The Kickoff: Holidays 2021

Let the season begin! That old excitement is back in the air. What can we expect? A white Christmas in many parts of the country. People on the move. Crowded airports and train stations. Busy restaurants. Americans happily spending money again.

Forget the “need-to-haves”. Americans are ready for the “I deserve-to-haves”

Salesforce is predicting demand for products in the adventure industry–luggage, sporting goods, and vacation-wear purchases will increase as Americans get back to planning trips again. After a year of living virtually, we’re looking forward to in-person celebrations. A year of schlumping around in sweats has led to our wanting to buy clothes again. Party clothes, glitter and glamorous accessories. Consumers with money in their pockets will be looking to upgrade their wardrobes with investment pieces like jewelry and watches that they can show off.

And the family thing? For many, it never gets any easier

This year the conflict transcends the usual criticism over children’s life choices. Polarized politics and Covid have created mine fields for many families. Some people are not inviting unvaccinated family members to Thanksgiving; others are scoffing at relatives who insist on masks.

“Now it’s no longer whether you just disagree about the long-term effects of climate change,” said Jill Suitor, a sociologist at Purdue University, where she leads a project investigating family conflict in 550 multigenerational families, “but whether you believe that having certain family members present poses a serious danger to other family members.”

But those classic fights about politics or where to spend Christmas are really about something much deeper, especially in 2021. Psychologists caution us that we’ve been through a lot. There’s a yearning for love, connection and, above all, belonging. There’s a theme of “We hope that our parents will understand this year. Maybe this time, my in-laws will accept me.”

But after a year apart, we’re further apart

Feelings will be hurt this year and efforts to express love may be clumsy, awkward or marred by pride and stubbornness. Though the pandemic has increased tensions within families, it has also created an opening. Now more than ever, people are recognizing the importance of being together, understanding how precious and fleeting life can be. There will be a lot of empty places at holiday tables, and we’ve experienced painful losses. Being grateful for our blessings may inspire us to lead with love and tolerance this holiday season.

 

One thoughtful action item for your family this holiday: Create or update your Living Trust.

As you prepare your home for winter and get caught up on vaccines that will help you and your family stay healthy through the coming months, this is also a great time to create or update your Living Trust. With families gathered for the holidays, it’s also the perfect time to encourage aging family members to create their Living Trusts.

We’re proud of our comprehensive Living Trust package that includes a Power of Attorney and Advanced Healthcare Directive. Best of all, we guide you through it and we prepare the legal documents. Schedule an appointment with Guideway today.

Guideway services the entire Bay Area

Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Pinole, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley Newark, San Lorenzo, Concord, Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore, Tracy and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

You, Your Family, and Living Trusts: It’s Time for a Reality Check

 Just 42% of Americans have created a Will or Living Trust. It’s easy to put this off–it’s an unpleasant reminder of our own mortality. But Covid-19 has become a reality check, and there’s a new urgency to create a Living Trust. This is especially important for aging family members.

As your parents grow more frail, it’s time to talk about a Living Trust

Your parents may have created a Living Trust 20 or more years ago, but there’s a likelihood that it hasn’t been updated since then. This was the case with my own parents. They were in their early 90s, with a growing number of health problems. When my brother asked them about their Trust, my stepfather opened up a cabinet and 20 years’ worth of documents literally flew out it.

This was a very tentative time, because we were now flirting with the possibility of testamentary capacity–a growing legal concern. Fortunately, we were able to uncover their 20-year old Living Trust. A lot had changed in 20+ years, including a death and some sizeable investments. We all breathed a sigh of relief when we got this legal document updated, signed and notarized. After they died, my brother stayed involved, and it was much easier for him to manage their estate than to assume the role of administrator if we’d had to Probate it.

 

Does anyone else know where their Living Trust is?

If that Trust is updated and in order, someone in the family needs to know where the Trust is located. Unlike a Divorce or Deed, a Trust is not filed with the courts or county. If you can’t find it, it doesn’t exist. At Guideway, we organize and carefully prepare a hard copy of your Trust. We also give you a soft copy as a pdf file. It’s a good idea to share the pdf file with a trusted family member. When you want to make a change to your Trust, it’s easy for us to amend this.

 

What about your extended family?

Here in the Bay Area, many of us live with and/or are caring for extended families. Do you have an elderly aunt, uncle or grandparent, a close family friend? Are you the go-to person, the one everyone turns to with questions about business or financial matters? How likely is it that you’re going to be stuck with executor duty when your loved ones die? Now is the time to talk to your elderly relatives about creating a Living Trust and getting other life-planning documents in order.

 

We make creating a Living Trust easy

Our Living Trust package includes a Power of Attorney, an Advance Healthcare Directive and a Will. If you have children under 18, it means that you can select their Guardian rather than having the court appoint one for you. We guide you through it and we prepare the legal documents. We’re now working virtually via Zoom and phone. Schedule an appointment at Guideway today.

 

We service the entire East Bay and North Bay areas

Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Pinole, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley Newark, San Lorenzo, Concord, Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore, Tracy and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.