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We Also Scream To Avoid Planning
Don’t worry, be happy
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style
Ain’t got no gal to make you smile
Don’t worry, be happy
‘Cause when you worry your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
—Bobby McFerrin
Did Your Parents Raise A Sluggish Sloth Or A Competent Character?
When you get home at night, do you leave the lights off? Does the thrill of bumping into things, falling down the stairs, and stepping on awkward items appeal to your adventurous spirit? Do you favor a life of anxiety? Do you look forward to high blood pressure, poor digestion, experiencing that creepy feeling of dread? Are you opposed to happiness and contentment? Do you embrace chaos and upset? Or do you seek Peace of Mind®?
Would you be surprised to learn that there are two paths to Peace of Mind™? The first path involves effort, work, dedication, stick-to-it-iveness, dauntless spirit, reasonable focus on accomplishment. Path #1 is where you find volunteer firemen, blood donors, the folks you can count on.
More popular is Path #2. The second path requires ignoring your own obvious needs and the needs of those around you. Ignorance is Bliss! Stick your head in the sand. If you cannot see it, it cannot hurt you. Gee, I wonder if the crowds at those new marijuana dispensaries are on Path #1 or Path #2…
Unfortunately, you were brought up by folks who chose the first path. Work, love, dedication, achievement. All those uncomfortable things that get in the way of TV binge watching. Consuming YouTube cat videos. Absorbing bargains galore on the home shopping networks. Golly, your folks made it very difficult for you to live the sweet couch potato life.
How can you get beyond your inbred desire to deliver? Vanquish your drive to survive? Squash your sense of responsibility? Unraveling habits of a lifetime can be difficult, but, as they say, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but whether you can have your cake and eat it too!
Olympic athletes train for years to hone their skills to a razor edge of perfection. You have worked for years to reach your goals, raise your family, do a great job at work, and be a valued member of your church, community, team, euchre tournament. You are an Olympian of the American Dream. A Medal of middle-class Gold hangs from your neck. Your world celebrates!
But now the looming spectre of estate planning looms like a hideous hobgoblin. You feel an inner urge to get this done…see it through. Will power is not enough. Fanatical focus will fail. How can you run away from the dreadful demons of trusts, wills, and powers of attorney? Is resistance futile? Is an Estate Plan inevitable? How can you escape?
Super easy! Barely an inconvenience. With the following professional excuses, you can put off facing the facts almost indefinitely. You are welcome!
Warm Up To Provide Peak Performance
“Everyone Has The Will To Win But Very Few Have The Will To Prepare To Win.”
—Vince Lombardi
Olympians and professional football players getting ready for the “big game” share a secret. All elite athletes know that mental and physical preparation is key. Can you escape your future-planning responsibilities without focused training? Of course not!
Follow the protocol. Stand in front of a full-length mirror. Hands on hips. Throw your head back. Suck your gut in. Stick your chest out. Draw and deep breath, then…
Loudly And Firmly Proclaim These Statements Three (3) Times:
- Only Nerds Want To Retire Comfortably
- Financial Security Is Bad. And Impossible
- I Want To Die Broke, Splurging My Last Nickels
- On Long-Term Care
- I Look Forward To Nursing Home Poverty
- My Spouse Can Look Out For Herself. Or Himself.
- My Kids Don’t Need Money And Would Waste Any Inheritance Anyway
Excellent! And now for a cleansing breath… Your body tingles. Your mind expands. You have looked forward all week to this installment. The moment of truth has arrived. Excellent
Excuses. Decisive Defenses. And now, Effective Evasions to frustrate and deflect any attempt at making you look ahead.
LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because:
Firetrucks have sirens because loud noises are great! Whoever is yelling must be winning…
So let’s get loud. As follows:
Number One: Raise your voice and strongly state: “LifePlanning™ is Stupid, Superfluous, and a…”
Number Two: Quickly follow with one of these Negative Nuggets:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
All I want is a simple will! All these fancy schmancy papers would be great for Thurston Howell the 3rd or maybe multimillionaire Bruce Wayne. You have to understand, we are working folks who managed to save a little. Paid off the house. Contributed to the 401(k). And here you are dumping all this confusing paperwork on us. Sure, I like to go deer hunting, never miss it. But you’re trying to get me on an African safari shooting elephants! Fishing for bluegill, perch, bass, and the occasional muskie is the best. But you want me to chase down the great white whale Moby Dick. Sorry! It is all just too much. Simple is best. Mom and Dad had a will. Gramma and Grampa had a will. And that’s fine by me!
Totally agree! Simple is best. That’s why you simply put blocks of ice in the icebox to keep your perishables from perishing. Newfangled refrigerators, who needs ‘em? Simple is best. That’s why you have always refused to have flush toilets in your house… ever hear of an outhouse that backed up? Ever need a plunger in a privy? Of course not. Who needs all that confusion? Besides, it is good for the kids to pump the handle when they want water… and we even brought the handpump into the kitchen… in my day it was out in the yard.
Yes, simple is best. Mr. Ford made the Model T in every color anyone could desire: black. Who needs windows on the sides, anyway? Some poor deluded folks actually have windows that go up and down. And cars that blow warm air around in the winter. And cool air in the summertime. Gosh that is just too much! Simple is best. Next thing you know, you’ll want special belts or something to protect passengers in a crash. Or balloons that pop out of nowhere so you don’t go through the windshield. That stuff is not for you! Simple is best.
Folks next door got this talking picture box. Like the movies, but at home. Almost as big as the movies. Just awful how confusing it is. Simple is best. Our 1935 Zenith Stratosphere 1000Z radio receiving set burnt out its tubes a few years ago. But it still looks good and besides, I couldn’t find Little Orphan Annie on the dial anymore. Simple is best.
And do not get started on modern medicine! With their highfalutin’ cardiac bypasses, pacemakers, cataract eye operations and penicillin. Humph. Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound was good enough for Granny and it’s good enough for me. Simple is best.
So let your friends buy cars with wind-up windows, air conditioning, air bags, crumple zones and upholstery that survives little kids. You don’t need a garbage disposal. Or indoor plumbing. Or an electrical refrigerator that makes ice cubes. Cell phones, cable boxes, streaming TV services, big screen TVs, flat screen TVs, gas stoves, microwave ovens, running water. So complex! You are very simple.
Are you against airbags in your car if it means your spouse doesn’t fly through the windshield? Are you against LifePlanning™ if it means your spouse is not left in nursing home poverty? Does it matter if you are the one going through the windshield? Left in poverty?
Are you opposed to indoor plumbing and central heat? Are you opposed to doing what must be done to get benefits that you value?
Albert Einstein was a very smart fellow. And he did not like things that were too confusing or complicated. And this is what he said:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Simple is good. But is it still good if you lose your savings, house, cottage, independence?
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway!
Do you know anyone who goes to the payday lender? Anyone who heads to the casino as soon as their Social Security money shows up? How many people do you know that, as soon as they pay off one installment contract, run right out and get into another one? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card when you don’t pay off the balance each month? Can you imagine paying 26.5% interest on last night’s dinner?
Did you hate paying off the mortgage? Do you wonder how some people don’t seem to care how much money they owe? Some of your co-workers used to complain about how they always had more “month than money”. Did you ever think, “Hey knucklehead, maybe if you weren’t always buying the latest and greatest doo-dad, gee-gaw, or watchamacallit, you’d have more money than month.”? Did you ever think anything like that?
Since everyone always has saved enough money to pay for long-term care, there is no need for any government long-term care program. So Medicaid is bad and wrong. It is just like Social Security. Everyone always has saved enough money to pay for their retirement. There’s is no need for any government retirement income program.
But wait! Social Security is different! You paid in. With every paycheck, the government skimmed off 15+% FICA (employer and employee) to pay for Social Security. So getting some return on your Social Security taxes is OK!
Help me out here… Is Medicaid different? Did you ever get a paycheck where you didn’t pay federal and state income taxes on every nickel you earned? Does the government run Medicaid for free? Did you somehow skip out on paying for Medicaid? With every paycheck. And Social Security check too?
Why are you opposed to getting something back for all the dollars you paid in? It is OK to get Social Security because you paid taxes for it. But it is bad to get long-term care Medicaid because you paid taxes for it?
There are lots and lots of Medicaid programs – dozens of them. Most Medicaid programs provide for our fellow Americans who have very little. But there is a slice of Medicaid, middle-class Medicaid, that pays for long-term care. For all Americans. Even you.
For most Medicaid programs, you have to be broke. Middleclass Medicaid lets you keep your house, up to $700,000. And your stuff, no limit on value. And your “motorized vehicle”, also no limit.
So, Medicaid is bad and you hate it. You hate it so much that you will spend all your money. Then, sell the house and all your stuff, spend all that too. And then wind up on Medicaid anyway. Sounds like a plan to me! Good luck with that.
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
Medicaid nursing homes, long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and anyone else who provides Medicaid care are just the worst! If a facility accepts Medicaid, the place smells bad, the staff is rude, the management is poor, and the care is awful. God forbid that you or a loved one is ever condemned to a Medicaid facility or is forced to receive Medicaid services. Great excuse!
Gee, I wonder what percentage of skilled nursing facilities accept Medicaid? 10%? 30% 50%?
Actually every skilled nursing facility accepts Medicaid. All of them. 100%. Do you have enough money to pay $10,000 – $15,000 per month for skilled care? For an average of 3 years. With a good chance of 5 years? Is it ridiculous to think that nursing homes would like to get paid when you go broke? Are you opposed to caregivers getting paid? Do nursing homes get everything for free?
