These are the days of challenges and opportunities. You probably have a higher income now than at any other point in your life, but you also have some expensive live events going on. Perhaps you have children in college, or you’re helping pay for a wedding.
Maybe you need to help your aging parents with their personal, healthcare, or financial responsibilities, or you’re looking maximize your retirement savings. Odds are, you’ve built up a decent nest egg, which you wouldn’t want to have squandered. And as you get older, new medical issues start to arrive.
If something were to happen to you, do you have anything in place to allow your spouse (or other loved one) to make medical decisions on your behalf? Have you even talked to your spouse or loved ones about what your wishes are? At the very least, it’s time to create a living will, to provide guidance in case something happens.
If you get sued, is there any protection from liability? You have home and auto insurance, but what if that’s not enough? Maybe you own your own business or work in a professional field (architect, doctor lawyer, etc.) that requires specialty insurance. Or maybe you need something more robust than that?
If you have your own business, there’s a good chance it’s significantly appreciated in value – at least from a tax perspective. Now is a good time to start evaluating ways to minimize your tax burden – there are a lot of tools out there, and some work best if you start early. Or maybe the tax-man is already taking too large a share? There’s a chance we can help with that too.
Do you have parents or in-laws who are in the process of, or have already transitioned into long-term care? Talk to them about the costs, if you haven’t already, and then think about how quickly that could destroy your savings and investments that you’ve earned over a lifetime of hard work.
There’s a 70% chance you’ll need long-term care – at least consider the different ways you can reduce your out-of-pocket costs.
And if you should pass away? Are your children ready to handle a large inheritance, or will some (or all) of it be squandered away? Talk to us, we’re happy to help you keep your assets intact.