Taxes, estate planning, investments, “oh my!”

College financial aid, becoming responsible for Mom’s finances (or health care), figuring out my pension or Social Security options are some examples of why people become overwhelmed. Our lives are demanding enough without having to learn a whole new vocabulary or set of procedures. Unfortunately, when people are in an emotional, reactive state, they’re often called to make significant decisions. If you’re ever called to represent a loved one’s best interests in court, you will quickly remember how it feels to be in an “on the job training” (OJT) situation. For many people, that was okay in their 20’s when they had the time, energy and naïve confidence to tackle the unknown. Ask a 52-year old wife and mother of three to explain what it’s like to research nursing homes for Dad, provide emotional support for Mom, comb through several decades’-worth of documents in filing cabinets, meet with bankers, establish her authority to talk with a financial institution–ALL WHILE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH: her job, her children, her husband and her “downtime” (as if downtime even exists anymore).The sad thing about these demands is that the learned skills are only used once or twice in the 52-year-old daughter’s life. Her efforts will consume her “free” time while her siblings and immediate family members fail to understand the toll on her family, body and soul. “Underappreciated” is a word added to the dictionary to describe this person’s role.Other examples of overwhelming situations include impending college decisions/expenses for a child, big job changes, relocations and when to start Social Security and timing of retirement. In our experience, getting a professional’s guidance during these trying life events can ratchet down the stress level and provide a sense of confidence.We are here to help you design a game plan to get through this overwhelming period. It all starts with a phone call and complimentary face-to-face meeting. From that point, you’ll know who to involve, what to do and how much it will cost to remove this burden from your already-full plate.