What can you do to make sure you stick to your resolution?
Get specific.
Choose a very specific goal. Instead of setting out to just “lose weight,” put a number and a deadline down on paper. By focusing on something more concrete, you can realistically set your sights on meeting your aspirations by putting a specific plan in place to hold you accountable along the way.
• Don’t miss Glenn on “Senior Law
Radio,” WHMI FM 93.5 every Sunday at 8 a.m. You can also listen live (or to previous shows) on WHMI.com.
Limit your resolutions.
Even if you have a very long list of things that you’d like to improve on or accomplish, if you pick just one or two to focus all of your time and energy on, your odds of success are much higher than if your spread your attention too thin and begin to only give partial attention where more devotion is necessary. As with anything, taking on too much is just another way to set yourself up for failure.
• Questions about your money? Do you need help with your financial goals, investment management, or retirement planning? Glenn has partnered with his personal financial advisor, Brad Jerome, to bring expert financial services to our clients. Brad meets with you right in our office — no cost, no obligation, and no pressure. Just an opportunity to discuss your goals with a top-notch financial advisor to see where your path might lead. You can reach Brad directly at 517.301.3070. • Let us be your trusted advisor for all your legal matters. We have grown with the referrals we receive from our clients. We want to return the favor by helping you find a great attorney outside the field of estate planning, elder law, and probate. Our clients often call us in need of an attorney who focuses on personal injury, auto accidents, elder and nursing home abuse, workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, and many other areas. To get the best results, you need an experienced attorney to help. If you want a referral, call our office or email Julie@ mtolaw.com. We are glad to help!
Take planning seriously.
Take your time in putting together a plan that best sets you up for success. Don’t wait until the last minute to set your goal. Meeting your resolution is going to take some strategizing and possibly even a behavior change, so new tactics will be necessary to achieve it. Having a written plan in place makes it hard to deviate from the plan or alter it. Avoid an annual disappointment and take your time in picking out a resolution that best suits your needs. Sometimes, your success will rely on simply choosing the right goal. Begin examining what you would like to achieve and how you’re going to get there and you’ll be well on your way!
Happy New Year!
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MichiganEstatePlans.com • 888.487.6150 915 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 6 Howell, Michigan 48843
What’s Inside? 1 My First Grandchild
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How to Make 2021 Your Last Lonely Year
Updating Your Estate Plan for 2022
Making New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Keep
Helpful Resources
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The Lost Art of the Thank-You Note
A 2019 survey by Ask Your Target Market showed 80% of respondents appreciate receiving thank-you notes — but only 22% of respondents report regularly sending them. That’s a pretty big discrepancy. During the holiday season, you probably received several gifts and may have been hosted at a family member’s house, so now is the perfect time to revive the dying art of the thank-you note. If it’s been a while since you last wrote one, fear not. Here’s everything you need to know to get started. Know When a Note Is Needed. You should strongly consider sending a thank-you note any time you receive a gift, but they are particularly expected after big events like weddings or showers. It’s also good form to send a note whenever someone has done you a big favor or hosted you at their house. Professionally, thank-you notes should always be sent after job interviews. Notes should Your Guide to Writing a Thank-You Note
be sent as soon as possible, ideally within one month of the gift or event.
Use Paper. It may seem old-fashioned, but that’s exactly what makes it special. In fact, the Ask Your Target Market survey found that 72%
of respondents thought handwritten notes were more meaningful than electronic ones. Even if your handwriting is messy, your recipients will appreciate the personal touch. Exceptions apply for thank-you notes sent after job interviews — due to time sensitivity, these are best sent via email. Be Specific. Especially when you’ve got a large stack to get through, it’s pretty tempting to write the same note over and over again, changing only the salutation. Don’t give in! While it’s fine to have a template, recipients will recognize when the note you sent them is generic. Be sure to mention exactly what you’re thankful for (not just “the gift”) or how you plan to use the gift. Now, you’re ready to let people know how much you appreciate them in a way that’s both simple and classic. Your family, friends, and colleagues will be impressed, and who knows, you just might start a trend.
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