Today’s pace in a word? Rushed. Yet despite this truth about daily life, I believe estate planning is a chance to reduce your speed to a more slow and steady rate. It’s a time to really think about what you value and then do something to protect it.

After all, we are all on the receiving end of constant information. We race to update our statuses and blog posts. We continually check and send emails. We dash off to the post office. That is, when email won’t do. It seems like the moment we cross an item off our to-do list something new needs to be addressed.

As tempting as it may be, proper planning is not something you can just throw a bunch of forms at and –  voila! – a thoughtful estate plan is complete. You need to take time to consider different financial circumstances, your values, loved ones’ opinions, “what if” scenarios, and more in order to create an assessment that is yours and yours alone. It takes preparation. It takes discipline.

Then again, so do marathons.


The more you treat planning like a long-distance race, the better position you will be in. Along the way things may come up. You may get thirsty. You may break a shoelace. If you have trained and are prepared for the unexpected, you will be more likely to be carrying a backup pair of New Balances.
The lesson here? Don’t race too fast in your planning. While you may cross the finish line faster, you will likely miss out on a world of opportunities on the sidelines.