Those Darn Resolutions, Ghosts, and Tiny Tim

It’s almost as if Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Future is whispering in your ear as you consider New Year’s Resolutions. That is, if you’ve resolved to take care of outstanding pesky legal and financial tasks. 

You know the ones. Despite their importance, they never seem to rise to the top of your to-do list.

Sigh. I understand.

We’re humans, not machines. We don’t always act predictably, or, even rationally. Most of us procrastinate and avoid any tasks that acknowledge our mortality.

• Draft (or update) a will? What’s the rush?

• Designate a healthcare proxy? How will the choice be explained to the kids not chosen?

• Buy life insurance? What– are you kidding? That’s only for people who may die!

It’s almost as if we believe that by taking rational, mature, appropriate actions, we’re tempting fate to strike us down.

Whether you watched "A Christmas Carol" this year (or decades ago), I’m thinking it can be useful to consider what the Ghost of Christmas Future can teach us. Jacob Marley had ghosts who appeared when needed, allowing him to think more clearly, take corrective action, and get his life on the right track.  

When Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol", long term care was not the personal & financial planning challenge it is today. 

Let’s take some literary license and imagine the author featured – instead of Jacob Marley – you! Yes, let’s imagine for a second that you’d be treated to a view of your childhood and earlier adulthood courtesy of the Ghost of Christmas Past. A view of your current situation from the Ghost of Christmas present. And, in our telling of your story, the Ghost of Christmas Future is going to show you your future as it would be were you to need extended long term care.

Please take a minute to let that scenario run in your mind. If you needed extended long term care, what would be the impact on your loved ones? Where would you live? Who would pay the care bills? How would your finances be impacted? Are the finances in that picture okay? If not, just as Jacob Marley reformed to avoid the fate he saw, you can avoid an uninsured need for extended long term care by simply purchasing a policy as part of your New Year’s Resolutions this year. Yes, it’s not the most fun of tasks on your burgeoning to-do list, but this 2023— to paraphrase Tiny Tim— crossing it off would indeed be a blessing for everyone!

If you have any questions about your long term care insurance or planning this new year, please do be in touch. Baygroup Insurance can be contacted at http://www.baygroupinsurance.com/forms/contact-us or call us at 410-557-7907 for more information.