The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending

If you are a client or if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you will know that I believe that we all have our own story. It may not be significant to most, but it is certainly significant to a few. At every funeral we are told a life story. Invariably by someone not terribly familiar with the details or even the rhythm, but told it is, or at least a version.

None of us know how long we have left in this mortal realm, indeed if the war of words between North Korea and the US develops beyond posturing, we may all have cause to seriously think about our mortality. Thankfully I am an optimist, hopefully self-made disaster will be averted and we can continue to have our more comforting perspective about longevity. However, as we witness on a daily basis, many do not live as long as expected.

We may prepare in various ways, seeking answers to life’s biggest questions. However whilst we live, we can to some extent recall and recount our own stories. I suggest creating a “Life Book” – a collection of memories, images, thoughts and reflections. Those that you wish to preserve and perhaps lessons that you wish to pass on. This is your opportunity to be clear about who you are and why you made the choices you did. A genuine opportunity to “open up”.

Life Book-ended

So I was intrigued to see the film “A Sense of an Ending” with an immediately recognizable cast, (Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Charlotte Rampling and Emily Mortimer who propel us from the teenage years in the 1960s to the present day, the tale of those born in the 1940s. The story is based on the novel of the same name by Julian Barnes and relays the story of the nearly retired Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent). Tony is confronted by emerging pieces of his past and is driven to review his understanding of them as we are taken on a tour of memory adjusted lane. Not all the pieces fit as neatly as he would wish and certainly not as he had presumed.

Facing the future by reflecting on the past

For those of us that regularly take stock of our lives and seek to understand the influences and key moments within it, this may provide some insight into how our first draft is rarely the last. If you do see the film, let me know if it alters your approach to how you record your own life story. As I think Soren Kierkegaard said “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Financial planning is of course forward-looking, but as is often the case, to look forwards we must understand the past, which means facing our own.

Here’s the trailer for the movie “A Sense of An Ending”.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

The Sense of an Ending2023-12-01T12:18:35+00:00

This is Your Life

This is Your Life

You may remember the TV show “This is Your Life” – the big red book of a lifetime of memories.As a child, it often seemed to me at the time, many of the celebrities were not very old, so had not actually had much “life” yet. Yet today I find myself rethinking my position.

Over the last few weeks I have been house-hunting and after what feels like a trial of will over energy, tomorrow I finally move house. This is not something that I have done often, indeed the entire process of buying and selling houses does make me wonder why anyone would wish to move regularly or indeed be a landlord.

As we all know, everything has its time. The memories created in our current home, seeing the children grow up, being part of the community, having lots of wonderful parties – these are not sold off in the process, but of course they can and do fade over time. To me it has always been important to have some form of record of those memories

 

Planning an ending

The advantage of moving home is that to some extent it is possible to plan a clear “ending” and say goodbye. On Sunday night, we had a small goodbye party with our neighbours. Life itself rarely gives many people this opportunity. Sudden death is precisely that – sudden and unexpected.

Of course we will all experience loss, some will be expected and some something of a shock. Irrespective of when or how, there are things that we can all do to help prepare others and ourselves. The most obvious aspect of any funeral and mourning period is the recounting of stories. These are naturally far more revealing of who the real person is or was. Yet often these tales rely upon the memories and survival of others.

I encourage clients to design their own “life book” full of pictures, quotes, memories, stories, some basic factual stuff and a load of thoughts about “how I was shaped”. These days it is relatively easy to get a book printed for a very small sum. This makes a great document which you can keep up to date, but importantly an opportunity to tell your own story, in your own way, in your own words. Why not give some thought to what you would like to say – not as important as a Will or adequate financial protection, but far more enjoyable. Of course I might suggest that this can act as a catalyst for the life you still have left, to reflect on making your time count – whatever that means for you.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

This is Your Life2023-12-01T12:19:04+00:00
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