Keystone Law Firm - August 2020

Keystone Law Firm - August 2020

Trust Matters AUGUST 2020

480-360-5711 | KEYSTONELAWFIRM.COM

Life Lessons From Local Schools What This Year’s Back-to-School Season Can Teach Us About Planning for the Future

It’s back-to-school season, but this year’s return may look a little different than previous years. I’m writing this cover letter in mid-July, and we are still very unsure about what our school districts will do in the fall. Some were talking about separating students into five groups and segmenting in-person classes. Other schools, like our children’s charter school, were considering splitting on-campus and off-campus options for schooling. Regardless of how the school year shakes out, it’s been a hectic summer for many education experts, parents, and students. It isn’t unusual for us to receive a new update every day, and as they roll in, we have daily conversations with our kids. We want to know what they want to do. How are they feeling about the possibility of having to continue online school? For our kids, the answer is simple: They miss school. Our kids adore their teachers, and they have missed their friends throughout this spring’s digital and at-home schooling. We’re very lucky that the charter school’s environment is a safe, productive place for them to learn. I love hearing they want to return to school! As I write this, I don’t have a clear answer as to how my children’s education will look for the 2020–2021 school year, but there is one thing I know: We have to make a decision. We don’t know what next week, next month, or even the next year will look like, but when we stick our heads in the sand and refuse to make a decision, we let the future pass us by (and we risk harming our future)! Despite the uncertainty and the fast pace in which things are changing, we cannot wait to make a decision. This is a lesson I’ve learned over and over again in estate planning. The two things we hear all the time are that people believe they have the time to make decisions later and they don’t have enough information to make the decision. People are so paralyzed by fear when they believe they could ruin everything by making the wrong decision, without understanding that not making any decision is just as detrimental. This can leave your family with many difficult decisions — on top of their grief — after you pass away or become incapacitated. So, how do you approach this? How do you make decisions for the future when the future is foggy? We suggest a very simple idea: Make the best decision for now. What would you want if the future was today? Do you know enough information to plan for the next year, two years, or even five years? We can’t know what our lives will be like in 20 years, but we can make predictions that reflect what we know now. And in doing so, we will be better prepared as the future gets closer.

As the future becomes the present, we can adjust. But we can’t adjust if the foundation is missing, and a foundation is built by making decisions using the best information you have today. We all want what’s best for our families, and planning for what we know now and adjusting as life changes is how we get there. Doing nothing —whether it’s in relation to health care, race relations, schooling, or your estate plan — is a surefire way to ensure chaos ensues. This year has been exhausting for many of us, and it’s come with many revelations. I believe we all have to walk away knowing we cannot ignore planning for our future. Whatever this school year looks like for our kids, we will have to learn how to adapt and make the best of it. For many of life’s big decisions, that’s the best we can do.

The good news is that life will always work itself out when you take that step.

-Francisco

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THE LASTING IMPACT OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL LEGAL IMPLICATIONS WE CAN STILL SEE TODAY

the U.S. justice system. However, protecting >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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