Preparing for the Inevitable HOW CREATING A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR A SURVIVING SPOUSE IS THE GREATEST SHOW OF LOVE
As a new year begins, many people look ahead with a sense of hope for what’s to come. It’s also a practical moment to think about how to protect your legacy and the people who matter most. Part of that preparation includes making sure your spouse will have the support system and financial plan they would need if life changes in ways none of us can predict. This is never easy to discuss. Death is often a taboo subject, and it can be hard to picture your life without the person with whom you’ve spent many years. However, one of the greatest shows of love I see is during the planning process for such events. There’s a genuine concern for protection. One of the best ways to do this is to create this plan while both spouses are healthy. Without an imminent need, rational decisions can be made, rather than reacting on emotions. Time is also a major advantage at this point in the planning process, and adjustments and considerations can be made as your life changes and evolves. This is also a great time for each spouse to share their wishes for their partner and legacies. These are factors we can work into a plan that can be utilized by either spouse when necessary. For other couples, sometimes this conversation needs to happen more rapidly. Maybe there has been a diagnosis or there has sadly been a premature death. It is still just as significant that this conversation happens, as the remaining spouse will need help and support in adjusting to life without their partner.
Regardless of what phase you are in, many find it helpful to have a financial advisor in the room to begin and guide discussions. I’ve been there to lend perspective, offer guidance, and mitigate any nerves or discomfort. Chances are, we’ve already been through this process together. If so, I’m hoping you found some comfort in the plan. If for some reason things have changed, or if you feel we haven’t covered this adequately, I’m here to help. Just reach out to me! However, if you’ve been through the process and it’s helped you in any way, I’m going to ask you to share. There are others you care about who may now or someday have the need, financially and emotionally, for my support as an advisor. I would greatly appreciate you sharing this message with someone who needs to hear it. It can be as simple as saving this newsletter to share at the right time or even directing them to my online resources. I have a very helpful blog post to guide couples through numerous stages of financial planning, including those who are just beginning to consider this tough conversation or those facing a more immediate need. You can find it online at McBeathFinancialGroup.com/blog/financial-planning-for- loss-of-a-spouse .
Thank you for sharing this information with others, and please reach out if you need assistance in discussions like this one.
–Krista McBeath
Kitten Keeps Trapped Climber Alive in Mountain Blizzard SMALL HEARTBEAT, BIG RESCUE
Trapped in an icy mountain ravine, soaked and nearly frozen, 28-year-old Vladislav Duda contemplated what he feared would be the last night of his life. Escape from the ravine, more than 430 yards deep, was out of the question.
When they finally reached Duda, they opened his coat and found the tiny orange tabby kitten curled against Duda’s chest. “The cat was warm, and was warming him,” Dan Benga, director of the Maramures Mountain Rescue Service, told The Associated Press. “He saved his life.” Asked if he was okay, Benga says that Duda told his rescuers, “I’m happy because my cat is alive. I got a chance from God for a new life. The happiest moment is because the cat is here with me.” Although climbing out of the ravine took more than five hours, Duda held Peach close to his chest the entire way. Forced to turn the kitten over to rescue workers when he was placed in an ambulance, Duda begged them, “Please take care of the cat.” When Duda was rescued, he was one of roughly 160 Ukrainian men saved while crossing the mountains to avoid the draft. Sixteen others died trying. The rescue was “like a dream, after all I have been through,” Duda said. “Peach kept my heart warm, and he kept my faith alive.” Duda was treated for hypothermia at a nearby hospital. Peach was taken to a veterinary clinic nearby and, at last report, survived the ordeal in good health.
Suffering from fatigue as hypothermia set in, Duda believed only one thing separated him from death: the furry warmth of his months-old kitten, Peach, huddled against his chest beneath his coat. Duda, a Ukrainian journalist, had undertaken a perilous journey in late 2024 across the Carpathian Mountains into Romania to avoid being drafted to fight in Ukraine’s war against Russia. Four days earlier, he had run out of food for his cat and himself, and they were surviving on icy water from melted snow. Rescue workers from a regional mountain team had tried to reach Duda by helicopter, but hazardous blizzard conditions forced them to turn back. Instead, more than a dozen ground workers battled through deep snow in 14-degree temperatures into the ravine.
2 McBeathFinancialGroup.com
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