LIVE WELL and BE REMEMBERED as the HERO you already are.

  As an Estate Planner and licensed Life and Health Insurance Agent , the topic of retirement income often comes up.  The idea of having a single dollar amount retirement "nest egg" started bothering me.  I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized, looking at retirement funding in a single dollar amount is a bit backward. We spend most of our working lives looking at our month to month and year to year streams of income.  Why do we view retirement any different?  Why do we think we need some massive amount of money out there to feel "secure" when we simply don't.  What we need are "streams of income".   Just like in our working lives, we need streams of income in our retirement years. So, stop stressing out about the overall value of your retirement account.   Figure out what streams of income suit you best.  So, here are some ideas: Rental Property - I'm a huge fan of rental property.  If you are in an area that is not dying, this will alwa

I know I'm a bit of an insurance nerd, but Long Term Care (LTC) insurance coverage simply fascinates me.  For many people, it's the bridge, in their final years, between health insurance (often Medicare) and life insurance. There are many fascinating variations of LTC, but the ones that interests me the most are those that are participating in the LTC Partnership program (Qualified State Long Term Care Partnership Program). What's that mean?  That means that the policy has met certain criteria, so that when the policyholder passes away AND Medicaid (in my case, Tenncare) has a recovery interest in their estate, then the estate gets credit, due to the LTC policy, to offset any recovery efforts by Medicaid. (This means there's a better chance of the kids getting granny's old house.) What does this benefit the policyholder? They have more control over where they spend their final years, as opposed to having Medicaid dictate where they reside. And, their estate gets a

    The first chapter of the New Testament book of John is interesting .   The chapter starts out with John describing who Jesus is . John tells us the true identity of Jesus.   The chapter then transitions and ends with Jesus telling us who his earliest followers were.  Specifically, He even changing the name of one of his followers from Simon to Peter, which meant "Rock", so that Peter's earthly name better suited his Heavenly identity. Jesus is still doing this today.   He continues to proclaim our identity over us .  I believe this identity is tied to our natural gifts.  Those are the things that we are naturally gifted to do and enjoy. All too often the World around us is the one trying to tell us who we are or who we ought to be.    It is constantly urging us to be someone we are not. Jesus rejoices in who we actually are. I encourage you today to embrace your God-given Identity and natural talents.  If you don't know what your identity is, go on a journey

  In my Estate Planning, the topic of "planning for Medicaid" often comes up. I don't know why we, in the U.S., have gotten so oriented toward thinking we'll need "Medicaid" when we are one of the richest countries in the world.   I believe that planning for Medicaid is akin to planning for FAILURE. Why do I believe this?   As a teen, I worked in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Centers. The staff always knew which beds were "Medicaid Beds". Those beds were always limited. Did they receive essentially the same care? Sure, but it was still known that the spot was "Medicaid".   Medicaid has limited options. Medicaid is subject to change at lawmakers' whims. Medicaid is designed for the truly poor. Why would triggering Medicaid be your goal?  Have you ever been in a Medicaid predominant  (only) facility and liked it?  Would you want to live that way?   I prefer to see people have more options as they age. I prefer to see people take mor

The Probate process in Tennessee is quite simple.  COVID has made it even simpler with electronic filing and no appearance dockets.  "Death Taxes" and that sort of thing are really not much of an issue either for the average person. For most individuals, or couples, I encounter, complex planning is really unnecessary.  For those with vast, multi million dollar estates, more complex planning makes sense.  But for the average individual, it jut doesn't. A Will, a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, a Living Will, a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial matters often do the trick.  If you have minor children, I also recommend a Durable Power of Attorney for Childcare.  These documents will cover the vast majority of what the average individual needs.  What are your thoughts?

  Don't scribble on your Will.   A Will is a document that communicates your wishes to the Court, an Insurance Company or similar office, your legal heirs and your wishes for what should happen to your personal items and real estate after you have passed away.  It's a powerful document. Once your Will is formally signed and dated, it is not a notepad.  If you wish to revoke or change it, do it properly.  Remember, it reflects you and your legacy.  Need a real life illustration?  This case is an interesting read.  In this case, the Will was ultimately admitted to Probate, but not without considerable cost. This Will was an expensive notepad because it was not treated with respect. What are your thoughts?

Rick Denley recently wrote Reinventing Yourself .   That's what I've been doing since March!  My guidance has been under the tutoring of guys like Darrel Amy , Larry Levine and Mike Garrison .  I appreciate each one of them.  Recently Rick was interviewed by Darrell and Larry on the Selling From the Heart podcast. I really resonated with the discussion.  I highly recommend you check it out . For me, COVID has been all about reinventing myself.  This has come from better utilizing what I already have and equipping myself with modern tools to thrive in modern times. One of the greatest lines of the most recent podcast was: You're smarter than you think. You're braver than you believe.   And much more courageous than you ever thought. Rick Denley That's fantastic! I encourage you to get the book .  I encourage you to check out the podcasts: Selling from the Heart and Revenue Growth Engine . If you have not already started the process, start Reinventing Yourself t