Sheppard Law Firm - January 2021

Sheppard Law Firm - January 2021

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The Roman god Janus was said to have two faces — one that could see the past and one that could see the future. Applying symbolism to his job title, Janus was also referred to as the God of Doors, and his name was applied to the first month of each year when the months of January and February were tacked onto the calendar we use today. We often think of January as a new beginning — or, if you will, the opening of a new door. As an old saying goes, “When one door closes, another one opens.” Perhaps that’s what the Romans had in mind when naming the new month to start the year after Janus. The past is closing with the end of December, and a new future is beginning with January. We’ve all had those pivotal moments. I can still remember crying into my pillow as a junior in high school in Indiana after my dad announced to the family that we were packing up our lives to move to Clearwater, Florida. I was 16 years old. I was active in basketball and the swim team and had only ever known the holidays as snowy and cold. I didn’t want to move to Florida! But it was what was best for our family at the time, or so my dad thought. His men’s clothing store — something that came from my mom’s side of the family — was facing bankruptcy, and he needed a way to provide for us. The next best option was to join his brother’s certified public accounting (CPA) firm in Clearwater, Florida. Open Doors in 2021 What We Learn When One Door Closes

But as my parents and my little sister left, I wasn’t so sure. How was I going to afford college expenses and living on my own? Could I do this? I got a job at the local Publix and a restaurant bussing tables to start paying my way through college. In high school, I had mowed lawns and shoveled snow to earn some extra cash, so I always had that work ethic. This work was just more necessary in order to survive.

As my Indiana door closed, the Florida one opened.

Eventually, even that wasn’t enough.

Just a few years later, I would be standing on my dorm steps at the University of Florida — having clearly survived the move — and my dad, whose business relationship with his brother had soured, was laying down a harsh reality. “You know I don’t have anything to help you with, son,” Dad said as he shook my hand to say goodbye.

In 1984, I was living in a fraternity house and was in desperate need of just a few thousand dollars to pay for college expenses. I woke up one morning around 5 a.m., got dressed, and shuffled my way into the student financial services office on campus. When I approached the very bureaucratic- looking clerk behind the desk, I told her about my situation, and she began to clack on the keyboard. Continued on Page 2 ...

“I know, Dad,” I replied. “I’ll be okay.”

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January 2021

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provided me with loans all the way through law school. By the time I left the University of Florida, I did so with a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting, and a juris doctorate in law, and a fiancée, Patti. Thirty-one years later, we’re still very happily married, we are the proud parents of three smart, hardworking young women (and soon a son-in-law because Gabi is engaged!), and I’ve had a career I could have only dreamed of all those years ago. In fact, if you would have told me then that this would be my life in 2020, I wouldn’t have believed you, and then I would have done backflips! As we close the door on 2020 and open a new one into 2021, my message to you is to open more doors. Open doors like my rabbi and JELF did for me. Open doors for people because they are people, not because of what side of the aisle they stand on. As a nation, we’ve lost our sense of community. We need that back. It’s the only way we can grow and create new doors to open. Ever since graduation, I’ve made significant contributions to JELF. I want to help other young students, ones who may be crying under those same oak trees, find the support they need to continue their education. That’s my way of opening new doors, and now the question is this: What’s yours?

“Nope, there’s nothing for you,” she said without hesitation or a note of concern in her voice. “NEXT!” “But this is serious,” I responded. “I don’t know what to do. I need a loan or something.”

Without batting an eye, she said, “Nope, nothing for you. NEXT!”

Dumbfounded, I walked out of the building and sat down by the oak trees near the Hub. My door to a college education was closing. There was no way I could afford it on my own. I felt so hopeless that I put my head between my knees and just began to cry, much like I had just a few years prior on my pillow in Indiana. When a few of my fraternity brothers saw me and asked if I wanted to grab some pizza, I tried to explain away my tears by claiming allergies. I’m sure they weren’t buying it, but they were gracious enough to keep moving, and instead of getting pizza, I sought help from the rabbi at the Hillel House. It was the rabbi who pried open my next door. He suggested I look into Jewish Welfare Services, a program that offered interest-free loans to college students in need. All I had to do was pay the loan back when I finished college, but it would never collect interest.

Shortly after that conversation, I applied, and Jewish Welfare Services — now the Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF) —

a r a t i o n I s K e y

This January might be the perfect time to discuss your death and your estate plan with your family, and in doing so, you may encourage them to consider their own plans for after death. Your referral could be just the push they need! As we start the new year with a renewed set of goals, ensure your loved ones are prepared for the inevitable. Deploy these three tips for an effective conversation. Tip No. 1: Share Your Story Some people learn best when they have a personal story. When encouraging those you love to consider estate planning or your own death, offer your experience and wisdom. Remind them that you love them and that creating this plan is an extension of the support you have for them. Be patient and continue to encourage those who shy away from this conversation. Tip No. 2: Have a Reason To combat awkwardness, try having these conversations in a group setting so your loved ones don’t feel they have to take on this information alone. There will likely be multiple people involved in executing your estate plan after you pass, so gather all of those members of your team together for this conversation. Host a How to Ensure Your Loved Ones Are Prepared for Your Death — and Their Own!

virtual gathering or use the pandemic as an opportunity to discuss preparedness. The people you care most about will be more receptive if they can mentally and emotionally prepare.