Not so fast! Everybody knows that there are very few “Medicaid beds”. You know, the ones that they seal with plastic. So the bedbugs cannot escape. Just a few Medicaid beds.
Funny thing, though. About 70-80% of long-term, skilled nursing facility residents are paid for by Medicaid. How did that happen? Maybe because all beds are Medicare-certified. And all Medicare beds can be paid with Medicaid dollars.
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
Medicaid is for poor people (meaning people without any money or stuff). And you have money and stuff, so Medicaid is not for you! Logical! Makes sense!
Question: How long will you have any money or stuff if you are paying $10-15,000 per month for long-term care?
Are you opposed to not going broke? Is it ridiculous to think that you (or your loved one) might get better care if your lifesavings had not melted away like a snowflake on a hot griddle? Are you against paying for the extra services you want?
You get a shower a week in a long-term care facility. How often do you shower now? Are you against paying some of your hard-earned savings to get a shower more frequently?
If your long-term care “insurance” (also known as Medicaid) paid for the $10-15,000 cost of basic services, and, if your lifesavings were intact, would you choose to spend some of those savings to make your days more pleasant? Do you want to be poor? Is poverty more noble? Is it honorable to spend down a lifetime of work in a matter of months? Does it make sense to believe that the government knows best? Is it foolish to plan for your future?
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Yesterday I was looking in the mirror. I felt depressed. I said to my bride of 15 years, “Honey, when I look in the mirror I see an old, fat, bald guy, and it depresses me. Honey,” I said, “I need your help.”
“Oh?” said the love of my life, “How may I be of service?” “Honey,” I replied, “I need a compliment. Looking at this fat, old, bald guy in the mirror here is bringing me down. I really feel the need for some compassion, a compliment would sure make me feel better!”
“Well,” said my soulmate, “Your eyesight is damn near perfect!”
Since I have been wearing glasses since the 8th grade, my wife’s compliment was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt better immediately. So, when I ask you, “Is it ridiculous to think that you are not getting older, you are getting better?” Remember this little love tale of mine. And draw your own conclusions.
And the hits just keep on coming! More great excuses are on their way!
Here’s a sneak preview of the next fabulous five excuses to avoid planning:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway.!
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
The Covid Party Is Over… Are You Ready For The Hangover?
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If You Call The Tune, Do You Have To Pay The Piper?
Ever go to Florida in the winter? Or just remember that first warm day of spring when you simply had to go to The Lake. Once upon a winter dreary, while you shivered weak and weary… But now it’s bright sunny summer sunshine! Pull on your bathing suit… who needs a shirt? Sunscreen? That’s for July! Stretch out on the sand… ahhh! Time for a nap… so nice!
Six hours later… Red as that lobster you had for lunch. Burnt to a tender pink crisp. You’re gonna need an ocean… of Solarcaine lotion. (If you are melaninically endowed and cannot personally relate to this scenario, ask a friend who is not so fortunate.)
Ever have a few too many? Maybe your 18th birthday when you were finally “legal”. Perhaps New Year’s Eve. Last Saturday night? Gosh that was fun! You were the life of the party. Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends! Until closing time. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.
Next morning… the Russian Army has been camping out on your tongue. Wearing felt boots. Some S.O.B. replaced your brain with hot sand.
Then substituted poached eggs for your eyeballs. Why can’t you feel your legs? What is that awful smell? Is there Alka-Seltzer in the house?!
Saturday and your kid is finally moving out. To their own home/apartment/cave/who really cares? You are helping. Is it parental pride and love? Or do you just want to make sure? Hard to say. But you are happy to tote that barge, lift that bale, carry that couch, relocate that refrigerator.
Sunday… hey, not so bad, there’s life in the old dog yet. Monday… you are immobilized. Egyptians carved on pyramid walls are more flexible than you. Everything hurts and nothing works. All at the same time. There’s not enough ibuprofen. In the world.
Back when we were young, ignorant, idiotic, immature, woke, we could kid ourselves that our actions had no lasting consequences. Do you still believe that? Chickens never come home to roost?
Truth Or Consequences
Do you remember the pre-COVID time? Was it that long ago? Things were different then.
You know that governments have always printed phony fiat money. That is what politicians do. And it is so easy. But once there was a sense of proportion. The politicians would not go “too far.”
And then COVID said, “You can go too far if you want to!” That is why government created trillions of ersatz dollars. Outright thieves stole billions through naked fraud. Ordinary working folks learned too. You can get more money staying home than working. Brilliant! Businesses got billions more in free “loans” and tax credits. Billions more were loaned to feeble firms on skimpy security at insignificant interest rates for 30 years. Repayment deferred for the first 24 months.
Did you think this government geyser of bogus bucks would Build Back Better? Did you think prodigal printing of demon dollars would eliminate the emergency? Did you enthusiastically endorse the Washington wizards who cooked up this cockamamie crapfest?
Small businesses lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clementine. More small businesses reduced to financial zombies, hooked on government hand- outs, staggering, ready to collapse. Inflation the highest in 40 years. Young children, deprived of ordinary human contact, suffering from speech pathologies at unprecedented rates. Teen suicide more deadly than teen COVID.
TRUTH: Bizarrely, some folks want to let the “good” times roll on. Having already spent trillions of your grandchildren’s dollars on “infrastructure” (a word which means whatever they want it to mean), they want more. They always want more.
CONSEQUENCE: Inflation is the highest in 40 years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
TRUTH: Some folks want to scare you into believing that COVID kills kids. Not true now. Never been true. COVID is the Elder Plague. If you are over 70, it can be a killer. Your Elder Law Reporter has been saying so for years. All the reliable, scientific, government-approved information has been consistent on this point.
CONSEQUENCE: Children subjected to extreme, debilitating restrictions based on fear, not fact. And now that the public opinion polls are turning against them, power-grabbing politicians have suddenly discovered science. They are running away from their own rules. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
TRUTH: Children need to interact with one another to grow up healthy and smart. Shutting classrooms and masking faces deprives kids of the experiences they need to live good, productive, satisfying lives. Or even speak clearly.
CONSEQUENCE: “We’ve seen a 364% patient increase in patient referrals of babies and toddlers from pediatricians and parents,” said Jaclyn Theek, a clinic director and speech-language pathologist at the Speech and Learning Institute in North Palm Beach, Florida.
Theek said that during this pandemic, her speech therapy clinic has seen an enormous shift in the ages of its patients. Before the pandemic, only 5% of patients were babies and toddlers, while today it’s soared to 20%. Many parents call it “COVID- delayed.” WPBF News, ABC 25.
What Does Any Of This Have To Do With LifePlanning™?
Remember supply and demand? What do you suppose happens if your supply of health care providers are burned out and quitting? And they are burned out and quitting, according to a U.S. National Institutes of Health study: Burnout in United States Healthcare Professionals: A Narrative Review.
Burnout has reached rampant levels among United States (US) healthcare professionals, with over one-half of physicians and one-third of nurses experiencing symptoms. The burnout epidemic is detrimental to patient care and may exacerbate the impending physician shortage.
Another study, by the Florida Atlantic University’s School of Nursing finds:
The survey reports that nearly 37 percent of nurses identify as being burned out, stressed and/ or overworked.
*** 29 percent of nurses say their desire to leave the profession is dramatically higher now versus pre-pandemic
*** 66 percent of nurses expressed some level of consideration to leave the profession, signaling long-term impacts on our health system post-pandemic.
Is it ridiculous to think that if you have fewer nurses, you would have to pay more to hire the nurses that are still available?
Have you ever wondered what a nursing home costs? Wonder no longer.
But does a nursing facility charge real people that much money? How would you like to get this bill in the mail?
And another the next month and for each month thereafter? Pandemic burn out, plus the “age wave” of Baby Boomers surging into long-term care facilities or requiring at-home care, means that these skyrocketing prices are not over yet.
State Of Michigan Admits Long-Term Care Costs Are Soaring
Each year, the State of Michigan, through its Bridges Eligibility Manual, tells us how much a month in a long-term care facility should cost. This year, the number is up almost 10%. Michigan believes that skilled nursing costs Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Dollars ($9880) each month.
How will you pay for that? How will you avoid nursing home poverty? How will you make sure caregivers get paid? How will you provide for the next generation? That is what LifePlanning™ is all about.
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812
When You Absolutely Positively Have To Put It Off Until Some Other Time
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We Also Scream To Avoid Planning
Did Your Parents Raise A Sluggish Sloth Or A Competent Character?
When you get home at night, do you leave the lights off? Does the thrill of bumping into things, falling down the stairs, and stepping on awkward items appeal to your adventurous spirit? Do you favor a life of anxiety? Do you look forward to high blood pressure, poor digestion, experiencing that creepy feeling of dread? Are you opposed to happiness and contentment? Do you embrace chaos and upset? Or do you seek Peace of Mind®?
Would you be surprised to learn that there are two paths to Peace of Mind™? The first path involves effort, work, dedication, stick-to-it-iveness, dauntless spirit, reasonable focus on accomplishment. Path #1 is where you find volunteer firemen, blood donors, the folks you can count on.
More popular is Path #2. The second path requires ignoring your own obvious needs and the needs of those around you. Ignorance is Bliss! Stick your head in the sand. If you cannot see it, it cannot hurt you. Gee, I wonder if the crowds at those new marijuana dispensaries are on Path #1 or Path #2…
Unfortunately, you were brought up by folks who chose the first path. Work, love, dedication, achievement. All those uncomfortable things that get in the way of TV binge watching. Consuming YouTube cat videos. Absorbing bargains galore on the home shopping networks. Golly, your folks made it very difficult for you to live the sweet couch potato life.
