About three months ago, my neighbor, who was only 48 years old, and in outwardly good health, bicycled to the gym for his usual work out and minutes after arriving at the gym – collapsed from a heart attack and died. My neighbor was survived by a loving wife and son who is only in high school. Below is a little more information about the unfortunate position the wife is now in.
My 48-year-old neighbor worked as an executive for a marketing firm for the past 6 years. He had a six figure income: a $125,000 401k, and a $50,000 life insurance policy through work. He and his wife owned a home (purchased for $350,000 – with a $300,000 mortgage still owed on the property). The wife was a stay-at-home mom.
On top of dealing with the loss of her soulmate. The wife is now struggling to survive. She has not worked in 15 years – she has no income stream. The money from the life insurance and 401k are not enough to get by. She may lose her home if she cannot find a job. The bills are piling up. She was not in charge of balancing the check book or paying the bills. The decedent paid most of their bills online. The wife does not even know where to find the online bills. She does not even know the passwords to get into the online account. She is devastated.
Do you have a family or someone who you love? NOW IS THE TIME TO PROTECT THEM. Please stop and think about if they know how to locate your assets and quickly transition them over. Would they know what bills to pay and where to pay? I cannot emphasize enough how a properly prepared estate plan can save your family a tremendous amount of time, money and stress! Please don’t let this sad story happen to you. Only you have the power to prevent it from happening. This Article was written by Attorney, Sommer C. Horton. If you have questions about estate planning, please feel free to contact Ms. Horton at 561-299-0018.
