If you are interested in exploring aging, wisdom and life transitions, Alford’s book, How to Live. . . . is a nice read.  There are several things I really like about this book.

First, Alford addresses our desire to add wisdom as we age.  He gathers reflections on wisdom from older folks including personal notes of choices made by his mother late in her life.

Second, Alford does an excellent job of bringing his mother’s journey to a personal level. He weaves his mother’s decision to alter her marital relationship of 36 years into the book.  He discusses how his mother came to this decision and how it affected other aspects of her life. I was extremely surprised at how relevant these issues were to my current life.  When I talk to my friends, we seem to have more and more stories about our aging parents – their health, finances and romances.

Another positive aspect of this book is that it is full of references on aging and wisdom.  He had wonderful quotes including Albert Einstein famous saying that “A clever person solves a problem.  A wise person avoids it.”   I was able to apply this to my own life by sharing it with my son.  Using this quote, he wrote me a letter expressing how he felt his life was progressing.  As a result and much to my surprise, he is dong a much better job at avoiding problems.

The only problem with the book was the numerous quotes and book titles distracted from the stories of the elderly.  Their stories did not come out as clear as they could have because they were interrupted by various references.

In general, I would recommend this book if you want to explore aging, wisdom and life transitions.

The purpose of creating a trust is to create a set of instructions that, when followed, will lead to a desired outcome.

The properly drafted (*most are not**) Revocable Living Trust does a great job of preventing probate, create aset protection for future generations and creating alive and not-so-well planning.

However – a revocable living trust doesn’t always protect you in an elder Law situation.  If you or a loved one faces a long term care situation – then you might benefit from a Comfort and Care Trust.

A Comfort and Care Trust provides the benefits of several different types of trusts to protect your loved ones all during the elder journey.

Think of it this way – a Revocable Living Trust will be a great core document for most of your life – BUT – at some point in your senior citizen years – you will probably find that you’ll benefit even more so from the Comfort and Care Trust. 

That’s why maintaining an ongoing relationship after we sign the estate planning documents with you is so valuable.   We have a simple test to follow to know when its time to start considering the C & C trust.  All during our ongoing relationship we’ll be monitoring your need, and can arrange a simple and easy transition to the more powerful trust when it’s right for you!

Next - A detailed comparison between the Comfort and Care Trust and the Revocable Living Trust.

Hi everyone –

You may be wondering – why a blog for an estate planning and elder law firm?

Part One of our work is to install guardrails for you during your journey, so that no matter what road you’re on, you feel protected and you’ve met your responsibility to your family.

Part Two of our work is to maintain a relationship with you and to continue to add value to our relationship.  The relationship and ongoing background support your lawyer offers you is priceless.  We hold dearly our obligation to maintain this relationship with you over time.

We’ve found that “together we’re better” and that “by sharing we have more“.  This blog hosts several conversations on topics important to you.  W’ell use the blog to share our insights and to together address the issues important to you in your busy life.

We promise you short, relevant, readable posts that contribute to your life.

Watch for an upcoming post on how to use the blog!

Marty