How can you get beyond your inbred desire to deliver? Vanquish your drive to survive? Squash your sense of responsibility? Unraveling habits of a lifetime can be difficult, but, as they say, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but whether you can have your cake and eat it too!
Olympic athletes train for years to hone their skills to a razor edge of perfection. You have worked for years to reach your goals, raise your family, do a great job at work, and be a valued member of your church, community, team, euchre tournament. You are an Olympian of the American Dream. A Medal of middle-class Gold hangs from your neck. Your world celebrates!
But now the looming spectre of estate planning looms like a hideous hobgoblin. You feel an inner urge to get this done…see it through. Will power is not enough. Fanatical focus will fail. How can you run away from the dreadful demons of trusts, wills, and powers of attorney? Is resistance futile? Is an Estate Plan inevitable? How can you escape?
Super easy! Barely an inconvenience. With the following professional excuses, you can put off facing the facts almost indefinitely. You are welcome!
Warm Up To Provide Peak Performance
Olympians and professional football players getting ready for the “big game” share a secret. All elite athletes know that mental and physical preparation is key. Can you escape your future-planning responsibilities without focused training? Of course not!
Follow the protocol. Stand in front of a full-length mirror. Hands on hips. Throw your head back. Suck your gut in. Stick your chest out. Draw and deep breath, then…
Loudly And Firmly Proclaim These Statements Three (3) Times:
Excellent! And now for a cleansing breath… Your body tingles. Your mind expands. You have looked forward all week to this installment. The moment of truth has arrived. Excellent
Excuses. Decisive Defenses. And now, Effective Evasions to frustrate and deflect any attempt at making you look ahead.
LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because:
Firetrucks have sirens because loud noises are great! Whoever is yelling must be winning…
So let’s get loud. As follows:
Number One: Raise your voice and strongly state: “LifePlanning™ is Stupid, Superfluous, and a…”
Number Two: Quickly follow with one of these Negative Nuggets:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
All I want is a simple will! All these fancy schmancy papers would be great for Thurston Howell the 3rd or maybe multimillionaire Bruce Wayne. You have to understand, we are working folks who managed to save a little. Paid off the house. Contributed to the 401(k). And here you are dumping all this confusing paperwork on us. Sure, I like to go deer hunting, never miss it. But you’re trying to get me on an African safari shooting elephants! Fishing for bluegill, perch, bass, and the occasional muskie is the best. But you want me to chase down the great white whale Moby Dick. Sorry! It is all just too much. Simple is best. Mom and Dad had a will. Gramma and Grampa had a will. And that’s fine by me!
Totally agree! Simple is best. That’s why you simply put blocks of ice in the icebox to keep your perishables from perishing. Newfangled refrigerators, who needs ‘em? Simple is best. That’s why you have always refused to have flush toilets in your house… ever hear of an outhouse that backed up? Ever need a plunger in a privy? Of course not. Who needs all that confusion? Besides, it is good for the kids to pump the handle when they want water… and we even brought the handpump into the kitchen… in my day it was out in the yard.
Yes, simple is best. Mr. Ford made the Model T in every color anyone could desire: black. Who needs windows on the sides, anyway? Some poor deluded folks actually have windows that go up and down. And cars that blow warm air around in the winter. And cool air in the summertime. Gosh that is just too much! Simple is best. Next thing you know, you’ll want special belts or something to protect passengers in a crash. Or balloons that pop out of nowhere so you don’t go through the windshield. That stuff is not for you! Simple is best.
Folks next door got this talking picture box. Like the movies, but at home. Almost as big as the movies. Just awful how confusing it is. Simple is best. Our 1935 Zenith Stratosphere 1000Z radio receiving set burnt out its tubes a few years ago. But it still looks good and besides, I couldn’t find Little Orphan Annie on the dial anymore. Simple is best.
And do not get started on modern medicine! With their highfalutin’ cardiac bypasses, pacemakers, cataract eye operations and penicillin. Humph. Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound was good enough for Granny and it’s good enough for me. Simple is best.
So let your friends buy cars with wind-up windows, air conditioning, air bags, crumple zones and upholstery that survives little kids. You don’t need a garbage disposal. Or indoor plumbing. Or an electrical refrigerator that makes ice cubes. Cell phones, cable boxes, streaming TV services, big screen TVs, flat screen TVs, gas stoves, microwave ovens, running water. So complex! You are very simple.
Are you against airbags in your car if it means your spouse doesn’t fly through the windshield? Are you against LifePlanning™ if it means your spouse is not left in nursing home poverty? Does it matter if you are the one going through the windshield? Left in poverty?
Are you opposed to indoor plumbing and central heat? Are you opposed to doing what must be done to get benefits that you value?
Albert Einstein was a very smart fellow. And he did not like things that were too confusing or complicated. And this is what he said:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Simple is good. But is it still good if you lose your savings, house, cottage, independence?
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway!
Do you know anyone who goes to the payday lender? Anyone who heads to the casino as soon as their Social Security money shows up? How many people do you know that, as soon as they pay off one installment contract, run right out and get into another one? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card when you don’t pay off the balance each month? Can you imagine paying 26.5% interest on last night’s dinner?
Did you hate paying off the mortgage? Do you wonder how some people don’t seem to care how much money they owe? Some of your co-workers used to complain about how they always had more “month than money”. Did you ever think, “Hey knucklehead, maybe if you weren’t always buying the latest and greatest doo-dad, gee-gaw, or watchamacallit, you’d have more money than month.”? Did you ever think anything like that?
Since everyone always has saved enough money to pay for long-term care, there is no need for any government long-term care program. So Medicaid is bad and wrong. It is just like Social Security. Everyone always has saved enough money to pay for their retirement. There’s is no need for any government retirement income program.
But wait! Social Security is different! You paid in. With every paycheck, the government skimmed off 15+% FICA (employer and employee) to pay for Social Security. So getting some return on your Social Security taxes is OK!
Help me out here… Is Medicaid different? Did you ever get a paycheck where you didn’t pay federal and state income taxes on every nickel you earned? Does the government run Medicaid for free? Did you somehow skip out on paying for Medicaid? With every paycheck. And Social Security check too?
Why are you opposed to getting something back for all the dollars you paid in? It is OK to get Social Security because you paid taxes for it. But it is bad to get long-term care Medicaid because you paid taxes for it?
There are lots and lots of Medicaid programs – dozens of them. Most Medicaid programs provide for our fellow Americans who have very little. But there is a slice of Medicaid, middle-class Medicaid, that pays for long-term care. For all Americans. Even you.
For most Medicaid programs, you have to be broke. Middleclass Medicaid lets you keep your house, up to $700,000. And your stuff, no limit on value. And your “motorized vehicle”, also no limit.
So, Medicaid is bad and you hate it. You hate it so much that you will spend all your money. Then, sell the house and all your stuff, spend all that too. And then wind up on Medicaid anyway. Sounds like a plan to me! Good luck with that.
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
Medicaid nursing homes, long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and anyone else who provides Medicaid care are just the worst! If a facility accepts Medicaid, the place smells bad, the staff is rude, the management is poor, and the care is awful. God forbid that you or a loved one is ever condemned to a Medicaid facility or is forced to receive Medicaid services. Great excuse!
Gee, I wonder what percentage of skilled nursing facilities accept Medicaid? 10%? 30% 50%?
Actually every skilled nursing facility accepts Medicaid. All of them. 100%. Do you have enough money to pay $10,000 – $15,000 per month for skilled care? For an average of 3 years. With a good chance of 5 years? Is it ridiculous to think that nursing homes would like to get paid when you go broke? Are you opposed to caregivers getting paid? Do nursing homes get everything for free?
Not so fast! Everybody knows that there are very few “Medicaid beds”. You know, the ones that they seal with plastic. So the bedbugs cannot escape. Just a few Medicaid beds.
Funny thing, though. About 70-80% of long-term, skilled nursing facility residents are paid for by Medicaid. How did that happen? Maybe because all beds are Medicare-certified. And all Medicare beds can be paid with Medicaid dollars.
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
Medicaid is for poor people (meaning people without any money or stuff). And you have money and stuff, so Medicaid is not for you! Logical! Makes sense!
Question: How long will you have any money or stuff if you are paying $10-15,000 per month for long-term care?
Are you opposed to not going broke? Is it ridiculous to think that you (or your loved one) might get better care if your lifesavings had not melted away like a snowflake on a hot griddle? Are you against paying for the extra services you want?
You get a shower a week in a long-term care facility. How often do you shower now? Are you against paying some of your hard-earned savings to get a shower more frequently?
If your long-term care “insurance” (also known as Medicaid) paid for the $10-15,000 cost of basic services, and, if your lifesavings were intact, would you choose to spend some of those savings to make your days more pleasant? Do you want to be poor? Is poverty more noble? Is it honorable to spend down a lifetime of work in a matter of months? Does it make sense to believe that the government knows best? Is it foolish to plan for your future?
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Yesterday I was looking in the mirror. I felt depressed. I said to my bride of 15 years, “Honey, when I look in the mirror I see an old, fat, bald guy, and it depresses me. Honey,” I said, “I need your help.”
“Oh?” said the love of my life, “How may I be of service?” “Honey,” I replied, “I need a compliment. Looking at this fat, old, bald guy in the mirror here is bringing me down. I really feel the need for some compassion, a compliment would sure make me feel better!”
“Well,” said my soulmate, “Your eyesight is damn near perfect!”
Since I have been wearing glasses since the 8th grade, my wife’s compliment was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt better immediately. So, when I ask you, “Is it ridiculous to think that you are not getting older, you are getting better?” Remember this little love tale of mine. And draw your own conclusions.
