The new New Year’s resolution

Get in shape.  Eat healthy. Learn something new. 

Those are some of the most common new years’ resolutions by far, each year, for the last decade at least.  But 2020 hardly gave anyone a fighting chance at any of those. 

The saying “expect the unexpected” was epitomized in this year.  COVID has done a lot of things, but one of the most far-reaching lessons it’s taught us, is that life is unpredictable.  Since the first stay-at-home order we have changed everything: the way we work, the way we go to school, the way we go out and the way we think.  We learned how to do almost anything over Zoom.  Some of us learned 5th grade math so that we could teach 5th grade math and we became our own tech support for it all.  Mask. Phone. Keys. And our essential workers got to see just a fraction of how much we appreciate them, pale in the context of their everyday efforts. 

And while some of us struggled with the new way of life during quarantine, hundreds of thousands of Americans were infected and the healthcare system was inundated with COVID patients.  Many were put on ventilators and some were in a coma due to the severity of the virus. And although many survived even after being put on a ventilator, the treatment during this unprecedented time only highlighted the need for incapacity planning. Experimental treatment was used on some, others didn’t have the option.  Had they had the option, what would they have chosen?  How long should they be on the ventilator?  And because hospitals were not allowing family members or other visitors, is virtual contact with medical personnel regarding treatment and healthcare decisions permitted?  So many incapacity planning issues were highlighted during this time.  Estate planning is usually thought of as a plan for property distribution upon ones’ passing, but the incapacity planning aspect of estate planning came to the forefront.  We not only saw the unpredictability of life, we also saw the fragility of health.  When there is so much that we cannot control, doing what we can when we can is crucial. 

With all the changes that came with 2020, it only seems appropriate that many are making different resolutions this year. 

Save more.  Slow down.  Appreciate the small things.  Plan for what is in our control, while it is in our control. 

Plan your estate.