Chile Celebrates Miners' Rescue

The world was able to watch and cheer the rescue of 33 miners trapped for over 2 months underground after a mine collapsed. The only thing on our minds during the rescue was the hope for the safety of all of the miners. As we clapped with tears swelling in our eyes, we felt connected to the miners' survival.

Then the rescue ends and the families move on to what will be the long healing process. Doctors will be visited, suits will be filed and commitments from politicians and the mining company will be made.

BUT this moment in time will be captured forever in the hearts of so many people. We can not help but be changed by this moment in some way. Will it inspire you to take some personal action that you have been meaning to address for a long time? Access your life and its worth, contact us at http://www.ythlaw.com/ Our estate planning process is a life assessment process to benefit you and your family.

Former Chief Justice - Relying on do-it-yourself documents

It is important, for everyone, to have a will prepared by an experienced estate planning attorney. Your life's assets are too important to try to do it yourself. Whether you are a rocket scientist, brain surgeon or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, you need someone with estate planning expertise to get the job done, right.

Chief Justice Warren Burger died in 1995 with a $1.8 million estate and a one page will that he drafted up himself. As a result, his family paid estate taxes that could have been avoided if properly planned. Further, his executors had to pay to go to court to get approval to complete administrative acts, such as selling real estate, that typically a well-drafted will would have allowed without court approval.

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Create Your Legacy - Live the Life You Were Meant to Live

This morning I decided I would do Yoga and Meditation. The best time of the morning to do Yoga and Meditation is just before sunrise. If you are like me, once my day begins there is no time for any type of exercise or even relaxation. So if you are so inclined to forego a bit of sleep and get up early, you will find it to be invaluable.


So what does Yoga and Meditation have to do with estate planning or even your legacy. In a nutshell, everything. Life is all about change. Yoga teaches flexibility and if one is flexible in mind and body, your ability to deal with change is enhanced. Meditation, like Yoga, focuses on the breath, your life source. Thoughts will come and go and not take control of you as long as your focus remains on the breath. You clear your mind of the chatter (thoughts) in your head and you can begin to feel a real sense of peace. All of this is important to living a life that creates a legacy that one might wish to pass on in estate planning. But the most important part is that you are living a life that is worthwhile to you.


Yoga and Meditation are not the only way to obtain this state of clarity about our life, our purpose and our legacy. Share ways that have helped you or contact us at www.ythlaw.com

Your Legacy is Your Story

Your legacy is the story of your life. You can document as much of it as you care to share at any time. What is important is that you are here for a reason, your life has purpose and you can share your purpose to those who need it most.

What I have found is that most of us fail to realize that we can and do create our own reality in many ways. We can be proactive, reactive or just plain inactive in the unfolding of our life's story. You can engage the estate planning process as a process of self-discovery to help you understand the life that you are living. It may be the first time that you plant an idea of your purpose that can begin to germinate into your legacy.

Leave your comments here or contact us at http://www.ythlaw.com/ to begin your self-discovery through our estate planning process.

3. Creates A Legacy - Continued

Yesterday, I stated that creating a legacy is the most important benefit of estate planning. The reason I made that statement is because all of us have a legacy. Let the estate planning process help you find yours if for some reason you do not know your legacy.

In an earlier blog, I introduced Max from my book Stop! What Are You Waiting For? Your Step-by-Step Guide to Estate Planning. Max collected historical memorabilia on the American Revolution. How can he preserve this passion for the historical significance of a major event in American history? Through estate planning, he can build upon this legacy. Future generations could benefit from the knowledge these documents provide. Max can even make sure the next generation is guided by his wisdom by giving specific instructions on the use of assets. He does not want to lose the momentum of his collection through ineffective management by his spouse or children if their interests should differ from his. Professional advice and guidance now can make the difference between creating a legacy and losing an accumulated treasure of the past.

Max’s legacy can be addressed in many ways. If he wants to leave assets to his spouse or children but their interests or passions differ from his, then he can leave the collection in a trust. He can fund the trust and choose a trustee who will be responsible for preserving the assets he accumulated in a way that he may designate. If his interest is charitable, he can give in a number of ways to those who will cherish his generosity, including institutions of higher education, museums, or organizations of scholarly pursuit. Estate planning can even enable Max to create a legacy of philanthropy that can include the involvement of his spouse, children and grandchildren.

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3. Creates A Legacy

Today, we continue our discussion regarding the benefits of estate planning. The first two,
1. Protects Assets and 2. Saves Money, have already been discussed over the last few days. This third benefit, Creates A Legacy, is, in my opinion, the most important because we all have a legacy to leave. The problem is that most of us fail to document that legacy or even more problematic fail to see the legacy worth of our life.

There has not been a single client that I have counseled who did not have a legacy worth documenting in some way. Remember, estate planning is a process as well as the tangible development and execution of legal documents. And it is that process that gives my practice its competitive edge. I may guide someone into starting a business, a foundation or a charitable organization because of what I learn about them during the estate planning process. I may suggest writing a book, journaling, speaking or putting on a photo/art/sculpture exhibit. Whether it is a financial gain to me or an Aha moment for my client, in my practice the estate planning process is always mutually beneficial.

Tomorrow, let's revisit Max and Margaret to look at their legacy and how estate planning will help. Leave your comments here or contact us http://www.ythlaw.com/