I have lost two weeks of time because I’ve been busy. This small check has costs me tons of time and frustration even if it’s not much money. I was thinking that I could just leave it alone and maybe it will go away but I don’t think it’s going to work. Guess it’s time to get it done.
I’m taking a ½ day of vacation. First, meeting with the planner to go over the paperwork; second, going to the bank to get it notarized; third, going to post office to mail it; fourth, going back home to get the death certificate that I forgot to bring with me when I left the house; fifth, back to the post office to mail it because the mail has already been delivered at my house. Can it really be that I had to take a ½ day of my own time to do this? Turns out I probably won’t have time to get other things done that I needed (or wanted) to.
Here’s hoping there won’t be a day 5!
A Better Way to Close an Estate.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Why I'm an Entrepreneur
There are a lot of people who say I followed in my parents food steps. My dad was a lawyer, so am I. My mother was a nurse, so am I. There are so many examples of this you could fill up pages and pages.
For the longest time I didn’t think I followed in my dad’s footsteps. He was a pharmacist, I was a financial advisor. Call me irrational but those two things are no where remotely related.
However, he was an entrepreneur. He owned his own business for 25 years. He never had any big goals or aspirations for the business, just pay the bills, put food on the table, shelter for the family, educate the kids and do the job. He never did a business plan, marketing plan, 1st or 4th quarter goals, business succession planning or anything remotely resembling a plan past the next day.
Yet, for 25 years he paid bills, paid employees, kept the doors open and managed to put both kids and his wife through college. He didn’t have a business coach, networking groups, business partners or other professionals in his industry to talk with. It was just him, getting up every day, going to work, sacrificing, and having faith that it would all work out.
Apparently it did. Upon his death, he had a healthy retirement, pension and social security that would have supported him for 10 years, no debt and family and friends that cared a great deal for him. Wouldn’t we all like to be so lucky.
While I didn’t follow in his ‘industry’ footsteps, I did follow in his entrepreneural footsteps; getting up every day, going to work, paying the bills, paying employees and doing the job. Some days are harder than others, some days require more faith than others, more networking than others, longer hours than others, but at the end of the day, he was an entrepreneur and so am I.
Thanks dad, for being such an excellent role model.
For the longest time I didn’t think I followed in my dad’s footsteps. He was a pharmacist, I was a financial advisor. Call me irrational but those two things are no where remotely related.
However, he was an entrepreneur. He owned his own business for 25 years. He never had any big goals or aspirations for the business, just pay the bills, put food on the table, shelter for the family, educate the kids and do the job. He never did a business plan, marketing plan, 1st or 4th quarter goals, business succession planning or anything remotely resembling a plan past the next day.
Yet, for 25 years he paid bills, paid employees, kept the doors open and managed to put both kids and his wife through college. He didn’t have a business coach, networking groups, business partners or other professionals in his industry to talk with. It was just him, getting up every day, going to work, sacrificing, and having faith that it would all work out.
Apparently it did. Upon his death, he had a healthy retirement, pension and social security that would have supported him for 10 years, no debt and family and friends that cared a great deal for him. Wouldn’t we all like to be so lucky.
While I didn’t follow in his ‘industry’ footsteps, I did follow in his entrepreneural footsteps; getting up every day, going to work, paying the bills, paying employees and doing the job. Some days are harder than others, some days require more faith than others, more networking than others, longer hours than others, but at the end of the day, he was an entrepreneur and so am I.
Thanks dad, for being such an excellent role model.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Estate Settlement vs. Estate Closure
Some things just need to be done by a professional. Taxes, legal work, hooking up your television/cable/DVR/stereo/miscellaneous electronics, moving and many others.
Something that is a ‘new’ profession is Estate Closure. Not legal work, not estate settlement or distribution, but estate closure. It’s all those items that fall to the family to complete after the death of a loved one. Generally speaking it’s during a time when you are grieving, trying to maintain your normal life, and doing something you probably have never done before. If you have, you know you don’t ever want to do it again.
What qualifies us as professionals to do this? Several things ~ experience, background, training and passion. Sure, you can take the time to do it, spending lunch hours, evenings, weekends for months on end and giving up time with the family.
You can also have non-professionals do it. For example a moving company. Will they just pack up the papers and move them with everything else? Will they go through them and trash documents without even talking with you about it? Do they sort them, give you the piles and say “ok, now go do the work”? Probably some or all of the above.
Why not do yourself a favor and focus on what’s important during a very difficult time? Family and grieving. Even if you want to do it, how productive will you be? If you are like I was, I sat in my office and stared at the wall for hours on end, eventually getting nothing done anyway.
If you would like to know how we can help you during a very difficult and overwhelming time, call us for a free ½ hour consultation. We know what you are going through, we’ve been there.
Our website has more information. After the Fact - Final Affairs
Something that is a ‘new’ profession is Estate Closure. Not legal work, not estate settlement or distribution, but estate closure. It’s all those items that fall to the family to complete after the death of a loved one. Generally speaking it’s during a time when you are grieving, trying to maintain your normal life, and doing something you probably have never done before. If you have, you know you don’t ever want to do it again.
What qualifies us as professionals to do this? Several things ~ experience, background, training and passion. Sure, you can take the time to do it, spending lunch hours, evenings, weekends for months on end and giving up time with the family.