And the hits just keep on coming! More great excuses are on their way!
Here’s a sneak preview of the next fabulous five excuses to avoid planning:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway.!
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Estate Planning Is Dumb, A Waste Of Time
BlogDownload the Print Version
You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream!
We Also Scream To Avoid Planning
Are You A Failure At Making Excuses?
Poor Rudyard Kipling. He is like you. Forty million reasons, but not a single excuse? Perhaps he lacked skill. Or talent. Not even a single excuse in a gigantic 40 million straw haystack of reasons? And you are in the same boat. Have you ever come up with an excuse that satisfied your spouse? Me neither.
George Washington, Founding Father, spoke with the voice of experience: “Better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” How could it be that George Washington, “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” failed so miserably at making excuses? And fail at excuses he did… How else could he learn that bad excuses are the worst? And when George failed to excuse failure, what did he do? Founder the United States. Revolutionary. Beat the British. Farmer. Inventor. Statesman. Stuff like that.
You have 40 million reasons to avoid LifePlanning™. But when your dearly beloved suggests planning ahead, your 40 million reasons to do something else strangely evaporate. Like mist in the morning sun. Dense fog one minute, clear day the next. What is this phenomenon? The answer is obvious!
It is not reasons that you lack, but excuses. And we are here to help. As a public service. No charge. Expert excuses, here for the reading. High quality, too. When it comes to shirking important responsibilities, ordinary, everyday dodges will not suffice. You need professional help.
Tip-Top Training And Practical Preparation In The Art Of Avoidance
Four years at the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Philosophy and English. Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of Law.
Master of Laws, Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. Judicial clerk. Five years in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, mostly on the Army General Staff, at the Pentagon. Topped off by a couple years with BigLaw. Then 32 years of growth: from one guy answering the telephone all alone to a firm of 50 persnickity professionals. Need know-how? Get know-how. Now.
We don’t just solve problems, we observe how folks run away from problems, too! Flee from foul facts. Dismiss, diminish, deride loved ones’ concerns. Deny, discount, deflect their own painful predicaments. Years of daily experience with responsible, middle-class, hard-working men and women who would prefer to chew their arm off than submit to the terrible torture that is estate planning.
Who else has seen it all? Who else can help you escape? You are in good hands. You came to the right shop. It is not an easy job. And we’re just the guys to do it.
Loudly And Firmly Proclaim These Affirmations Three (3) Times:
Take a deep breath. Excellent! You have achieved the correct state of mind. Remember, last week we covered the first four Excellent Excuses. Let us get down to this week’s Decisive Defenses to avoid any attempt at making you look ahead.
LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because
Don’t loudmouths always impress you? So always lead off with an audacious affirmation!
Number One: Raise your voice and daringly declare: “LifePlanning™ is Stupid, Superfluous, and a…”
Number Two: Quickly follow with one of these Negative Nuggets:
#5 … Waste Of Time Because I Only Have A House And An IRA!
Are you opposed to draining your Individual Retirement Account (or 401(k) or 403(b) or Thrift Savings Plan or other retirement account) for long-term care? Of course not! Money in a retirement plan account is just a number, it does not reflect years of working and saving, right? Besides, what would you do with that money anyway? Might as well shoot it out the door at $10,000 to $15,000 per month. And you might get lucky. Maybe you only need assisted living services that cost $5,000 to $10,000 per month. Happy Days! And home care services are only $25 per hour and up. Foolish to worry about preserving that retirement money for your spouse when the government knows so much better than you do about how to spend it.
And everybody says that the homestead is “PROTECTED” so nothing to worry about there! Of course, even without planning, the house will go through probate to your family. And when everybody was explaining how the house was “PROTECTED”, everybody also told you that if you need help (Medicaid) with long-term care, the state wants its money back. And when you go through probate, because you are too smart to waste money on planning, the state will collect its payback. From your house. Which maybe isn’t so “protected”, after all…
Of course your kids would never sell your house while you need care, right? That’s why you do not even have to think about having cash instead of a house anymore. Cash that must be “spent down.” That is not a problem because you can keep $2,000 of it. More Happy Days!
So don’t worry! There is no way you would be one of the 70% of folks who the federal government says will need skilled nursing long- term care services for an average of 3 years or one of the 20% who will need services for 5 years or more. And neither would your spouse. So you should not be concerned about $360,000 to $900,000 of skilled care costs. Never happen.
#6 … Waste Of Time Because I Hate Medicaid
Since everyone always has saved enough money to pay for long-term care, there is no need for any government long-term care program. So Medicaid is bad and wrong. It is just like Social Security.
Everyone always has saved enough money to pay for their retirement. There’s is no need for any government retirement income program.
But wait! Social Security is different! You paid in. With every paycheck, the government skimmed off 15.3% FICA (employer and employee) to pay for Social Security. So getting some return on your payroll taxes is OK!
Help me out here… Is Medicaid different? Did you ever get a paycheck where you didn’t pay federal and state income taxes on every nickel you earned? Does the government run Medicaid for free? Did you somehow skip out on paying for Medicaid? With every paycheck. And Social Security check too?
Why are you opposed to getting something back for all the dollars you paid in? It is OK to get Social Security because you paid taxes for it. But it is bad to get long-term care Medicaid because you paid taxes for it?
There are lots and lots of Medicaid programs – dozens of them. Most Medicaid programs provide for our fellow Americans who have very little.
But there is a slice of Medicaid, middle-class Medicaid, that pays for long-term care. For all Americans. Even you.
For most Medicaid programs, you have to be broke. Middle-class Medicaid lets you keep your house, up to $700,000. And your stuff, no limit on value. And your “motorized vehicle”, also no limit.
So, Medicaid is bad and you hate it. You hate it so much that you will spend all your money. Then, sell the house and all your stuff, spend all that too. And then wind up on Medicaid anyway. Sounds like a plan to me! Good luck with that.
#7 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Nursing Homes Are Lousy Nursing Homes!
Medicaid nursing homes, long term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and anyone else who provides Medicaid care are just the worst! If a facility accepts Medicaid, the place smells bad, the staff is rude, the management is poor, and the care is awful. God forbid that you or a loved one is ever condemned to a Medicaid facility or is forced to receive Medicaid services. Great excuse!
Gee, I wonder what percentage of skilled nursing facilities accept Medicaid? 10%? 30%? 50%?
Actually every skilled nursing facility accepts Medicaid. All of them. 100%. Do you have enough money to pay $10,000 – $15,000 per month for skilled care? For an average of 3 years. With a good chance of 5 years? Is it ridiculous to think that nursing homes would like to get paid when you go broke? Are you opposed to caregivers getting paid? Do nursing homes get everything for free?
Not so fast! Everybody knows that there are very few “Medicaid beds”. You know, the ones that they seal with plastic. So the bedbugs cannot escape. Just a few Medicaid beds.
Funny thing, though. About 70-80% of long-term, skilled nursing facility residents are paid for by Medicaid. How did that happen? Maybe because all beds are Medicare-certified. And all Medicare beds can be paid with Medicaid dollars.
#8 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Is For Poor People!
Medicaid is for poor people (meaning people without any money or stuff). And you have money and stuff, so Medicaid is not for you! Logical!
Makes sense!
Question: How long will you have any money or stuff if you are paying $10-15,000 per month for long-term care?
Are you opposed to not going broke? Is it ridiculous to think that you (or your loved one) might get better care if your life savings had not melted away like a snowflake on a hot griddle? Are you against paying for the extra services you want?
You get a shower a week in a long-term care facility. How often do you shower now? Are you against paying some of your hard-earned savings to get a shower more frequently?
If your long-term care “insurance” (also known as Medicaid) paid for the $10-15,000 cost of basic services, and, if your lifesavings were intact, would you choose to spend some of those savings to make your days more pleasant? Do you want to be poor? Is poverty more noble? Is it honorable to spend down a lifetime of work in a matter of months? Does it make sense to believe that the government knows best? Is it foolish to plan for your future?
#9 … Waste Of Time Because I Am Not Getting Older, I Am Getting Better!
Yesterday I was looking in the mirror. I felt depressed. I said to my bride of 15 years, “Honey, when I look in the mirror I see an old, fat, bald guy, and it depresses me. “Honey,” I said, “I need your help.”
“Oh?” said the love of my life, “How may I be of service?”
“Honey,” I replied, “I need a compliment. Looking at this fat, old, bald guy in the mirror here is bringing me down. I really feel the need for some compassion, a compliment would sure make me feel better!”
“Well,” said my soulmate, “Your eyesight is damn near perfect!”
Since I have been wearing glasses since the 8th grade, my wife’s compliment was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt better immediately. So, when I ask you, “Is it ridiculous to think that you are not getting older, you are getting better?” Remember this little love tale of mine. And draw your own conclusions.
And the hits just keep on coming! More great excuses are on their way!
Here’s A Sneak Preview Of The Next Fabulous Five Excuses To Avoid Planning:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway!
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Tried-And-True Excuses to Avoid Planning
BlogDownload the Print Version (PDF)
Estate Planning And Elder Law Are Stoopid! Only Bad Things Happen When You Plan Ahead!
Electrical Excitement Or Deadly Dull
Remember the last time you sprang from bed, vibrantly alive and enthusiastic for the day? Red corpuscles rampaging through your body like a million volt electric current! Excited to get on with the task at hand. Eager, even anxious, for the starting bell. Like a Kentucky Derby thoroughbred pawing the ground, bursting with anticipation… That 5 a.m. Christmas morning feeling, back when you still checked new-fallen snow for reindeer hoofprints. First solo excursion with your new driver’s license… Your first date with that special someone!
