End of Life Planning

A woman once told me something that stopped me in my tracks. She said, “I don’t know what my children think I’m planning… and honestly, I’m afraid to ask.”
She wasn’t worried about conflict. She loved her children deeply, and they had a good relationship. But underneath it all sat a quiet uncertainty…

Not long ago, a reader shared something that stayed with me. She said, “My home is the most valuable thing I own, but I’m not sure what actually happens to it when I’m gone.” It was not a gloomy conversation. In fact, she was healthy, active, and enjoying retirement…

Do you love the holidays like I do? Or do you feel more like Scrooge (like my husband pretends to be)? If you’re not in the “Bah humbug” mood, what is it that brings you joy about this season? Lights, music, food, festivities, gifts…

A close friend of mine recently lost his father. It was sudden and without warning. His dad was in his early 70s, still full of life, about to retire, and looking forward to future trips they would never get to take. It made me remember, people don’t always pass away in the order we expect…

In the spirit of Halloween, I couldn’t NOT share this picture I took on a lovely Fall walk the other day. It made me chuckle but also think about the futility of waiting for the perfect anything… man in our life, time to achieve a goal on our list, or tackle the dreaded estate planning…

If we haven’t already, we need to make sure we’ve had “the talk” with our children by the time we reach retirement. This does not refer to the infamous sex talk we have with our children during their pre-teen stage, but about our end-of-life…

Serving as a Power of Attorney is often considered a purely financial or legal role. And it is – you’re responsible for paying bills, managing property, handling investments, taking care of real estate, and coordinating benefits. But for me, it’s always been…

Normally, when you hear or say the phrase “to each his own” you are likely shrugging and recognizing that things can be different for different people. And it’s no big deal. But when it applies to your financial power of attorney document…

My colleague, Michael Rizzotto, the manager of a Brooklyn, New York, funeral home, recently shared a story about a family he served. During the arrangement conference, he asked, as he always does, about the deceased’s interests and hobbies. The funeral home aims…

Susan called my office in tears. She was overwhelmed because her friend, Mary, named her as her Power of Attorney and needed her to step into this role right away. Although Mary had a brother, he lived half way across the country and had his own health problems…