You can also have non-professionals do it. For example a moving company. Will they just pack up the papers and move them with everything else? Will they go through them and trash documents without even talking with you about it? Do they sort them, give you the piles and say “ok, now go do the work”? Probably some or all of the above.
Why not do yourself a favor and focus on what’s important during a very difficult time? Family and grieving. Even if you want to do it, how productive will you be? If you are like I was, I sat in my office and stared at the wall for hours on end, eventually getting nothing done anyway.
If you would like to know how we can help you during a very difficult and overwhelming time, call us for a free ½ hour consultation. We know what you are going through, we’ve been there.
Our website has more information. After the Fact - Final Affairs
Monday, October 11, 2010
Estate Closure Service - $1.25 check costs $16.23 plus time - day 3
Day 3
It’s Sunday afternoon and what am I doing? Spending my time filling out paperwork that I don’t understand. Since it is Sunday I can’t call the company so it will have to wait until tomorrow. But it’s a holiday so they may or may not be open. Looks like this will once again have to be done over my lunch hour. This is frustrating ~ why do I have to do this?
Stay tuned for day 4
It’s Sunday afternoon and what am I doing? Spending my time filling out paperwork that I don’t understand. Since it is Sunday I can’t call the company so it will have to wait until tomorrow. But it’s a holiday so they may or may not be open. Looks like this will once again have to be done over my lunch hour. This is frustrating ~ why do I have to do this?
Stay tuned for day 4
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Estate Closure Service - $1.25 check costs $16.32 - day 2
Day 2 – It’s been three days since I made the call to the company and to the state about ordering death certificates. Although I thought I would work on this at home it didn’t happen. Its lunch hour and I am typing my letter to the state requesting another death certificate. I don’t have an actual checkbook because I use bill-pay, so it’s necessary to run to the bank, get a cashier’s check and have my letter notarized. Done with the letter so I’m off to the bank.
Since it's lunch hour, there are not as many tellers available and apparently everyone else needed to come to the bank also. Waiting in line… waiting in line…. waiting in line…. when am I going to have time to eat while I’m waiting in line…. waiting in line. My turn finally. It’s a new teller and she doesn’t know how to do a cashier’s check yet. So we have to wait until her manager comes over and works with her. Why did I have to get the inexperienced teller?
Finally got the cashier’s check but she can’t notarize the letter. I have to sign in at a different area and wait until called. I’m running out of time but it would be a waste of time to have to come back. I sign in and wait. Fortunately no one else is waiting and they help me quickly. Thank you.
Back at the office and have to work because the lunch hour is over. I’ll take a few minutes before I leave to make copies of everything, address and stamp the letter. Made copes but I don’t have a blank
envelope, only company ones and no stamps. I’ll have to remember to do this at home tonight.
Stay tuned for day 3.
Since it's lunch hour, there are not as many tellers available and apparently everyone else needed to come to the bank also. Waiting in line… waiting in line…. waiting in line…. when am I going to have time to eat while I’m waiting in line…. waiting in line. My turn finally. It’s a new teller and she doesn’t know how to do a cashier’s check yet. So we have to wait until her manager comes over and works with her. Why did I have to get the inexperienced teller?
Finally got the cashier’s check but she can’t notarize the letter. I have to sign in at a different area and wait until called. I’m running out of time but it would be a waste of time to have to come back. I sign in and wait. Fortunately no one else is waiting and they help me quickly. Thank you.
Back at the office and have to work because the lunch hour is over. I’ll take a few minutes before I leave to make copies of everything, address and stamp the letter. Made copes but I don’t have a blank
envelope, only company ones and no stamps. I’ll have to remember to do this at home tonight.
Stay tuned for day 3.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Estate closure service - $1.25 check costs $16.32 - day one
How did the $1.25 check cost $16.32 plus time? This is how.
Day 1. The dividend check is received which means the stock wasn't in the brokerage account that was closed. The company number is listed on the check so the call is made during lunch hour. Waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... can lunch be eaten while waiting on hold.... waiting on hold. Someone finally answers but can't help so transferring to another department. Waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... Someone else answers and can help. Now there are three forms to be filled out (which can be e-mailed to me), one more letter to write and have notarized and another death certificate to send with them. We have no more death certificates so we have to order one.
Call the state, waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... Someone answers. Yes we can order another one. Send $15 with a written request and self addressed stamped envelope to our address and we'll send you one. It will take approximately 3 -4 weeks. Lunch hour is over and now there is twice the amount of work to be done. Will work on this at home tonight.
Stay tuned for Day 2.
Day 1. The dividend check is received which means the stock wasn't in the brokerage account that was closed. The company number is listed on the check so the call is made during lunch hour. Waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... can lunch be eaten while waiting on hold.... waiting on hold. Someone finally answers but can't help so transferring to another department. Waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... Someone else answers and can help. Now there are three forms to be filled out (which can be e-mailed to me), one more letter to write and have notarized and another death certificate to send with them. We have no more death certificates so we have to order one.
Call the state, waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... waiting on hold.... Someone answers. Yes we can order another one. Send $15 with a written request and self addressed stamped envelope to our address and we'll send you one. It will take approximately 3 -4 weeks. Lunch hour is over and now there is twice the amount of work to be done. Will work on this at home tonight.
Stay tuned for Day 2.
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