I was shocked last week when my mother-in-law asked me about our plans for the holidays. What, only 49 shopping days until Christmas? It was just Halloween! But as the post-Halloween candy comes into the office, I feel the inexorable pull of the close of the year. And it gets me thinking about all the things I had hoped to accomplish this year.

Remember back to January. Had you made any New Year’s resolutions? Was one of those resolutions to get your financial house in order? If so (or even if not) and you haven’t taken care of your estate planning yet, you’re in luck because you can join me at my upcoming Estate Planning for Parents workshop this Saturday or Sunday 11/14 or 11/15 at the Little Gym in Sausalito.

One mom who came to our last workshop said “Thea taught me a ton about wills, trusts and probate. I now know how to plan for my daughter.”

The workshop is free and free childcare is provided so you and your spouse or partner can learn this important information while your kids have a great time playing in the gym. And one lucky family will win a one-year membership in the fabulous new California Academy of Sciences.

Please spread the word, but reserve your seat first because space is limited. Click here to register.

Let’s face it: between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, it’s tough to get anyone to think about anything other than the holidays. So this is probably your last chance in 2009.

The Ohio Supreme Court has recently taken strong action against two co-owners in a company participating in an illegal “trust mill” operation. According to this article from the Associated Press, the two owners, Jeffrey and Stanley Norman, have been permanently barred from marketing or selling their trust products in Ohio after they were found to have committed “more than 3,800 acts of unauthorized law practice.”

Unfortunately, Jeffrey and Stanley Norman are not the first unscrupulous characters to try to pull one over on the general public. Trust mills exist in every state, and although seniors are often the main targets, anyone can fall victim if they aren’t careful. These trust mills may offer inexpensive documents, but the cheap product is exactly that—cheap. At best these cheap documents are nothing but generic forms with your name slipped in, they do nothing to reflect your family’s needs or desires. At worst the documents delivered by trust mills won’t even adhere to the laws of your state.

So be wary of any will or trust that is offered at a price too good to be true. Be wary of anybody who tries to sell you a trust or estate plan at a “great price” and at the same time tries to sell you other “related” products such as life insurance or annuities. Be wary of anybody who will come to your home or meet you at a restaurant, but has no local office or local phone number. And be wary of anybody who will have you fill out a form and sell you a trust online.

A good trust should be drafted by an experienced attorney who specializes in estate planning and who practices (and usually lives) in your state of residence. A good trust is drafted after that attorney has met with you, interviewed you, and given you a chance to ask questions as well.

Don’t fall victim to con artists like Jeffrey and Stanley Norman. Be wary, be aware, and be willing to pay for an estate plan that will legally protect your assets and your family.

I will never forget the first night I stayed out late with the girls after becoming a mom. I was having a wonderful time but was starting to feel anxious about being away from Fiona. My friends and I were saying our goodbyes in the parking lot of the restaurant where we’d had dinner and my cell phone rang. As soon as I picked up I heard the howling baby in the background. Apparently Barrett had been trying to reach me for quite some time and I hadn’t heard the ringer in the crowded restaurant. When I got home and took her in my arms, her desperate crying stopped almost instantly. And I was overcome with the question – what would happen to her if something happened to me?

I realize that I see things through the lens of my profession, but I’ve talked with enough parents to know that this is a really common worry. I have one client who was so concerned about this issue that before working with me, she would not go out on a date with her husband in the same car if it was raining.

Limiting activities that would otherwise enrich our lives is not the answer. What is the answer is putting in place a plan that will make sure our kids are safe, loved and protected no matter what, so that when this worry comes up, we can tell ourselves that we’ve done everything we can to take care of it. And from there we can enjoy ourselves without guilt or further worry.

In my upcoming Kids Protection Planning Workshops on September 19th and 20th, parents will learn 7 Easy Steps to alleviate this worry. If you haven’t already taken care of this, please join me. And feel free to pass this along to your friends and family, but make sure and reserve your spot first as we only have room for 10 families on each date. Click here to register and for more information.

Wishing you health, wealth & happiness,
Thea

p.s. Remember there’s only room for 10 families on each date and we had to turn people away from our July workshops. So register here today.

It’s easy to feel down about your finances in such challenging times. But at the “Good News For Parents” workshops this past weekend, about 20 families were excited to learn ways to take control of their finances and protect their assets.

The workshops, which I did alongside Kristin Harad, a certified financial planner, really seemed to hit home for parents who’ve felt like they’ve been living in fear during the recession.

It’s only natural to feel anxious about money, especially these days. But settling into this default position of fear can heighten your anxiety and can actually increase financial guilt (should I buy this muffin with my cup of coffee?), conflict with your partner and, worst of all, negative inertia and a self-fulfilling prophesy!

In reality, you have a choice. You can focus on the large number of things you actually can control. This includes creating a plan for intentional saving and spending and protecting your family and your assets.

So parents at the workshop were really jazzed to learn about some key ways to take action. They learned how to get over their fears by setting intentions for their finances, and creating a financial plan and strategy that fit their needs. At the end of the day, I was inspired by the parents’ enthusiasm for regaining control of their financial life.

If you missed this event, and are interested in learning more about how to protect your family and your assets, we’ll be hosting our popular Kids Protection Planning workshops in September. Click here for more information.

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness,
Thea

Sometimes I feel like a bad mom. As you may know, Barrett was at an intensive work training for the past two weeks, morning ‘til night, including weekends. I love my girls with every inch and ounce of my person and then some, but we have never had that much 1 on 2 time before. Even with all my parenting, babysitting and “Auntie Thea” time, I had never been outnumbered by creatures under 4’ tall for more than a day. To say that it was a challenge for me is an understatement. The two weeks included Fiona’s first trip to the Emergency Room after falling on her head (“she’ll live to see another day” the ER doc said, smiling) and a trip to the doctor after Rory’s toe was crushed by a falling soup can.

