Revealing Your Vulnerabilities
In a June column in the Sanibel Island Sun, Sheppard LawFirmattorney CraigHersch posed an important question in the estate planning process. Below is an edited snippet from“Revealing Vulnerabilities Necessary to Create an Appropriate Estate Plan.” You can read the full version at SBSHLaw.com. I often begin my initial consultations with a question. “What do we hope to accomplish today?” I intend for that question to be more complex than simply asking who should get what in an estate plan. The longer I practice estate planning law, the more I find it revolves around emotion and feelings rather than a technical exercise of transferring wealth. When we’re first married and our children are young, life is relatively simple and so are our estate plans. Our major assets might include a residence, retirement account, and life insurance. Our relationships are fresh and straightforward. We worry over who will act as the guardian of our children if we should die in a plane crash. As we reach retirement age, it all becomes more complicated. We may still be in our first marriage, enjoyingmany years together. Or we may be in another relationship, complete with step-relations. Our children are no longer those rascals playing in the backyard. Instead, they’ve grown into adults who have their own strengths and weaknesses.
They’ve married (and perhaps divorced) and have families.
We worry about our grandchildren’s education. College is somuchmore expensive today than ever before. Yet a college diploma is a ticket to a better lifestyle in our economy. Our assets are a hodgepodge of complexity. We opened IRAs and 401(k) accounts that have minimum required distributions once we’re 72. We have bank accounts, investment accounts, second residences and, perhaps, rental properties. Life is good, but not simple. So when you sit down withme, your estate planning attorney, I need to know a few things. I want to knowwhat you’re worried about. Most of us don’t want to think about our own demise. It’s ghoulish and against human nature to do so. What is it that keeps you awake at night when you think about leaving your loved ones behind? This requires deep thought that could expose vulnerabilities — both yours and those of your loved ones. That’s where I can help. When I hear exactly what my clients think, beyond the dollars and cents, we can get creative. So, that’s where we begin — with a simple question: “What do you hope to accomplish today?”
Craig Hersch: As Your Life Grows, Your Estate Plan Should, Too
E a s y S t u ff e d S w e
Who says a loaded potato has to clog your arteries? In this healthy version that serves four, a sweet potato base is topped with fiber-rich bean salsa
INGREDIENTS:
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4 medium sweet potatoes
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1 tsp coriander
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sour cream
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2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
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DIRECTIONS: 1. With a fork, prick each sweet potato a few times. Microwave the potatoes on high 12–15 minutes, or until cooked through. 2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, coriander, and salt. When the potatoes are done, microwave the mixture on high for 2–3 minutes. 3. Cool potatoes slightly, then cut each potato open lengthwise. Pull the halves apart to create space to spoon the warmbean salsa inside. 4. Add a scoop of sour cream to each potato, garnish with cilantro, and serve!
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Inspired by EatingWell.com
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