Weddings and Funerals
July 26, 2010 Blog by: Academy Guest Blogger, Bryan Adams, President & CEO of Premier Planning, LLC and Founder of Legacy Safeguard+
Tagged with: Law Firm Client Services • Strategic Planning
This week my wife’s grandmother passed away and I was reminded how similar weddings and funerals really are. I know this sounds crazy, but these two events have all of the same basic elements.
Weddings and funeral ceremonies are both held in a church, synagogue, or some other type of facility. They both have flowers and decorations, they both typically have music, both have a minister or someone who officiates the service, there’s usually a lot of food at both occasions, and they both have a lot of family travel. In our case, we saw people this week at the funeral that we hadn’t seen since our wedding and we probably won’t see again until another wedding or funeral takes place in our family!
Typically with a wedding you have 6-12 months to prepare. Even though this is a very joyous occasion it can still be very stressful… I know it was for my wife and I! However, with a funeral you usually only have about 6-12 hours to plan. Without proper planning and guidance this can be very difficult on the surviving family when you compound all of the planning that goes into this event especially with the confusion, stress and grief that accompanies the loss of a loved one.
Helping my wife’s family plan this funeral reminded me of all the details that go into planning a funeral. It also reminded me how a well planned funeral ceremony can truly celebrate a life and help them leave a lasting legacy!
I know this is something that none of us want to think about, but it’s going to happen to all of us. With this in mind, we need to be prepared to make it a little easier on our families, and in the case of estate planning attorneys, our clients as well. As I learned this week, this can truly be one of the greatest gifts you can leave your family!
Bryan W. Adams is President & CEO of Premier Planning, LLC and Founder of Legacy Safeguard. Bryan is considered one of the nations’ leading experts on final expense planning, and he frequently speaks throughout the country about the importance of assisting clients to gain peace of mind through advanced funeral funding.
Bryan’s passion for helping families prepare for their final expenses came from being raised in the funeral business. His family still owns and operates several funeral homes, and he is constantly amazed at how unprepared families are when a death occurs. Bryan has worked tirelessly to help Americans plan for the inevitable and lessen the burden on their loved ones.
Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
6050 Santo Road, Suite 240
San Diego, CA 92124
www.aaepa.com
Tags: Law Firm Client Services, Strategic Planning
July 26th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more. Once again I am working with a client in crisis who hasn’t reviewed his estate planning in several years and now may be facing death. Arrangements can be made at the last minute and all professionals want to be able to help with that, but it is so much better for everyone when plans do not have to be made in crisis mode.
August 15th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
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September 10th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Dear Bryan,
I’d love to dialogue with you more about this imperative matter! I’ve just read a small but powerful book by Rob Moll, The Art of Dying. In my counseling practice, I’ve seen families of the “don’t talk about the unpleasant matters of life” sort, who are then torn asunder by inevitable death. In contrast, I’ve seen what the old folks used to call “the good death”, which teaches the rest of us how to die, and inspires us to live our lives into the life to come.
In any event, thank you for your excellent article. May your work be blessed and prospered.
Luann