I usually think I’m a pretty good mom. I’m generally cheerful, loving and patient. I’d like to say that I was cheerful, loving and patient without exception over the past two weeks, but that would either be wishful thinking or an outright lie depending on how you look at it.

I also usually have good judgment. But when I was making breakfast yesterday and Rory started playing in the pantry, I let it go. I heard the big thud followed by the big cry. I can’t tell you how shocked I was to see blood, a lot of blood. Fortunately, she’s okay. Her toenail is a goner, but other than that she’s fine. I feel very lucky that my momentary lapse in judgment didn’t cause her any lasting harm.

I have yet to meet a parent who is perfect, one who has never had a lapse in judgment of this kind. Usually, thank goodness, irreparably bad things don’t happen. We can’t be, and fortunately don’t need to be, perfect.

On one particularly trying day last weekend, when I felt like a real mess of a mother, I was lying down with Fiona trying to get her down for her nap. She took my face in her hands and said “I love you Mommy. I love your beautiful face. I love your beautiful forehead and your beautiful cheeks and your beautiful nose and your beautiful hair and your beautiful smile.” Needless to say, my heart overflowed. And I realized that while I’m not perfect, I’m good enough.

p.s. One parental lapse in judgment it’s very important to avoid is not having an estate plan. The good news is that you can learn how easy it can be to take care of this and your overall financial health at a free workshop I’m co-hosting with Kristin Harad, CFP of VitaVie Financial Planning this coming weekend. Free childcare is provided, so bring your kids and your spouse and take control of your finances! Sunday’s workshop in San Francisco is full but there are still seats available in Marin on Saturday. Click here for more information and to register.

We had a great turnout at our Kids Protection Planning workshops last weekend! Almost 20 families learned how to protect their kids and their assets no matter what. One lucky family won the drawing for a one-year membership in the fabulous new California Academy of Sciences. And the winner is …

Pari Moore & Brett Stewart

Congratulations, Pari & Brett!

I was meeting with a client recently and at the end of the meeting, she said “Great, I took care of this today and tomorrow I have a mammogram.” I couldn’t resist asking which is the more enjoyable endeavor. I’m happy to say that (without hesitation), she answered that estate planning was by far the more pleasant experience. Sometimes you take what you can get.

Like a mammogram (and whatever one might consider the male equivalent), estate planning is one of those things that we KNOW we need to do. Unlike a mammogram, however, the attorney general does not tell us at what age we should begin regular “exams” to make sure our estates are in order.

Allow me, if you will, to fill in that gap. You don’t need a large estate to need an estate plan. Every adult over the age of 18 should have an “estate plan” consisting at minimum of an advance healthcare directive and durable power of attorney for finances. And especially, every parent with a child under 18 should have an estate plan.

Why is that? Because if something happens to a parent with minor children, so much more than money is at stake. It’s about continuing to protect our kids as we do during our lives, no matter what.

I’m hosting two free workshops with free childcare for parents this coming weekend because I am so passionate about getting the word out there. If someone you know has not taken care of this, please forward this information to them. Click here to learn more and to register.

Have a great week!

To your health, wealth and happiness,
Thea

Well, before a break this summer, that is. Our last Kids Protection Planning workshops before a break this summer will be held May 2nd and 3rd at the Little Gym in Sausalito. (We’re planning a special event in July, but more to come on that later.) We all know that estate planning is something that families with young kids need to do because if something happens to the parents, so much more than money is at stake. We also know that estate planning is the kind of thing that if it can be put off, it often is, sometimes indefinitely, and that parents with young children are busy with a capital “B”. Inertia or, if you’ll forgive the plain-speaking, procrastination is generally the largest obstacle.

Common sense suggests several ways to overcome procrastination and it just so happens that our workshops use two of these strategies, including:

1. Breaking goals down into manageable steps — The workshop is free and free childcare is provided. How manageable is that?

2. Rewarding yourself when you take action – Every family will receive gifts worth $750 and one lucky family will win a year’s membership to the fabulous new California Academy of Sciences. How rewarding is that?

So many people put estate planning on their To-Do List and yet almost three-quarters of the population has not done it. Please forward this information (see the “Share/Bookmark” link below) to your parents’ groups and friends and family with young kids and tell them to make reservations now to learn how to protect their families and their assets. Click here for more information and to register.

Thank you for your help!

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness,
Thea

I’d like to acknowledge the families who managed to fit attending our Kids Protection Planning Workshops into the balance of their busy lives this past weekend. I imagine there were at least a half dozen other things they’d rather have done besides attending a workshop about estate planning, so the fact that they came says a lot about how much they care for their families. The kids had a blast and many parents were surprised to discover they actually enjoyed themselves! Shanna Walker and Bruce Sadownick had this to say about Sunday’s workshop: “The Workshop was great and very informative. We appreciated the time Thea took to explain any unfamiliar vocabulary! Providing childcare was critical for us. Thank you — it was so appreciated!” Laura Bloch had this to say: “Thea really knows her stuff and she’s someone I trust.”

And the winners of our random drawing for a year’s membership in the California Academy of Sciences are …

Donna Bandelloni and Jerry Gianni! Congratulations, Donna and Jerry!

Our last KPP workshops before a break this summer are scheduled for May 2nd and 3rd. Please help us spread the word so we can educate as many parents as possible about this essential information. For more information and to register, click here.

Our mission to educate families with young children continues!  Our March Kids Protection Planning Workshops will be held on March 21st and 22nd at the Little Gym in Sausalito.  Seating is limited, so tell your family and friends and click here to learn more and register!