Sheppard Law Firm - June 2022

Sheppard Law Firm - June 2022

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More Than Clickbait Social Media Keeps Us Connected

June 30 is Social Media Day, and it’s astounding to see how quickly our world has changed since Facebook first exploded and changed the internet forever. Though it has been less than 20 years, it’s now hard to imagine a world without selfies, shares, and likes. This cultural shift has changed the world in ways that are both good and bad. But for Sheppard Law Firm, the impact of social media has been overwhelmingly positive. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to pivot just like every other business. And that meant going online. Without the ability to do live, in-person workshops, we relied on social media to help us stay connected with and educate our clients. If you follow us on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed that our presence has grown significantly in the past few years and given us more opportunities to connect with you on the subjects you care about most. We’re even planning a client care virtual workshop for the near future, so we can answer your questions while you relax in the comfort of your own home. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more details as we pull the event together. We can hardly wait to see your faces and hear your voices! In many areas of law, like personal injury or family law, social media can do more harm than good. Rightly or wrongly, the posts people make can affect the outcome of legal cases. Fortunately, estate planning and probate law rarely present these problems. (And if there ever is a reason to stay off social media during a probate case, we will let you know!) We’re grateful we can reap the benefits of social media without experiencing those pitfalls. It has also been an excellent conversation starter. After reading one of our articles about lesser-known estate planning concerns, clients often contact us to discuss their own plans. They generally want to know whether the issue will affect them. And while we usually

assure them it won’t, we appreciate the opportunity to address our clients’ worries as they come up — and often, get an update on how they’ve been doing!

I’m not the world’s most sentimental person, but I still know that family means a lot to all of us. With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, I’ve been thinking about how being a dad is a profound blessing, but it might also be one of life’s biggest challenges. With the kids getting older and an empty nest looming in my future, I can’t help but miss the days when all I had to worry about was diapers. But it has been a joy to watch them grow, become their own people, succeed, fail, and learn life’s most important lessons. Knowing just how difficult parenthood can be, I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge how amazing my dad is. I was very blessed to have an involved, caring father, and I’m lucky that he is still around and supporting me to this day. I also know that many of my clients have lost their parents, and celebrations like Father’s Day can sometimes prove difficult. Whether you’re fortunate enough to thank him in person this year, choose to share memories on Facebook, or reflect on his memory silently in your heart, anyone who had a great dad received one of life’s most precious gifts. Make sure to cherish it always.

–Mike Hill

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JUNE 2022

No Caffeine Needed How to Beat Your Afternoon Slump

We all know the feeling: Sometime after lunch, you become sluggish, spacy, and unproductive. Many of us instinctively turn to caffeine to power

Consume healthy foods and lots of water. Maybe you don’t have complete control of your schedule. That’s where a healthy snack comes in. We tend to crash in the afternoon when our blood sugar drops, usually due to consuming carbohydrates. Eating vegetables, fruit, and protein or fiber-rich foods will help pick up your energy without incurring a future dip. While you’re snacking, drink some water. A 2018 study out of Yale found that even mild dehydration can negatively affect our brains’ ability to function, so don’t let your water bottle sit untouched. Get up and move. You’re not going to get over that slump by sitting in your chair. If you want to beat back fatigue, go for a walk, climb some stairs, stretch, or do some jumping jacks. Researchers have proven that exercise wakes up both your body and your mind. In fact, science says it will do a better job of rousing you than caffeine will. Best of all, it will help, not hurt, your ability to sleep at night. Finally, set yourself up for success by going to bed at a reasonable hour and getting your necessary 7–9 hours of sleep. Our attention ebbs and flows naturally, so none of us can be our best 100% of the time. But along with these other tips, staying well-rested can help you pick up the pace.

through the rest of the day, but that can cause another

crash, not to mention sleep problems. But don’t worry — you aren’t doomed to an aimless afternoon. We’ve compiled expert tips to perk up and carry on with your busy day. Plan your work. All of our bodies have internal rhythms, and by now, you probably know yours. Typically, people peak mid-morning or in the late afternoon. But whenever your productive heights are, plan around them. Complete the detailed, creative, or difficult work during the times when your energy is at its best, and save your “busy work” or repetitive tasks for the lulls when you feel less motivated. You’ll feel better and get more done.

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How Charitable Giving Can Benefit Your Estate Plan

Charitable giving can be personally fulfilling for most people. There may be a cause or even several causes that feel so close to home that you want to continue financially supporting their efforts. Whether it be a school you or a loved one attended or a cause you just have a passion for, charitable giving in your estate plan can provide many benefits of giving back to something you believe in. Options for Charitable Giving Depending on the size of your estate and types of assets you have, you have a variety of options for donating. These can range from naming charities on retirement or life insurance accounts to providing specific or general bequests in a will or trust. It can be an important estate planning tool to minimize income or estate taxes. Bequests in Your Will or Trust A simple and direct option is leaving a bequest in your will or revocable trust. It is a sentence that specifies the charity and amount you would like to leave. It identifies the charity and the amount and states for what purposes the funds should go toward. Be sure to have the correct, legal name of the charity because some do have similar names.

