It’s here! It’s here! The world’s biggest firework, the fire-hoop-jumping ski racers, the wind-whipped cheeks of children pulled down Lincoln Avenue on skis by racing horses…
It’s Winter Carnival!
And Winter Carnival has me thinking about one thing:
Legacy planning.
Seriously! Maybe I’m a little obsessed with estate planning, but trust me, there are connections between the event of the season and event of estate planning.
They’re both about legacy. Ever since Carl Howelsen brought ski jumping to Steamboat in 1912, he turned a town of winter-survivalists into winter-enthusiasts. The first Winter Carnival was held in 1914: 106 years ago. Back then, no one could know how important those early years would be to the town’s history, but there were people who documented it, and now we’re grateful. The same goes for estate planning: you might not think of the details of your life as important, but they will be invaluable to future generations. Comprehensive legacy planning goes beyond your legal documents to help you create a whole picture of you and your life. Future generations will be thankful.
They’re both winter activities. It seems like it’s always especially cold the week of Winter Carnival, and you’re standing at the base of Howelsen shaking your hands in your gloves to get those hand-warmers going. Winter is a great time to do your Legacy Planning as well: you’re beginning to make your travel plans for the year, and that’s exactly when you need to create your emergency documents. You’ll feel better skiing on the mountain knowing that you have everything in order in the event of an emergency.
They’re both exciting and a little nerve-racking. You’ve watched those brave little kids getting pulled down Lincoln behind a thundering horse–it is a little scary. Legacy Planning can feel that way too. Maybe you even feel a little superstitious about “planning for death.” But I like to think of an estate plan like carrying an umbrella on a rainy day–it wards off emergencies. While not as exciting as ski-jumping, Legacy Planning has its moments when it can kind of… fun.
Lots of lights go off. The lighted man will ski down Howelsen at Winter Carnival, and meanwhile you’ll be having lights go off too, realizing that you never thought about one possibility for your legacy or who you’d need to include in your plan. A comprehensive Legacy Plan can include inheritance protection or tax planning–things you never knew could be taken care of in advance.
They both go great with a hot beverage. Nothing beats watching the Winter Carnival excitement with a hot chocolate in hand, and the same goes for Legacy Planning. When you decide to make an appointment with Swan Law, our first step is to send you a pre-meeting packet, which contains a workbook to help you get started. Mix up your favorite winter drink: hazelnut latte, London fog, or hot apple cider, and fill in your workbook–it’s that simple!
If you’re ready to make a Legacy Plan, contact Jamie at jamie@swanlawoffice.com or 970-879-1572. In the meantime, enjoy Winter Carnival and all it has to offer!