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