Retirement or Life Insurance Accounts Retirement and life insurance accounts can be the highest taxed asset in any estate. The benefits from this option are the increased impact of your bequest, and the charity wouldn’t need to pay income taxes on your donation. When done properly,

charitable donations of retirement or insurance assets can minimize taxes that would otherwise cause a significant financial burden. Before you choose a way to give, it is important to understand the tax implications of your decisions. This can be a deciding factor in choosing what option fits best for whichever charity you choose. Check out SBSHLaw.com or call Sheppard Law Firm if you have any questions about your options for estate planning.

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Should You Have a Living Will? No one likes planning for the worst possible scenario, but we also want to maintain control over our medical care. In this piece originally published in the Sanibel Island Sun, attorney Craig Hersch discusses how a living will can protect your wishes if you become incapacitated. You can read the full version of “Living Will Particulars” at FloridaEstatePlanning.com. The major choice this document provides is whether you want food and water (usually via feeding tubes) withheld

and withdrawn. The language in Florida’s

Clients regularly ask me about living wills, an end-of-life directive document that describes the medical procedures you would and would not want to be performed under certain medical scenarios. You may recall, for example, the Terri Schiavo case. Terri Schiavo went into an irreversible persistent vegetative state as a result of a 1990 heart attack and lay unresponsive in a hospital bed for years. Terri Schiavo did not have a living will. In 1998, her husband petitioned a Florida court to remove her feeding tube. Her parents fought the lawsuit, arguing that Terri was responsive and would want to live. The majority of her case centered on what she would have wanted had she been able to direct. Ultimately, the feeding tubes were removed after state and federal court appeals processes at the end of March 2005. She died shortly thereafter. A living will document allows you to direct your medical treatment if you should be dying and artificial means would only prolong death rather than save your life. The threshold is high, and under a living will, the patient is usually incapacitated and unable to speak for him or herself.

living will statute states that the patient should always receive medical procedures or medication to provide comfort, care, and pain alleviation.

If you are a Florida resident, you should have a Florida-compliant living will. In it, you will designate someone to carry out the provisions of the declaration. If the health care surrogate disagrees with the two physicians who declare the patient to have met the living will preconditions, there could be additional determinations. So, carefully choose your surrogate. They should have similar end- of-life attitudes that you do or provide you comfort that he or she will follow your wishes. You should discuss your intent with those close to you as well as with your primary physician.

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • •

6 ears of corn

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1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups ricotta

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• •

2 tbsp unsalted butter, diced Chives and scallions, finely chopped

2 tbsp thyme, finely chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Referrals are the lifeblood of our office. If you had a tremendous experience, please do share it as a five-star Google Review, adding a few words as a description. It takes less than a couple of minutes. We appreciate our clients so much and hope our new clients are just like the ones we commonly attract. You can also leave us a review at FloridaEstatePlanning.com/review.

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 2. In a large grill pan on high heat, cook the corn until charred on all sides. Let cool, then cut the kernels from the cob. 3. In a food processor or blender, purée two-thirds of the kernels with the cream, ricotta, flour, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in remaining whole kernels. 4. Pour into an 8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, and dot with butter. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours, until bubbly. 5. Garnish with chives and scallions before serving.

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9100 College Pointe Court Fort Myers, FL 33919 (239) 265-9779

INSIDE this issue

Social Media Helps Us Connect With You PAGE 1

Beating the Midday Slump PAGE 2

The Power of Charity PAGE 2

Explaining Living Wills PAGE 3

Grilled Corn and Ricotta Dip PAGE 3

Don’t Ignore Anxiety PAGE 4

The best compliments we receive are your referrals. When you refer us to your loved ones, we do all we can to exceed expectations.

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There has been an increasing amount of people who experience anxiety at their place of work. In 2018, Wrike, a tech company, released

Ask for Help Work can become hectic and busy, and it can be easy to say yes to something even if you have a busy workload. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need to; it will provide the clarification you need and remove some of your stress. It can be hard to ask for help, but communicating with your superiors shows that you genuinely care about excelling. Practice Self-Care Sometimes all we need is to focus on ourselves. Don’t forget to take care of yourself and attend to your feelings. You don’t want to change how you live and limit yourself from doing other activities. Take time to pamper yourself and live life to the fullest. If you continue doing what brings you joy, that feeling will follow you while you’re at work. Work can be stressful — and that’s okay. Everyone feels stress and anxiety in their lives; what matters is how you deal with it. This may take some time, but with dedication and practice, you’ll find yourself less anxious while at work — and in every other part of your life as well.

a survey which found that 68% of people feel anxious while at work. Here are a few tips to help decrease the amount of anxiety you may feel in your work environment. Don’t Suppress Your Anxiety Instead of pushing away your anxiety, allow it in and practice acceptance. If you try to ignore the way you’re feeling, those emotions can bottle up inside and make you feel overwhelmed. Instead, you can acknowledge why you may be feeling anxious, process those emotions, and then carry on with the rest of your day. It’s all about your mindset and how you look at the situation — will you let it positively or negatively impact your day?

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