I've been working at updating our life paperwork and creating a life paperwork binder for my oldest who is now in need of one. I plan to share what I've been putting together for her in the future.
So It's that time of year again. 2014 speeding by as we are rapidly approaching March.
Is your calendar getting stuffed to the gills with layers upon layers of appointments? Mine sure is.
So what changes did the year 2013 bring to you? Did you have additions or subtractions from your family? Where your richly blessed or was a tough year of barely getting through? Did a marriage or divorce happen? Is there anything that happened which legally could or does impact you? Ex. death, birth, marriage, divorce, health issues, insurance changes, adoption, graduation, etc. etc. Power of Attorney updates or is it time to consider getting one if you don't already have one? Do you have aging relatives that need to be taken care of? Again these are question to get you started thinking about what has changed in the last year and what you need to get in place and verify is correct.
Use the questions to ask yourself the really hard question "If I wasn't here tomorrow what would my (wife/husband/significant other, mother/father, children, etc.) need to know?" or "If I had a medical crisis due to an accident, heart attack or stroke what would my ___ need to know?" "Is it up to date?" "Is everything still in the same location or did I have to change location and is someone else aware of it?"
This may sound like a lot of busy work and a time eater but trust me doing it now will be worth it in the long run. The very 1st time I did this it took me a good chunk of time and weeks of effort to pull it all together. Now that I've done it, I find it takes less time to update it every year. It also helps to make sure we are all on the same page in case of a worst case scenario event happens.
2013 brought about several subtractions from my circle of family and friends. It's also brought some legal changes as power of attorney ended or started for some and the guardianship continues. I've witnessed three marriages this year. I've also witnessed two divorces and trust me having their life paperwork in order was a huge time saver and made things go a bit smoother.
Please, Please, Please take the time to schedule this on your calendar and chick to make sure your life's paperwork is in order.