Remember that feeling? Pretty great! Now turn it around 180 degrees. Imagine the polar opposite emotions.
Fear. Uncertainty. Dread. Vitality draining away. Muscles going flabby. Thick brain fog setting in. Getting dizzy. Cannot focus.
Suddenly, spring cleaning the garage becomes an existential priority. From a distance, as through a glass, darkly, you hear yourself proposing the impossible: “Hey honey! Let’s go pick out some curtains!” “Can’t we go visit your sister?” “How long has it been since my last colonoscopy?” Gravity irresistably presses you back into your La-Z-Boy. You are frozen more solidly than the Tinman in Oz or Han Solo in carbonite. Immobile.
What is the difference…Progress versus Procrastination, Approach versus Avoidance?
People can get excited about almost anything! Quilting, rodeo, billiards, mountain climbing, hunting, the list goes on…
Is there a Kryptonite for enthusiasm? A reverse-Geritol? Yes! Imagine one subject, a single topic that is Sominex for the Soul, COVID of Conversation. Dampening the liveliest party.
Shutting down any vigorous dialogue. Guaranteed.
Imagine: Estate Planning and Elder Law. Watch your friends’ eyes glaze over! Cure the worst insomnia! Stifle any conversation! Simply start talking about trusts, long-term care, probate, financial security, the next generation… So boring… ZZZzzz…
But does it truly seem as if we are comfortable with failing to plan? Certainly, many folks appear hesitant to take the future seriously. But still.
Do we feel calm and satisfied with ignoring the times to come? Or maybe a little guilty? Isn’t it a difficult dilemma? Everyone tells you to plan. And, deep down, you feel the need. But at the same time, you want to run away screaming.
Perhaps what you need is a knapsack of noise. Diversions. Cagey questions, shifty statements, slippery slopes, equivocal excuses! Banish that Inconvenient Truth with oblique objections.
Sometimes you need convenient, confusing questions. Distractions. Relief from your anxiety and guilt at neglecting adult responsibilities.
You have come to the right place! For 32 years, The Elder Law Reporter has observed many good-spirited, hard-working, conscientious people offer up transparent evasions that would not fool a small child. Sifting through the vast haystack of these lame excuses, we found the golden needles! You need to bob, weave, duck, dive, skirt, shirk, fudge and elude. We can help! Please accept the following fool-proof “reasons” to avoid LifePlanning™ like the plague. As our gift.
Now, the next time your bride/life partner/ conscience says, “Honey, may we please go to a LifePlan™ Workshop and get our ducks in a row?” you will have a snappy comeback. LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because:
Aren’t you are always impressed when your brother-in-law leads off with a bold, sweeping, negative statement? You should do the same!
First, in a loud, commanding tone of voice, firmly state: “LifePlanning™ is Unnecessary and a…”
Second, quickly follow with one of these argumentative gems:
#1 … Waste Of Time Because I Am Not Going To A Nursing Home. Ever!
Federal government says 70% of people will need, on average, three years of skilled nursing care services. www.longtermcare.gov . Is it ridiculous to think that you might be in that 70%? Or that your spouse would be? Of course it is! No way you will ever need that care. Not for the 3-year average. And when they say that 20% of folks will need care for 5+ years? Ho ho ho. Not for you!
And you may even be correct! 10,000 people every day are hitting the “gateway ages.” Happy Birthday! 10,000 of us are now sixty, sixty-five, seventy… There are not that many “nursing home” beds. So maybe assisted living? Maybe at-home care? Maybe you win the long-term care lottery and die early. There’s a cheerful thought!
#2 … Waste Of Time Because My Children Will Take Care Of Me!
For sure! When we were growing up, everybody had lots of kids. Big families. Many hands make light work. There was a time, quickly passing, when this was the norm. It is what you did for your folks.
But you did not want all those rug rats. You had two. Maybe three. But surely the in-laws will cheerfully lend a hand. As everyone knows, there is nothing your children or son-in-law would like better than to empty your catheter bag. Or colostomy collector. Or wipe your various body parts. In the middle of the night.
And besides, your kids have nothing else to do. No kids of their own. No husband or wife. So there is no way they would ever refuse. No. Way.
How can you be sure? Easy! Your kids remember every birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Easter, New Year. They are not overworked. They have no stress. Is it ridiculous to think that they might have something to do instead of taking care of you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 3 years (on average)?
#3 … Waste Of Time Because I Do Not Have Enough Money!
Do you believe that ignorance is bliss? Would you rather not know uncomfortable facts? Are they right when they say “You can’t handle the truth!” ?
Long-term care is terribly expensive. No kidding. And it is getting worse daily. No joke. And long-term care exhausts lifesavings for hundreds of Michigan families daily. But what happens next? The answer is Medicaid. Medicaid is how America pays for long-term care. And that’s the truth. Who can afford $300/day for care? Who can afford $500/day? Not you. Not me. Not anyone else. And when you are broke, it is Medicaid that pays.
Medicaid is not Medicare. Medicare is insurance you pay for out of your Social Security check. Medicaid is insurance you pay for out of your tax dollars, out of your paycheck and Social Security.
Medicare covers immediate needs. Medicare does not pay for skilled nursing or assisted living or at- home care (except a few days for rehabilitation).
Medicare does not care how much you own or what you own. Medicaid covers long-term care. Medicaid pays for hospital, skilled nursing, assisted living and at-home care. Medicaid does not care how much you own. Medicaid cares about what you own. You can have a $700,000 house. And a $125,000 Ferrari. No problem. But no cash.
Medicaid pays for you to have a shower. Every week. Need it or not. Also pays for you to have a roommate. Do you like roommates? Also pays to wash your clothes. In a huge vat with everyone else’s. That sounds sanitary.
You may not be a Bruce Wayne-style multimillionaire, but you have plenty of money to pay for your own room. And a shower everyday. And to send your laundry out. But not if you spend yourself broke first. Like everyone else does. Like most so-called elder law attorneys advise. Spend-down! Harrumph!
Do you want a roommate, communal laundry, shower a week? Is it ridiculous to think that you could have better? That you have earned better? When your Medicaid “insurance” does the heavy lifting, your lifesavings can be intact to supply the little things. The little things that make all the difference. Is that ridiculous?
Or is it ridiculous to have spent a lifetime doing all the right things. Working hard. Saving. Paying it off. Paying it forward. Taking the overtime.
Clipping the coupons. And now, in sight of the finish line, blowing a lifetime of savings in short order and leaving yourself and your spouse at the mercy of government benefits. Maybe that is what is ridiculous.
#4 … Waste Of Time Because The Laws Will Change!
Annie was right. The sun will come out tomorrow. The Bible says so too. Ecclesiastes 1:5, look it up. And just as sure as the sun will come up, laws will change. Are you surprised by that? Have you ever been able to use the same tax forms two years in a row? Of course not. So, the laws change, sometimes in strange and unfortunate ways. Are you against adapting to this reality?
Over the last 32 years, thousands of Michigan families have followed the LifePlan™ approach. Would thousands of families still follow LifePlanning™ if it was a failure? Would you recommend your family and friends if it did not work? Neither would anyone else.
Laws change, politicians gotta be political. Does that mean your values change? What if planning were based on the things most important to you, rather than the shifting winds of political gamesmanship?
Three core values are the foundation of LifePlanning™: No Poverty, No Charity, No Waste.
No Poverty. Did you work your whole life to be poor at the end? Are you against getting a small return on the tax dollars you have paid in? Do you like the idea that your end-of-life choices will be dictated by government bureaucrats, regulations, and decrees? Is it ridiculous to think that when your savings are intact, when you have money, you call the tune?
No Charity. Have you always relied on the kindness of strangers? Are you the type who always wants a special deal you haven’t earned? Does it make you happy that people who do not contribute get everything, while the folks who make it happen get nothing? Why shouldn’t the workers get the same deal as the takers? You are not a charity case, you just want a little equal treatment, a little fairness. How did that get to be a bad thing?
No Waste. Are you against leaving the leftovers to your kids? Are you opposed to the kids actually getting what you left them? Even if there was a divorce? Or bankruptcy? Or student loan debt? Or a viral pandemic? Is it ridiculous to think that rich people might have figured out how to securely transfer wealth from one generation to the next?
If rich folks think giving their kids a leg up is a worthy goal, why don’t your kids deserve the same? Even if the dollar amount is much less?
These are the 3 pillars of LifePlanning™. Laws change, values do not. When fundamental values guide decisions, you get consistent results. Solid planning, solid results.
Could you refuse even more great excuses? Of course not!
Here’s a sneak preview of the next five for next week:
#5 … Waste Of Time Because I Only Have A House And An Ira!
#6 … Waste Of Time Because I Hate Medicaid!
#7 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Nursing Homes Are Lousy Nursing Homes!
#8 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Is For Poor People!
#9 … Waste Of Time Because I Am Not Getting Older, I Am Getting Better!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important? Legal Documents? Avoiding probate. Is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Why Your Shiny Brand-New Estate Plan Is A Dangerous Clunker!
BlogSimple Questions… That Nobody Asks Until It Is Too Late.
Things Everybody Takes For Granted… But Shouldn’t
Would You Happily Put Your Kids In The Back Seat Of A Pinto?
Eyewitness: “the car exploded “like a large napalm bomb” when it was hit”
Why does anyone plan their estate? Why did you spend all that time and money for a will or trust? If you are like most people, you plan ahead for peace of mind. Sure, the future is uncertain, but we are not helpless. Estate planning and elder law can ensure that our life’s work will serve us. And our families or loved ones. Too bad most planning does not work that way.
