I recently had a lifelong friend pass away at the age of 30. He had a week-long battle in the hospital before finally going peacefully in the presence of the most important people in his life. His situation involved serious medical procedures and life support decisions. We spent many hours together with his family sharing our faith, happiness and sorrow. It reminded me just how much of a treasure each moment in life is. It also reminded me that death isn’t just something that happens when we are old.
My wife and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary this past year and the most important goal we completed was the life insurance and wills component of our financial plan. I was thankful for the time we spent together sharing our thoughts and wishes for our own end-of-life situations; it brought us closer together. Sitting in the hospital beside my best friend, I was thankful that my wife and I took the time to put our plan together. I was comforted that she would not have to live with the weight of a decision she may be forced to make. I was thankful that an emotional loss would not have to be compounded by a financial loss.
I often hear us referring to our wills as “next on our list” or “something we have been meaning to do.” I get it – it’s tough bringing ourselves to get started. It was intimidating, and even a little scary; these are not thoughts and conversations that my wife and I were looking forward to having. My wife also had a lot of questions, including how we will fit the expense into our budget and what our options were. I feel blessed to have the education and experience that helped us through the process personally, as I have done with many families over the years.
As we enter into this New Year, challenge yourself to complete this important aspect of your financial plan. As always, we are here to help if you have any questions. In the meantime, Google search these two terms: The Five Wishes, POLST.
Nate Archuleta, AIF®
Wealth Accumulation Specialist
Do You Have a Will?
