Littlejohn Law - April/May 2023

3 WAYS TO DEEPEN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS It’s Never Too Late for a Good Life! 10 People to Thank

Contrary to popular belief, estate planning is not a “one-and- done” endeavor. Just because you and your spouse sat down with an attorney to write a will when your kids were little, that doesn’t mean you’re set for life. It May Need Updating But how do you know what needs to be updated? Do you even remember what you did 10 or 20 years ago? If you haven’t thought about your estate plan in years, we invite you to schedule a complimentary estate plan review with our team. What Will We Do for You? Our complimentary review starts with a 20-minute strategy session over the phone. We will ask you some questions about your family, assets, and goals for the future. Based on the information you provide, we will make recommendations for what we think you should do next. We will then make arrangements for collecting your current estate planning documents so we can look them over. Our complimentary review will include recommendations about: • The legal documents we think you need • Options for preserving your wealth • Strategies for distributing your wealth after you are gone • The possibility of needing long-term care one day Because we want to give your plan our undivided attention, it will take us about 20 days to complete your review. When we are done, we will send you a detailed analysis of your current plan as well as details about getting it in the shape it needs to be in to protect you and your family now and in the future. Get Your Free Estate Plan Review

Robert Waldinger, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, may have cracked the

code on what constitutes a “good life.” Yes, he says eating healthy and avoiding cigarettes matter, but what is more important is actually nurturing your relationships with others, especially when aging.

And if you think it’s too late for a good life, Waldinger disagrees. According

to him, you are never too old to have a good life, and there are many things everyone can do to deepen their relationships and bring joy into their lives. So, if the relationships we have in our life hold the key to happiness, how do we even go about boosting them? Keep in contact. You can’t become closer to someone you never see, so the easiest way to deepen your relationships is to see people more often. If you have a friend you don’t talk to as much as you’d like, ask them to set a standing coffee date every Saturday or even just once a month. By seeing someone more, you’re more likely to form a deeper connection and become closer over time. But what Waldinger emphasizes is this won’t always happen on its own, so don’t be afraid to ask your friends to meet up more often! Open up. Another way to nourish your relationships is to open yourself up to the other person. You don’t have to share your deepest secrets right off the bat, but try to be vulnerable a little more with the ones you care about. Next time someone asks, “How are you?” when you meet up, don’t lie and say “good” when you’re not. It’s okay to lean on a friend if you’re going through a tough time! This will result in you and your friend wanting to spend more time together because of the support and relief you feel from the relationship. Be present when with your friends. We’ve all been there: A friend is talking to us about something, but we’re miles away, lost in thought. While this happens to everyone and is normal, try not to make it a habit. Waldinger says that by really making an effort to be present with your loved ones, you can make a deeper connection and have a more fulfilling relationship.

What We Typically See

When we review estate plans, we typically see the same things over and over. Wills and beneficiary designations often include ex- spouses or deceased individuals. Important documents such as health care and durable powers of attorney are missing. Assets are left vulnerable to things like nursing home care and estate taxes. Shared property is not properly titled to avoid probate. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Almost every plan we review can be significantly improved with our help. And every family we meet is grateful for the advice we provide with no pressure or obligation to hire us.

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See pg. 3 to read what a recent estate plan review client said about us.

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