What does everybody know about the Ford Pinto? It was a good-looking car. Economical! Popular in the 70’s. Millions sold. But it had an unfortunate tendency to explode on impact, engulfing its passengers in a gasoline fireball. With disastrous consequences for all concerned. Yikes!
I love my 1956 Chevrolet BelAir. Less than 26000 miles on the odometer. All original, from the canvas “carpet” to the radio with tubes rather than transistors. But the dashboard is painted steel, no padding. Seatbelts? Not in 1956. The steering column is solid metal. That ends in a point. Disturbing tendency to turn the driver into a shish kebab in a head-on collision. Airbags not invented yet. Whoops!
I do like to drive my BelAir… it is not a museum piece. But I drive it carefully. Cautiously. Defensively. With my kid in the backseat.
Today’s cars are loaded with airbags, mirrors, collision avoidance systems, backup cameras, beepers, buzzers, bells and whistles. New cars have airbags all over the place. Some slam on the brakes automatically. The Caddy even tightens your seatbelt before a crash. Nothing to worry about. Whew!
Your Estate Plan Is An Edsel
Most estate planning is like the Edsel. Obsolete from the get-go. Answering the wrong questions. And doing it poorly.
The Wrong Goals: Avoid Probate. Save Taxes. Get It to the Kids. These things all happen after you die. But you are not dead yet. Shouldn’t we be a little concerned with what happens before you die? Maybe taking care of you is the best way to take care of them.
How do you feel, loading your kids into the backseat of a 1975 Pinto? Taking them to school. Driving around town. Going to see grandma. Safe? Secure? Or are your eyes locked on that tiny rearview mirror. Fearfully scanning for danger?
Why Is LifePlanning™ Never Obsolete?
LifePlanning™ is not a Pinto. Or a 50’s Edsel. LifePlanning™ is focused on you. On the real concerns that affect you and your family. Incapacity. Dementia.
These dangers are real. Ignore them if you like. At your peril. That is what the Pinto folks did. With explosive results. You can take an outdated, obsolete approach. With an estate plan that has not evolved since the 1950’s. Resulting in Nursing Home Poverty. No choice for you. No legacy for the kids.
LifePlanning™ maximizes the things that are most important to you. We all have to go sometime, but why rush it? Why not remain alert? Independent? Engaged? Aware? In charge? Why shouldn’t your choices matter? Refuse to let others decide “what to do” with you! Reject dependence.
LifePlanning™ gets you the benefits you have earned, while preserving life savings. Not for the kids, but to supplement those earned benefits. Eight thousand dollars a month ($8,000/ month) for assisted living. Fifteen thousand ($15,000/month) for skilled care. Who can afford it? Medicaid is the way America pays for long-term care. Medicaid wants you broke. Medicaid is the government solution.
LifePlanning™ says OK! You earned the government solution. But since when was the government solution adequate? Why did you work? Take overtime? Save and invest? You do not have to settle. You can make your lifesavings work for you while receiving the benefits you earned.
Is A “Pinto” Plan “Good Enough” For Your Spouse And Family? For You? Why Don’t You Deserve “Cadillac” Planning? Is The “Cadillac” Plan Too Good For Your Spouse? Your Family? Why?
Thousands of middle-class families have used LifePlanning™ to get the peace of mind that comes from loading your family into the safest, most comfortable vehicle possible. Without thorough planning you will spend yourself into Nursing Home Poverty. You get what they feel like giving.
Not what you have earned. Not what you want. Not what you deserve. With a whimper, not a bang. Quieter than a flaming fireball of dramatic death, but just as devastating. To you. To your family. Are you really opposed to getting a small return on all the tax dollars you paid in?
Without LifePlanning™ , you are driving a Pinto. Do not have good answers to the questions. No one has your back. Maybe things will work out. Maybe you will get home today. Maybe. Why not be sure? Do you think security is a bad thing?
LifePlanning™ preserves your lifesavings. You never go broke. Your earnings serve you throughout your lifetime. And that means…
You stay home. Longer. You get the help you need, that your spouse needs. Clear-eyed. Relevant. Participating in your own care.
The Choice Is Yours. Does Quality Of Life Matter To You?
We Wasted 2021. See It Through in ‘22!
Last year, the number of regular folks planning their futures dropped. Significantly. Fewer people focused on planning ahead, LifePlanning™. I fear 2021 was a year of wasted opportunity for regular families. Devastating.
Get the information you want. In- person workshops and one-on-one meetings. Recorded and live-streaming webinars. Like you, we have never stopped serving. As you seek out new ways to accomplish your life’s work, we are on the same journey. By your side. Making the rules work for the people who play by the rules.
Sixty minutes to personal control. Now and as long as you wish. Because you earned it. Avoid Nursing Home Poverty. Thousands of middle-class families have learned and use these techniques. Why not yours?
Got Questions? Get Answers!
Get Answers Now… The Call That Changes Your Life…
(800) 317-2812
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To Your Particular Questions Whatever It Takes To Serve!
Losing a Loved One… Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
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Can The Last Days Be The Best Days?
Newsflash: Life Is Not Easy
Don’t we live in a loud, demanding world? Personal and professional responsibilities compete for each moment of attention. Spouse, Children, Parents, Job, Commitments. And you want to do it all. For everyone. To satisfy each person’s need. You run as hard as you can, as fast as you can. Will it be enough? Will you be satisfied with your choices, your decisions? Have you had enough practice with the balancing act? Navigating through conflicting imperatives is second nature to us now, like breathing out and breathing in. Does that make it easy?
Gratitude comes in moments of calm reflection. As you consider your own life, who are your heroes? With whom do you seek to spend time? Business partners? Professional colleagues? Bankers or financial advisors? With whom do we spend the most time? Are our brief moments with loved ones: good friends, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, wife, husband, children… are they insignificant? Are personal, intimate experiences and relationships without meaning? Are commercial attachments the most important?
You are an adult. A grownup. You know the truth that younger people seek to deny. You know that: Life is choices. Balance is critical. There are no easy answers. Hard decisions must be made. Family responsibilities are real and must be honored. Obligations to business team members and others who rely on you are genuine, too. You cannot run away from the tough stuff. You cannot pretend it is easy. You cannot wish it away. That is not how the world works. Whatever the storybooks say.
Hold Yourself To Account
When your mother closes her eyes for the last time, will she regret that you did everything possible for her comfort and support in her twilight hours? Or will she wish that you had closed another deal? Taken some more overtime? Kept your nose to the grindstone?
Will your aging father be disappointed that you spent as much time as possible with him and provided well when you could not be at his side? Or will he be distressed that you preferred his companionship to another company meeting?
Having done the very best you can for your loved ones in their time of need, will you feel guilty? You have run the race, fought the good fight, poured yourself lovingly into care for your loved one. You were there when you could be. You provided for care when you could not. Is it ridiculous to think that you could be contented, even quietly proud, while grieving the loss of that special person?
Something Is Gained And Something Is Lost In Living Every Day
Not many World War II veterans are still around. There are a few. Like my father. Winding down a life that stretched almost 97 years. Still “sharp as a tack” he still does things according to his own notions. He has no mental limitations and has never seemed to appreciate his own physical limits. So, my brothers and sisters and I have been taking turns living with Dad, a couple weeks at a time. For years. A couple weeks at a time, sharing the opportunity, so that Dad is never alone. Well, hardly ever.
Recently a checkup revealed a serious progression of congestive heart failure. Not unexpected, not welcome either. So we decided to spend a few more days with Dad. Two of my brothers were already staying there.
On the way to his house, one morning, my brother called to redirect me to the hospital. Dad was unresponsive. The EMTs said his heart had stopped and they put him on an external pacemaker in the ambulance.
Dad woke up in the hospital. And immediately demanded to go home. And rejected the idea of a pacemaker. Which the doctor said was his only chance for continued life. Which Dad firmly refused again. Consistent with earlier statements.
So the doctor got the palliative medicines ready. Turned off the machine. And… Dad kept going without the machine. An astonished doctor said he would not try to explain it and that Dad could go home.
When will that final moment arrive? Not yet. But 8 children, 20 grandchildren, and a couple of new great-grandchildren got one more opportunity to know Dad.
Available Options Are Unacceptable
When my mother suffered from the dementia which led to her death, over 10 years ago, their LifePlan™ preserved 50 years of lifesavings. Mom’s months in the nursing home did not mean Dad’s impoverishment. Dad has spent the last years with security and peace of mind.
But now the limitations of the system have struck home. More profoundly than ever before. Hospice has been wonderful, a Godsend. But Dad now needs round the clock care. No one wants him in a long-term care facility. Least of all himself.
But how to provide care? My family’s solution only works if you had 8 children most of whom could work remotely. And we are not all medical people. We do not know what to do. Or how to do it.
The current situation is simply not acceptable. Dad is ready, willing and able to hire a Certified Nursing Assistant, even an RN. But the demand is so great, they are hard to find. At any price.
Does it seem right to you that the person you have hired to keep watch overnight gets more sleep than you do? Well at least you didn’t wake your caregiver by snoring. As she woke Dad. Twice. As the video shows.
Large families like my father’s are few and getting fewer. There once was something called the “Sandwich Generation”. When your children were willing to care for their own kids and care for you as well. The Sandwich Generation is almost a thing of the past. Not quite gone yet, but…
Over the last 32 years there have been tremendous changes in long-term care. From “Nursing Home or Nothing!” to a wide range of options and choices. From an acceptance that your lifesavings would be quickly eaten up by long-term care costs, to the realization that there are programs that can preserve those savings. For yourself. For your family.
