Tuesday, March 01, 2011

The Other Side of the Table

For as much as I preach about the importance of creating a Family Wealth and Legacy Plan I thought that it might be helpful to share a little bit about what I experienced while creating a plan for my family.  I had many eye opening experiences as I took my wife and me through the process.  It was a whole new experience being on the other side of the table, which was very beneficial for me.  It gave me insight into some of the thoughts and feelings my clients may be having while I am walking them through the process.

My wife and I sat down to craft our plan for our family starting with the BridgeBuilder Blueprint (see my blawg post titled The Blueprint on the steps of the process).  This brought out many great conversations that we had never had and it was a great way for both of us to be on the same page in terms of our goals for our family and what we want for our children’s future in the case of our absence.  As we continued through the process there were some tough times.  My wife commented that it was a little depressing at times.  It is hard to think about what your children’s life will be like if you are not around and there are a number of serious issues that you are addressing when creating your plan.  But it was really a bonding experience for us at the same time.  It forced us to engage in some difficult but necessary conversations and in the end it made us even closer. 

At the conclusion of the process we were both so happy to have a Family Wealth and Legacy Plan that would work for us and our children.  It is such a relief to know that our children will be taken care of and raised in a way that we would want.  As I always say planning is not something you do for yourself, it is something you do for your loved ones.

So I know firsthand what the process is like and it has been very helpful to me while I am working with my clients to craft their plan.  I know it can seem stressful and overwhelming but it is so worth it in the end.

Jason Salinardi

BridgeBuilder

Thought for the Week

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” 

~Anthony Brandt