A Time to be Thankful

Time to decompress, time to reflect, time to enjoy our families and the larger things of which we are a part. This is the time of year when we see more of our families in addition to realizing how much we mean to each other and how much we care for one another. I am certainly thankful for my family and what they have given to me and allowed me to give to them. It is a cliché to hear others tell you to take a look around and see what we have and to appreciate even the small things - we know this even if such thoughts don't reach the forefront of our consciousness. At this time of year it is hard not to be mindful of these things and to not be thankful. We can wait until January to make our resolutions - some premised by what we see and think during our family gatherings. Thanksgiving is the time to absorb your good thoughts and actions on those thoughts will come soon enough.

Table Talk

We all go to dinner parties and meet groups of people we have not met before. While I usually like to ask people "what do you do for fun," invariably, I am asked “what do you do for a living?” Sitting at a dinner table with twelve people is not the time I enjoy bringing up tax-advantaged wealth transfer concepts, but I was stuck and so I did. To my surprise, the conversation captivated the group, which ranged in age from 30 to 60. Also to my surprise, all at the table were going to get or already had long term care insurance - clearly not an ordinary group and not the “usual suspect's” I often see at dinner parties. As the conversation continued I found that ALL the people at the table had an experience with long term care needs and did not want to put others in the position they found themselves - caring for a family member, watching family assets shrink, and witnessing income become diverted. Yes, the conversation moved on, but I was struck how those who have been affected "get it" from a consequences perspective - both financial and emotional. My goal is to help people "get it" before the consequences occur - but not during dinner.