Seniors, can we talk?
I really don’t want to start the year out being negative or a “Debbie Downer” Ruth and I have been busy - going to funerals; three (3) in January. JR was 78. He had been diagnosed with an unusual cancer and was taking chemo treatments. Since his lifelong career was in the life insurance and financial planning business, his financial affairs were in pretty good shape but . . . He had remarried recently and desperately needed to rethink who he wanted to get his assets to make his children and new wife happy (or content). JR had the time to rethink and make changes. He was in the hospital for a routine treatment and did not leave. At his death, everyone was taken care of and understood why each person received what they did. Sally was 86. A very independent lady who had worked with Ruth at AT&T for years, retired with a nice retirement plan and lived very frugal. Sally was a widow and had one daughter. She was active, loved shopping every Wednesday, had lunch with friends and enjoyed taking care of her great grandson and grand “dogs”. Finances were not an issue – she owned her house, her car and had no debt. Sally had a light stroke about 8 months ago and was able to live by herself with slight supervision. Then a second awful stroke which she was unable to recover from. Everything she had was left to her daughter – very simple and straightforward. The only difficult thing has been getting her house ready to sell – what a mess! She loved to “collect” things – but not a hoarder. Years ago, she and her “man friend” went dancing every week. She still had over 55 dancing dresses hanging in a closet + 25 pairs of shoes + 33 dresses with tags still on them! How many plastic containers do you have that don’t have a top? Or you have a top and no bottom? Get rid of them!! Mary was 83. She had been diagnosed with colon cancer six years ago, took chemo treatments and was doing great until another diagnosis – the cancer had metastasized. Mary was a widow with no children. Her level of care got to the point where she could not live by herself. Caregivers were hired to take care of her in her home. Even though the cost was high, she wanted to stay at home, had the funds to do that and was happy being there. She had pre-arranged her funeral and had updated her will to include the charitable organizations that were meaningful to her. Her sister told Ruth and I that they really believe she died peacefully, since she knew everything had been taken care of. See a common thread? Life can change at the blink of an eye. Is your “stuff” updated and in order? Clean house – literally and figuratively. Then call 501-868-6650 and say “Caroline, can we talk?” and share your experiences.
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AuthorCaroline Beauchamp specializes in personalized life and health insurance solutions. Archives
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