Estate Planning - Leaving Your Mark
Recently, my wife and I were visiting a city in the desert located near Lake Mead – the name of the city has been withheld to protect the innocent. I had been there before, and each time I visit I am amazed by the diversity of the human race. I watch people from every walk of life, socio-economic class, size, shape and color. It is amazing. Something I noticed on this trip more than in the past, however, was the countless number of tattoos. They were everywhere and they seemed to be on everyone. I saw big ones, small ones, black and white and in color, I saw them on legs, arms, backs, chests, necks, and I am fairly confident that there may have been some in places not generally displayed to the masses.
Seeing them all made me wonder why so many people choose to permanently mark their bodies. Without pretending to understand the psychology, I suspect a lot of people get tattooed as a way of leaving a permanent mark on the world. People who see the tattoo will have a visual reminder of what the individual bearer represents.
Now, those of you who know me know that I am chronically unhip, so I was probably more shocked than I should have been. I was just amazed by endless array of styles, colors, and depictions etched into peoples’ skin. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not opposed to tattoos, I, by virtue of my profession, am simply a proponent of a different method for leaving your permanent mark on the world.
Taking steps to plan and protect your financial future for yourself and your loved ones is a great way to leave your mark on the world. The positive results that come about by taking the time to sit down with an attorney to prepare your estate plan, or finding a financial planner to help manage your money, or speaking with an insurance agent about the benefits of life, health, or long term care insurance will be remembered long after the ink from a tattoo fades. Taking these types of steps can ensure you will be remembered for who you were as a person, not for the financial mess you left your family to clean up when you passed away or became disabled.
I know: the prospect of starting to make such a plan can be frightening. It takes time and money, and you have to open yourself up to think about possibilities you may have never even considered. But surely steps like these are not as frightening as having someone repeatedly stab your skin with needles dipped in ink that you can’t wash away. That seems scary.
Matt Lewis
