As we enter the final stretch of the year, it is always a good time to take stock of the changes that have occurred and plan strategically for what's ahead. It calls to mind a line from the song This Time Last Year by Kelsea Ballerini, where she sings, "But, oh, how the tides change in 365 days." The fact is, taking time to make the updates and adjustments where they are needed now can lead to positive outcomes in 2026.
What is the meaning of our lives? For some of us, it may include living a life filled with adventure, family memories, spirituality, increased clarity, and, in the end, being remembered through the legacy we leave to the next generation. In this month's newsletter, we will focus on the idea of legacy planning, a subject much more meaningful than pure estate planning. It was in the song "I Was Here," by Beyonce that she declares, "I want to leave my footprints on the sands of time. Know there was something that meant something that I left behind."
It was the poet T.S. Eliot who once lamented that “April is the cruelest month”. Ben Franklin famously said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. And then there is Pink Floyd, who captured the sentiment of so many, “Money. Get Back! I'm alright, Jack, keep your hands off my stack...Money. It's a crime. Share it fairly, but don't take a slice of my pie”. Anyone who has ever looked closely at a paycheck to see the deductions can appreciate those lyrics. It doesn’t mean that we have to enjoy paying those taxes, however.
"What if?" Now, there's a loaded question! What if you had all the money you ever needed to do all the things you want to do? What would you do differently? Maybe take that Mediterranean cruise? How about buying an RV and touring America to see how many National Parks you could visit in a year's time? Take a cooking class at a chateau in France or play golf at every British Open course? Think about what it would look like if you were able to live out your dreams. In the song, What If, Matthew West sings, "I've heard them say before, to live just like you're dying. Wish I could say that's how I am, but I'd be lying. My biggest fear is waking up to find what matters is miles away from what I spent my life chasing after. Is my story going to have the same two words in every chapter? What if?"
Happy Holidays! In keeping with one of the treasured traditions of this time of year, Prosperity Wealth Planning would like to share with you, our amazing clients, what we’ve been up to in 2024. It’s been another busy, productive year!
The summer of 2024 is here, and the commotion you see on the near horizon is this year's election season, almost upon us. I am reminded of the old French saying, which loosely translates to, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Need proof? Think of the words to Bob Dylan’s song from nearly 60 years ago, where he sang, “Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall. For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled. The battle outside ragin' will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, for the times they are a-changin'”.
I was listening to a podcast not too long ago, and one of the hosts cited a study that said that most twenty-year-olds today would live to be 100 or more years old. With advances in technology and medical science, many of these experts believe that it is very likely. Of course, we all recognize that aging brings many physical changes and challenges. The need for a strong healthcare plan to navigate those “golden” years has never been more important.
The arrival of the new year brings with it a sense of change, of new vistas to explore and new friends to meet. It is a time of optimism and renewal, a time to look forward with a sense of hope. In the song Feeling Good by Nina Simone, she sings, “Birds flying high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me”.
When George Harrison wrote the song Taxman, he did so to protest a progressive income tax imposed in the United Kingdom which saw the Beatles, who were amongst the highest earners in the country, required to pay a whopping 95% “supertax.” This led to the lyric where they sing, "There's one for you, nineteen for me." Fortunately, the income taxes in our country (and many of the individual states) have not risen that high. However, it is always a good idea to be aware of what your tax liabilities are, and, more importantly, what you can do to legally minimize those costs.
The stormy economic forecasts seem to mirror the very wet winter we experienced in California this year, which makes me think of the song Umbrella by Rihanna, where she sings, “...Now that it's raining more than ever, know that we'll still have each other. You can stand under my umbrella, you can stand under my umbrella”.