At the peak of the COVID pandemic, my friend Joe hadn’t seen his wife for over five months. He had rushed her to the hospital and had to watch from the door while the gurney wheeled her away. It turned out she had an aneurism that needed immediate attention. The doctors saved her life, but she had to recover in a rehab facility that’s was locked down during the peak of Covid-19 just as the hospital were.
He was able to talk to her by phone, but she struggled to communicate. It was tough on both of them.
Problem
Adding to his woes – their documents weren’t up-to-date. The implications of that were:
- Most urgently, the lack of a current Health Care Power of Attorney. Even as her spouse, this means if there are potential issues he wasn’t able to completely influence.
- Second, the load is heavy enough already. Who needed an additional hassle at a time like this?
- Third, even if he had the energy to change it at the time, he’d have a tough time – she’s not competent to participate.
Thanks in part to the mandatory social distancing, Joe’s wife didn’t contract the Coronavirus. Additionally, her surgery was a success and she was expected to survive.
But, with proper planning, isn’t just for the event of someone’s passing. With any proper will or trust, there’s also a document that would have allowed Joe to make decisions when his wife wasn’t able to do that for herself. That was the piece Joe didn’t have in place – the piece that might have been needed to care more effectively for the living.
Solution
This type of problem isn’t new. Covid-19, however, has added a new and unexpected urgency to the risks our clients face if they’re “not properly protected.” With Coronavirus still part of our world, it’s more important than ever for our clients to protect themselves and their loved ones. There are fewer excuses than ever to avoid the review of their estate plan. Let’s encourage them to make sure their affairs are proper – and current.
Outcome
The culture from my time as a crew member on a submarine has stayed with me. We were trained to, “anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence.”
That’s a higher standard of care. The people we serve can’t fully appreciate the benefit of such a level of care until they really need it. That only adds to the value we provide them. It also differentiates each of us from our peers.
At Stratus Financial Partners, we partner with financial advisors, attorneys, and CPAs to best serve their clients. For more on how we do that, click here. Our team is dedicated to making the world a better place, one policy at a time.
The insurance world can be difficult to navigate. Without a clear understanding of their current plan, it’s difficult to be certain that your clients have the right coverage. If you’d like to take a closer look, you’ve come to the right place. We can answer your life insurance questions and provide the clarity you need to sleep easy. Learn more about our services or join our newsletter today. To contact us, call 951-823-8100 or click here.