At-home care has changed also. The “friend from church” or “neighbor lady” who could be counted on to help out for $5/hour… gone. She has either retired or been hired at $20/hour by an agency. An agency that charges $40/ hour for caregivers with minimal training and no credentials. “Caregivers” who cannot stay awake.
For 32 years, I have rejected traditional notions of estate planning. Traditional planning is failure planning. My firm pioneered and advocates for LifePlanning™. No Poverty: You will not go broke. No Charity: Your caregivers will get paid. No Waste: Your heirs will get their inheritance.
Maybe it is time to reject traditional notions of at-home care. Are you opposed to living your last days independently in familiar surroundings? Is it a ridiculous idea to expect you could receive cheerful, professional, wide-awake care without a nursing facility? LifePlanningTM™ has always focused on preserving your lifesavings so that your lifetime of work and thrift would continue to serve you until the very end.
But what if the services are not available? What if the money does not matter because the choices for care are so limited? Or not acceptable? Who will fill the gap? Who can you trust? Is now a bad time for a new solution?
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you think you already have an answer to this problem. Maybe you do not see this as a problem at all. It is possible that you do not believe in the passage of time or its effects on you.
For many years, that’s how I felt about my father. He seemed to never age. Always the same peppery mix of cutting humor, sentimentality, ferocious attention to detail, and strength. He has not changed in his personality, but he is no longer independent.
My brothers and sisters and I have been privileged to be with him almost the entire time. Without each other, this moment would have come years ago. We have come to terms with the situation. But I am determined that everyone should be able to make good choices.
Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?
Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. 800-317-2812
We Sure Do Love Resolutions… Mostly We Love Ignoring Them
BlogNew Year’s Resolutions
Safe To Go Back To The Gym?
Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions
From the Home Office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, here are the top ten New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
—GOSKILLS.COM
Alert Readers will may notice that LifePlan™ made the list 3 times:
#3 Get Organized,
#5 Live Life to the Fullest,
#6 Save More Money.
New Year’s Resolutions Are Hard!
By now, of course, you have probably can’t remember your New Year’s Resolutions. Forget about trying to actually carry them out. Well, The Michigan Elder Law Reporter is always here to help! Are you against achieving 3 New Year’s Resolutions all at once? Is the beginning of another mad and merry year a bad time to get started? Is it a ridiculous idea to think that attending a LifePlan™ Workshop could be the start of something really big for you and your family?
LifePlan™ Workshop Resolutions Are Easy!
At the top of this page are the Workshop listings. Go. Pick a date and location. Pick up the phone or email us. Or sign up on our website by clicking HERE. Pick up your date. Come to the Workshop. In a few short minutes (60 minutes, but it goes fast) you will have accomplished 3 of the top 10 most popular New Year’s resolutions. And enjoyed some fresh-baked oatmeal raisin cookies, too.
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. 800-317-2812
Back To Basics: See It Through In ‘22
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Are You Against Peace of Mind?
What Is A Will? Probate – Who Cares?
What Is A Trust? Why Do Trusts Routinely Fail?
Why Don’t They Ever Talk About The Real Problem?
Why Are They Misleading You?
Is Now A Bad Time?
American Middle-Class Values Are Universal
The Future Is Middle Class
Sometimes do you feel surrounded by gloomy complainers who think you should be as anxious and angry as they are? At Christmastime, they complain about everything: gift-giving is bad, Christmas dinner is sinfully extravagant, family time is traumatic. Sad. Proof positive that misery loves company.
Gloomy Gus and Miserable Mary take especial twisted delight in accusing you of all manner of wretched, greedy, evil behavior. Your joy in simple pleasures both infuriates and depresses them. They have “issues.” Every glass is half-empty. All emotions are tainted. Lurking beneath each good deed is a selfish and unworthy motive. The pinnacle of their dismal happiness is to accuse America of unique and awful sin. COVID responses have only deepened their malaise.
What rubbish! Just as your (vaccinated!) immune system rapidly isolates and destroys deadly viruses and bacteria, we need to inoculate ourselves against this deeply stupid and self-destructive whining. Childish and immature? Yes. Infantile and unserious? Definitely. That does not mean we can ignore this injurious infection. Sunshine is the best disinfectant!
Is everything bad and getting worse? Are you an awful person? It is easy to observe that throughout human history, humans have wanted the same things. Why do they ridicule the notion that we are all the same underneath?
You spent a lifetime working and saving. You paid your bills. You raised your kids. You showed up. Nose to the grindstone. Happy warrior. Fighting the good fight.
Lucky for you, you are an American. Being an American means that your efforts count. You can get stuff. And keep it. And enjoy it. Some people like snowmobiles. Other people like Precious Moments™ figurines. Bowling balls and pool cues. Snap-on Tools™. Surf boards. Quilts. Pottery. We like our stuff. It is good to get stuff. The more stuff, the better.
Abundance. Prosperity. Wealth.
How do I know that it is good to get stuff? Look around. Everybody, in every country, around the world, is trying to get stuff. Stuff like yours. Stuff we take for granted.
It starts with sanitation. Toilets. Clean water. Pretty soon folks want electricity. And a bank account. For their savings. Then cell phones. Then McDonald’s™ hamburgers. Then a place to call their own. Then a house. And a car. Health care too. People like to live. They like to live with their stuff. It’s not just you.
Everybody’s doing it.
How do I know? Glad you asked…
Extreme Poverty Almost Gone
The world is becoming middle-class. America just got there first. Not getting blown up in WWII probably helped. Working really hard and believing the America Dream also helped. And now, according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in the 2020 Goalkeepers Report, the world is catching up.
Worried about Extreme Poverty? It is practically a thing of the past. Look at the graph. Go to the website. All good news!
Got Personal Hygiene?
Get Running Water and Toilets…
What about safe water? Again, check out the chart. More people than ever are living healthier lives. Who knew that things were so good? The truth is that other folks want the same things you do. And, like you, they are willing to work to get those good things. Is it ridiculous to think that other people want flush toilets, clean water, and a place to wash their hands? Did you think anyone was choosing to wash in sewage?
Who Needs Banks and Banking Services The Most? Poor Folks
And what about money? Once again, trust your own eyes. Even in the poorest countries. Even the poorest people in those countries. 30% of the poorest people in the world have bank accounts. A safe place to store the fruits of their labors. Giving them a way out of poverty. Promising them a brighter future.
The job is not done. Not by a long stretch. Be of good cheer. Progress is tough to derail. Not even the COVID pandemic or some of the hysterical reactions to it have significantly slowed the train. So. Let the nattering nabobs of negativism tell you how bad everything is… Then give them a reality check. Pow! Right in the kisser. Metaphorically. Rhetorically. Confidently.
The future is middle class.
Middle class folks want to make things better for the family members they leave behind. It is a new kind of problem for most people. Including most Americans.
You Got Stuff, You Die Who Gets Your Stuff?
The Last Will and Testament
Funny thing about stuff. It lasts longer than you do. What happens then? The answer to that question is the beginning of estate planning. For a very long time, only the pashas, potentates and princes had anything worth having. But that began to change. Slowly at first, but eventually lots of folks had stuff that was still around after they were gone and still useful.
Who gets it? That was a big problem. The answer was a new kind of court, the probate court. A special place where all this could be settled out.
Along with getting stuff for themselves, folks wanted to give the next generation a leg up. They wanted to say who would get the left-overs. And that’s where wills come in.
Your Last Will and Testament is simply instructions to the probate court. That is it. Your Will only works if it goes through probate. Lots of people will tell you, “I don’t have to worry about probate, I have a Will!” And now you know better.
How much does it cost to probate your leftover stuff? A frequently cited number, attributed to AARP, is 4-10% of the value of the estate. That seems about right to me.
Why so expensive? Because you left a big mess. While you are alive, your name is on your stuff. You are large and in charge. It is as if you were carrying items around in a store. In your arms. As long as you are steady on your feet… no problem. But if you slip and fall… Whoops! There goes all the stuff you were carrying. And now you have made a big mess. You were in complete control of your stuff. Now nobody is in control. Stuff goes flying. Good luck sorting it out. Nice easy job, cleaning up the mess.
But cleaning up the mess is exactly what the probate court does. The probate court is a janitor. Your will is simply a note found in the mess. Let’s hope the janitor finds the note. And reads it. And follows it. And is not distracted by everything else going on…
Probate is not a curse inflicted on innocent people by a vengeful deity. Probate is the necessary and unavoidable consequence of the rise of the middle class. Together with a failure to plan ahead.
You Got Stuff, You Die Who Gets Your Stuff? The Trust
Is it ridiculous to think that most people would rather not lose 4-10% of their leftover life savings? Are you opposed to keeping what you have earned? Maybe then avoiding probate would be a good idea. Are you against finding better ways to get the job done? I didn’t think so…
That’s where the trust comes in. Trusts hold your stuff, like a shopping cart at the store. You are in control.
Put things in. Take things out. Re-arrange. It is all up to you. The key is that when you “slip and fall”, your possessions are in the cart. Sure, you went flying. Call the EMTs! But your stuff remains in the shopping cart/ trust. No fuss. No muss. Nothing for the janitor to do. Your successor trustee steps up and divvies up the stuff to your deserving and grateful family members. What could be easier? Are you surprised that trusts are so popular?
The Huge Dirty Secret of Trust-Based Planning
Is it ridiculous to think that a highly profitable industry based on cleaning up messes might want to go on cleaning up those messes? Can continue collecting those fees? If you were collecting 4-10% of folks’ leftover lifesavings, would you be in a rush to cut off that gravy train? Is it bad to wonder why 90+% of trusts fail? Is it cynical and ill-natured to wonder whether the astonishing failure rate of trusts has anything to do with probate industry profits?
