The Most Important Things in Life Aren’t Things

NOTE:

There is good information in this post for everyone. In addition, however, there is A LIMITED-TIME OPPORTUNITY HERE FOR PEOPLE IN THE SAVANNAH, GA AREA FROM THE DATE OF THIS POST THROUGH FEBRUARY 21, 2009. DON’T MISS OUT!

The most important things in life aren’t things.

Most of us have heard, or even given voice to, this sentiment from time to time. How many of us prove our belief in this profound, but simple, idea by taking action?

How often have you sat with a family member around the table for a holiday dinner and heard those stories that make you laugh, cry, or lose yourself in reverie (if only for a moment)? Fleetingly you think, “I should really write this down,” or, “I should be recording this!” Sadly, we almost never do.

Well, since 2003, the good people at StoryCorps® have been making this easier to do. Some of the follow description comes pretty closely (but is not lifted directly) from a StoryCorps® flier I came across. Instead of fiddling around with flowery language, I wanted to get the word out to our reading public as quickly as possible.

You can learn more about StoryCorps® here , see their blog here, and listen to samples of their work here. The gist is that you get an opportunity to sit down with a loved-one for a 40 minute session and ask them questions about themselves, their lives, their memories – in a studio-quality environment.

The session is, of course, recorded. You then get a free CD to keep and share and the conversation will be preserved at the Library of Congress as part of the StoryCorps® project.

StoryCorps® advances the idea that everybody’s story matters and every life counts. Theirs is the largest oral history project of its kind – an attempt to preserve a picture of who we are as a nation.

FOR PEOPLE IN AND AROUND THE SAVANNAH AREA AT THE TIME OF THIS POST THROUGH 2/21/09:

The StoryCorps® MobileBooth (mobile, airstream-type studio) is in Savannah, next to the Telfair Museum of Art at the corner of President & Barnard Streets, just off of the square until 2/21/09. You can participate in this great project by clicking here to make your reservation.

Keeping it in the Family

You may be hearing daily from family, friends, financial advisors, and the talking heads of every cable news station about the turbulence of our current economy. You may feel by turns worried, confused, and uncertain.

However, with the right team on your side, you and your family will weather this storm. Instead of keeping constant vigil with the 24-hour news and financial networks – talk with you advisors. You’ll get a realistic assessment of your situation, helpful ideas about what to do right now, and a welcome respite from many in the media who look for ways to boost your tension and, thus, their ratings.

Most of the factors contributing to our current economic situation are beyond our control. There are, however, things you can do to assure that you, your family, and your assets are protected now and in the future. At Smith Barid, we find that helping people take control of the things they can control creates true peace of mind.

One of the important things you can control is what happens with the legacy you’ve worked so hard to create once it passes to your children and grandchildren. We all acknowledge that the divorce rate in our country is staggeringly high. If one of the loved ones you leave behind finds themselves in the middle of a divorce, will some or all of your hard-earned assets leave the family along with the soon-to-be ex?

Divorce (a major part of what many call Family Law) is a complex, and often difficult, process. One of our local Superior Courts (the courts in GA which handle divorce matters) just released an attorneys’ guide to property division in divorce. The memo is 14 pages, single-spaced, with 8 footnotes. This isn’t simple stuff. It is important to know, however, that the only assets divided by a judge or jury (Yes, GA still allows juries in divorce cases!) in a divorce are marital assets.

Proper planning done now can prevent your hard-earned assets from becoming marital assets of your children. That is to say, the right kind of revocable living trust or testamentary trusts will allow you to pass your legacy to the next generation without those assets being subject to division in a future divorce.

A qualified estate planning attorney will help you to seize the reins of your legacy, control what you can control, and find your bearings in this transient maelstrom of anxiety-ridden news stories.