I’d like to share an experience that happened to me the other day on my way to work. And I share it, quite frankly, because it was one of those moments where you see something happen and then you just can’t get the image out of your mind! So since my memory keeps playing the scene over and over again, I thought I’d share it with all of you, too – and then, of course, relate the experience to estate planning.
While driving down a six lane freeway into our downtown Phoenix office, I couldn’t help but notice that two lanes over to my left there was a male motorcyclist in the far lane and a woman driving a car in the next closest lane and while driving the 65 miles per hour everyone was going, they were having a conversation! I had no idea this was even possible! He would turn his head to her, shout a sentence or two, and then he would look forward while she then turned her head and shouted something at him out her window.
This went on for a couple minutes until they decided to take their conversation to a whole new level. For whatever reason, the woman decided she wanted to hand the motorcyclist something out her window – again, while traveling 65 miles per hour. So she moved her car closer to the lane line, he moved his motorcycle closer to the lane line, and then while trying to keep his bike going straight with his left hand, he began reaching with his right hand for her hand to take hold of a white piece of paper. Now I will never know what was on that paper, but whatever it was, they both thought it was worth this 65 mile an hour attempted exchange. Despite already holding my breath at this point, it got even worse when his right handle bar accidentally bumped into the left side of her car, jerking the entire motorcycle off its course and sending him scrambling to get both hands back on the handlebar while weaving back and forth in his lane. I cannot tell you how fast my heart was beating as I literally watched this happen in seemingly slow motion, waiting to see if he was going to be able to get control of his bike without sending both he and the bike into a horrific wipeout. Did I mention he wasn’t wearing a helmet, either?
The good news is he did regain control, the man and the woman continued safely on the freeway, and everyone behind them hopefully regained their composure within a few minutes. The white paper flew off into the wind and no one will ever know what made the gamble seem so worth it at the time.
But that is where the parallel with estate planning can be seen. There are times when we meet with clients who, for one reason or another, made a decision in regards to their estate that may have seemed like the best way to handle it, at the time, but in retrospect the clients (or even the client’s children) realize that their impromptu decision was in fact not the best one to make at that time. Situations like this can be averted because we love to stay in touch with our clients and we will never charge a client for a phone call, an email, or a consultation. It is our goal to keep all of our clients “driving” safely down the road, and to warn them when it may not be the best idea to pass out your business cards at a high rate of speed! If you have not had the opportunity to meet with us yet, I’d encourage you to call and set up a free consultation today. We’d love to help you, too.
Finally, if the reader of this blog ever happens to be one of the now infamous drivers who were the impetus behind this blog post, I’m glad you’re okay and well. But what the heck were you thinking?!?
For more information on protecting your assets, contact our office at 888.222.1328 for a free consultation.
What the Attorneys of Morris Hall Can Do For You:
The attorneys at Morris Hall have 100’s of years of combined experience ensuring that families’ assets are protected from probate, unnecessary taxes, creditors, ex-spouses and Medicaid spend-down. The attorneys also help those in Arizona to apply for and receive Medicaid assistance and Veterans Benefits. Our Arizona offices are located in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Tucson, Prescott, Flagstaff and Arrowhead. Contact us today at 888.222.1328 to schedule an appointment!
This blog should be used for informational purposes only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader and should not be construed as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney in your community who can assess the specifics of your situation.
In fact, estate planning, asset preservation and probate law have been our only areas of practice. We are proud to have helped thousands of individuals of all levels of wealth and assets, people concerned about protecting their families from the devastating legal and financial effects of disability and death.
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