Why do trusts fail harder than the Wizard of Oz? The simple reason, which is well-known to your banker, insurance agent, financial advisor, attorney, and anyone else with the slightest familiarity, is that hardly anything gets into the shopping cart.
You paid for a bright and shiny new trust/shopping cart. And that is what you received. It is beautiful! Leather binder. Lots of pages. Wow! And it is empty. And you are still carrying all those items around in your arms. So when you slip and fall… oopsie! All your stuff STILL goes flying, STILL makes a huge mess, STILL requires probate.
How Do They Get Away With Such Piracy?!
How does the probate industry get away with it? Simple. In that fancy binder of yours, there is a memorandum/ letter/instruction booklet/ brochure. In that document, the responsibility of getting your stuff into your trust is placed squarely on your shoulders.
Did you know that? Would it be a waste of your time to, right now, dig into that fancy binder and find that memo? It is in there, I promise.
The memo is how the probate industry turns your kids’ righteous indignation at having to pay for probate into sheepish surrender. It was Mom and Dad’s fault! They did not follow the instructions! Aww gee! Heh heh… betcha ya didn’t see that coming!
What if there was a law firm that did the hard work of tracking down your assets with you and getting them into the trust. Would you be surprised if the process took longer? Would it be a shock that it cost more? Would you be against getting what you paid for?
Would you be surprised to learn that there is no free lunch?
American Middle-Class Values
Are The Wave Of The Future
Do you reject the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats? Is it too farfetched to think that today’s “rising tide” are the peaceful virtues of the middle-class lifestyle? Rapidly spreading across the globe. Raising hundreds of millions, billions of our sisters and brothers out of poverty. On to the path for a better life.
Our better future has its enemies. Craven, miserable, alive only with jealousy and envy. You extend the helping hand of friendship; they see only the claw of exploitation. You offer to help build, construct, improve, they seek only to tear down, demolish, devastate.
You are winning. Ever more desperate, they are losing.
Peace of mind and security are waiting for everyone who embraces productive work. While you are here. And after you are gone. Waiting for you. You have a choice. Despite what “everybody else” says.
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste. It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. 800-317-2812
Is Now A Bad Time To Get Started? Are We Living In Crazy Times?
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What If All Times Are Crazy Times?
Does The Battle Against Crazy Ever End?
Have You Given Up On The Fight?
Will 2022 Be Our Best Year Ever? Why Not? Is America Over?
When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Why accept their judgment? Have they demonstrated competence? Do they show kindness? Class? Intelligence? Is it really up to “them”? Are you against middle class values of thrift, charity, authentic generosity? Should we give up without a fight? It is a free country. You choose.
Remember when you were younger? There was always one obnoxious kid who tried to boss everyone else around. The question for that kid was: “who died and left you king? [or queen?]” Seems like those kids all went to Harvard, got fancy degrees, and have not changed a bit. Can’t leave well enough alone. Can’t shut up. Always talking. Always ruining everything for everyone else. Isn’t it time to ask: who died and left you in charge? Cause it certainly wasn’t us!
Is now a bad time to make good changes? Is it a ridiculous idea to think we can take our country back and joyfully continue the work of keeping the American promise for everyone? Are you against peace, love and understanding? Have we given up on the ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King, Jr.? Have we given up?
Look At Our Leaders… It Seems Like The Inmates Have Taken Over The Asylum
Do you wonder why our politicians prey ruthlessly on our divisions? Do they all hate America? Why? Why the gleeful, self-satisfied, smug rush to embrace every crackpot idea that “proves” America is, and has always been, evil? What psychological diagnosis is there for people who abandon self-respect for self-hate? Were they unloved or over- indulged? Who told them they were so precious? Who saved them from real work, blisters, sweat, fatigue? Why did they never learn to build? Why do they rejoice in destruction? How does other folks’ suffering make them feel better? Where did they come from?
Is this all Doctor Spock’s fault?
Actions have consequences. Eliminate low-wage substitutes for American workers. Surprise! More Americans are working than ever. Flood the country with low-wage substitutes for American workers. Amazing! Labor force participation plummets to new lows. Inflate the money supply by trillions of cheap dollars. Shock! Prices for everything skyrocket. Pay people more money to stay home than to work. Astounding! People stay home instead of work. Cowardly retreat from honorable commitments. Incredible! Other countries now think we are dishonorable cowards. And act accordingly. Set up a super- secret laboratory in a busy city to research disease viruses moving from animals to humans. Unexpected! An outbreak of disease viruses moving from animals to humans in that same busy city. There are none so blind as they who will not see.
Are You Qualified To Be An Elite Leader In 2022?
Take Our 3-Question Quiz!
1. Some kids get lousy grades. Those kids feel bad about their lousy grades. How do we make the kids feel better?
A. Help and support parents help their kids do the homework so they get better grades.
B. Hire more staff to tutor the kids to get better grades.
C. Encourage the kids who get good grades to help the other kids to get better grades.
D. Eliminate grades. Give everybody an “A+++”.
If you answered A, B, or C, you are a horrible and uncaring person.
If you answered D, you must be a highly- paid consultant. Brilliant!
2. There are no questions 2 and 3. We don’t do math so good. But our self- esteem is top notch!
Nothing New Under The Sun
An American statesman recently proclaimed:
[I]n addition to honesty, we need sanity. [T]he wild preachers of unrest and discontent, the wild agitators against the entire existing order, the men who act crookedly, whether because of sinister design or from mere puzzleheadedness, the men who preach destruction without proposing any substitute for what they intend to destroy, or who propose a substitute which would be far worse than the existing evils—all these men are the most dangerous opponents of real reform. If they get their way, they will lead the people into a deeper pit than any into which they could fall under the present system. If they fail to get their way, they will still do incalculable harm by provoking the kind of reaction which, in its revolt against the senseless evil of their teaching, would enthrone more securely than ever the very evils which their misguided followers believe they are attacking.
Who was this brave, courageous commentator? Who would dare to point out the insanity of those “wild preachers of unrest and discontent”? Surely, he will be banned from Twitter, Facebook, and all other modern forms of communication. Who are the people that “act crookedly” and “preach destruction”? Hiding their faces with black masks, they “propose a substitute which would be far worse than the existing evils…” “do[ing] incalculable harm.”
So, who was it that braved the cancel culture to tell the truth?
It was Theodore Roosevelt, president of the United States, on April 14, 1906. One hundred and fifteen years ago. Did Teddy Roosevelt solve the problem of destructive, insane, dishonest “wild agitators”? No.
There is no final victory. With other good- hearted Americans, Teddy fought the battle of his day, one hundred and fifteen years ago. Our beloved land has seen these sorts of folks before. We have confronted them. We have beaten them. Again and again. But like the shingles virus, they hide. Then they come back like a painful rash. Biding their time. Persistent. Waiting. Sneaky. When we least expect it. Bang! We cannot let them win.
Fight The Good Fight Ignore The Peanut Gallery
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt, April 23, 1910
Middle-class folks, regular people, ordinary Americans. You show up every day. You do the right thing. You work hard. You are grateful for blessings. You endure suffering. You see the job through to the end. Satisfaction does not come from false claims of historical persecution. Contentment is recognition of difficult work done well. Without complaining. Without victimhood. With charity for all and malice towards none.
We live in complicated times. Government has grown far beyond any monstrosity Teddy Roosevelt could have dreamt in his most horrifying nightmares. This is our challenge. We cannot fight it with blood, sweat and tears alone. We must win on the playing field we did not choose. We must use the legal tools that are available to everyone. Have you given up on winning?
Will We Let Them Destroy The Middle-Class?
Most folks want to live and enjoy life. Do you want to go broke? Do you aspire to obscene wealth? Is it ridiculous to think that you could work and save, living frugally but comfortably? Are you against passing on some of your surplus to the next generation?
How can you convince younger people today, that it is worthwhile to work and save? So much seems to be immediate gratification. Fortunes are made professing victimhood. More fortunes are made blaming other people. Still more fortunes are made by merely threatening to accuse innocent people of being the bad people. How can you convince the young that the easy path is not the best path?
As John F. Kennedy once said, “We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Perhaps actions speak louder than words. Would you be viewed as a success if you died a victim of nursing home poverty? If your lifetime of work and savings were gone in a matter of months? If you had no ability to help your loved ones? Or yourself?
LifePlanning™ Preserves, Protects
Can middle-class people afford skilled nursing care at $10,000 to $15,000 per month? Should middle-class taxpayers pay more taxes, so others do not have to work? Is it unfair for middle-class Americans to expect some sort of safety net from all the tax dollars they have paid? Is it wrong for working people to choose a higher level of care over a night gambling at the casino?
Middle-class workers go broke every day through long-term care bills. Others, who did not save, get services without charge. Middle-class folks do not begrudge the less well-off the care that they need. But why can’t middle-class folks get the same deal? Why do they have to bankrupt themselves? And their families. And sacrifice generations of patient, pay-it- forward toil?
Is it possible for you to enjoy the peace of mind and security you have earned? Does government make it easy? Are you against finding out how to benefit yourself, your spouse, your family?
It is your choice. Poverty is not inevitable. Your decision.
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste. It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. 800-317-2812
2021 Cookie and Cocoa Drive-by
News and EventsThe team at Carrier Law is showing our gratitude this year to the families we serve. For the second year in a row, families were served hot cocoa and individually wrapped decorated sugar cookies as they drove up to our office. What a festive way to say ‘Thank You’ and spread holiday cheer!