I have written about this topic for years now because I feel passionate about sharing information on what parents need to do to make sure their kids would be taken care of if the worst were to happen to them.
It’s an awful thought, but better to get it done so you can move on with your life with peace of mind. If you haven’t already done this for your family yet, I hope now is the time.
Here is a guest post Darlynn Morgan from Morgan Law Group in Newport Beach wrote about this topic. Darlynn holds free workshops to educate parents on the steps to take to get your legal stuff in order, how to legally name guardians for your kids, etc.
There are two local OC workshops coming up at the end of the month to learn more. Details at the end of the post. Here is what Darlynn had to share about what she speaks on…
Today I’m going to share the secret to FINALLY getting your financial house in order, and I’m going to tell you up front that it has nothing to do with budgets, selling everything on Ebay or working longer hours! This is information you’ve probably never heard before from your financial advisor or CPA, but it’s going to shift your thinking and give you incredible peace of mind.
Before I get into it, if you’re a parent with minor kids at home, the very first thing you should do is visit www.kidsprotectionworkshop.com and register for one of our FREE fall Kids Protection Workshops happening on Saturday, September 29th, 2012.
We’re hosting one at Xpecting at 9:00 am and one at Granola Babies at 2 pm. These workshops are fast, fun and will teach you everything you need to know about naming legal guardians for your minor kids, leaving a legacy for your loved ones and protecting your family’s wealth if the unthinkable happens. I’ll touch on why this is so important in just a minute.
But in the meantime…
You’re young and smart —and working hard to build a solid financial foundation for the benefit of your family. Financial freedom is starting to feel within reach and the future looks promising.
Or is it….?
The “typical” definition of financial freedom means no debt, 6 months savings in the bank, a paid off house and saving towards retirement so you can stop working. The pop culture “teachers” of personal finance tell us that this is when you’ll experience financial freedom …. and so we spend our lives working towards those goals.
But what if we look at it in a different way….
Because maybe you’re just starting out, and have lots of student loan debt, or bought a house that is now upside down. Or maybe you’re just starting a family and are overwhelmed by the reality of the costs of those little mouths to feed. Maybe you’ve even lost your job or your biggest client and you’re wondering where the money is going to come from.
Or, maybe you’ve got millions in the bank, but you’re afraid because you’ve just seen your accounts or your house lose a chunk of their value. Isn’t it funny to realize that sometimes financial freedom has nothing to do at all with the amount of money you have in the bank?
So how can you experience this financial freedom if you don’t have a big savings account, or you have loads of debt, or you’ve not saved enough for retirement, you don’t know how you’re going to pay for college, or if you feel fearful when you think about your financial situation? (Even though by the standards of most of the rest of the world you have plenty.)
The first step is to get your financial house in order. Do you know with absolute and total certainty what would happen to all your stuff, your business, your kids ….if something happened to you? Or if something happened to your spouse? Do you have a plan in place to make sure that at the end of your life (whenever that may be) you leave the world a better place? That you improve the lot of your family not just financially but emotionally and that you don’t leave behind a big mess?
Now a lot of people think “oh that’s too scary to think about” but it’s not. It’s actually very empowering. Because right now, everything is just fine and you have a clear head and you can start to think about why are you here. How will you leave the world a better place?
You start by knowing that your financial house is in order and that your family, the people who love you and who you love are going to have an easy time of it when you’re gone.
So that is your first step to financial freedom! It’s not about 6 months of savings and getting out of debt and paying off your house, although all those things are great…. but you could do all of those things and still not experience the freedom you’re looking for.
If you’re always waiting to experience freedom until you “arrive” you’ll never get there.
Here’s the good news:
If you don’t have an action plan, then now is the time… you can learn how to create one by joining me for one of our upcoming Fall Kids Protection Workshops.
These workshops are fast, fun and offer critical information in a way that’s easy to understand, empowering and broken down into action steps that you can implement right away. Plus they are FREE to attend and filled with other young families…just like yours!
I know you’ll find it to be an hour well-spent and that you’ll leave with incredible peace of mind about your future. Here is just a taste of what you’ll learn:
The 9 simple steps you can take immediately to ensure your children are cared for by the people you want, according to your values, should something happen to you.
~ The 9 simple steps you can take immediately to ensure your children are cared for by the people you want, according to your values, should something happen to you.
~ How to help your family by making sure your assets are passed down to the people you want—without interference from courts, creditors, relatives or the IRS.
~ The 6 common mistakes parents make when naming guardians for their young children…. And how to avoid them.
~ How to protect the assets you’ve worked so hard to acquire and how to make sure they are passed down to your children in a way that’s safe, secure and free from the financial dangers of divorce or bankruptcy.
~ Common mistakes parents make that may allow the police the to take their minor children out of the house and into the hands of foster care …even with family members ready and willing to help….if you were temporarily or permanently injured in an accident.
~ How to ensure your money is immediately and privately available to your chosen guardians so your children will have everything they’d need and would be prepared for a life without you in case something happened to you.
~ How to make smart financial choices about things like saving for college, keeping your money safe, and buying life insurance
After attending this workshop, you’ll know without a shadow of a doubt that your legal and financial house is in order—and that you have the tools and resources necessary to keep it that way! You’ll also confirm that you are making smart financial choices about things like saving for college, keeping your money safe and buying life insurance.
So don’t wait to register for one of our upcoming Fall Kids Protection Seminars at 2 great locations in the OC (Granola Babies and Xpecting!). Spaces are limited, so reserve your seat now for yourself or a friend at no-charge by visiting www.kidsprotectionworkshop.com !
Darlynn Morgan is an estate planning lawyer at Morgan Law Group, a unique law firm that she created to truly make a difference in the lives of her clients. She’s really good at making it easy for your family to talk about and plan for tough subjects like money, death and taxes.
[Darlynn is a Tiny Oranges sponsor and I am honored to get to spread the word about her valuable workshops and services!]
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