Tip No. 3: Have a Plan Outline the key points you want your loved ones to know. These could include who should make the medical and financial decisions should you become incapacitated, where your documents are located, a simple outline of your wishes, and most importantly, why you want your loved ones to hear this. Be open, honest, and clear as to why this conversation is important to you. Supportive family or friends will understand, and they will want to recreate that for their families. It isn’t always easy to refer your loved ones to estate planning professionals or to talk to them about your own plans, but sharing this information is vital to ensuring your wishes are protected and that those you care for have the proper plans in place. If we can help with these conversations, or if you know someone who is interested in beginning estate planning, direct them to our team.

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Dead Fish Go With the Flow The world feels more divided than ever before. How do we repair it? In his 2020 Island Sun column, “Dead Fish Go With the Flow,” attorney Craig Hersch invites readers to begin trying to do just that. You can read the full version of Craig’s column — and others — at FloridaEstatePlanning.com. On a significant number of occasions, the subject gave an answer he could see was wrong because everyone else had done so. Such is the power of the pressure to conform: It can lead us to say what we know is untrue. It can also convince us that our instincts are wrong. face encounters and to try with people who are not like us? Let’s realize that we can disagree strongly with Craig Hersch Implores Us to Find Our Sense of Community Again

others yet remain friends. We have much in common, despite our differences.

After the Holocaust, social scientists were haunted by the question of why so many people went along with a regime they knew was committing a terrible crime against humanity. Solomon Asch, a social psychologist seeking an answer to this question, created an experiment by assembling a group of people. They were shown two cards — one with one line on it, the other with three lines of different lengths — and asked which of the lines on the second card was the same length as the line on the first card. Unbeknownst to one participant, all the others had been briefed by Asch to give the right answer for the first few cards, then the wrong one for most of the rest.

That is why it is so important that each one of us has the courage and consciousness to take risks, to experiment with new ideas, to think “outside the box.” Dead fish go with the flow. Live fish swim against the current. Social media allows us to connect electronically with others, yet it also tends to make us more anxious, uncertain, and fearful. We’ve become isolated (even more so with COVID-19) with this false sense that we’re interacting with others. Somehow electronic interaction isn’t the same. It’s destructive. Instead of going with the flow, how about each one of us pledges to renew face-to-

Recognizing that life experiences mold who we are, let’s grant others the same leeway we grant ourselves. This mindset allows us to empathize with someone who’s traveled a different road and who’s arrived at different conclusions as to the world around them. When we extend our hand in friendship to others not like us, we begin to heal the fractures that have divided society. Let’s not be dead fish, flowing with the current. Instead let’s agree from this point forward to take risks, swim upstream, and extend ourselves, especially to those who think differently than we do.

Inspired by GoodHousekeeping.com

Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

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8 chicken thighs or drumsticks, lightly salted 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 onion, finely sliced 2 celery sticks, thickly sliced 2 carrots, thickly sliced 1 tbsp olive oil

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1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut in large chunks

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2 garlic cloves, sliced 14 oz chicken stock

1 sprig rosemary

Finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 leek, thickly sliced

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DIRECTIONS: 1. In a large frying pan, heat oil and fry salted chicken on high until brown. 2. Transfer chicken to the slow cooker. Add flour and stir. 3. In the frying pan on high heat, fry the onion, celery, carrots, leeks, and potatoes until lightly browned. Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds. 4. Transfer vegetables to the slow cooker and add the stock, rosemary, and lemon zest. 5. Cook on high for 2.5–3 hours or until chicken is tender. 6. Check seasoning and add lemon juice to taste. Top with parsley before serving.

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 that our new clients are just like the ones we commonly attract. You can also leave us a review at FloridaEstatePlanning.com/review.

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INSIDE this issue

Craig’s Message for 2021...........................1

3 Tips for Talking Estate Planning With Those You Love. ........................................2

Craig’s Column: How to Reconnect ............3

Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole.................3

Your Devices Deserve Clean Screens . .......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.

G r e a

While phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops have become convenient, everyday technology, one struggle remains: constantly dirty screens. Regular cleaning is a must for battling fingerprints, dust, and other smudges, not to mention all the germs that can collect on the surface of your device. But how do you clean your screens without ruining any functionality? Before you drench your device in your typical household cleaner, try these three cleaning products and say goodbye to dirty screens! Mobile Screen Wipes Chances are, you use your phone more than all your other devices combined, resulting in a constantly dirty screen. With Zeiss Mobile Screen Wipes, you can rest assured that no matter how dirty your phone screen gets, you can clean it any time, any place. These wipes are individually wrapped and can easily fit in a pocket, purse, or drawer at work. As an added bonus, they can also clean your eyeglasses. You can find them for $7.49 on Amazon! Screen Cleaner Best Buy has its own brand of screen cleaner called Insignia. Insignia can thoroughly and safely clean any device’s screen

and keep it streak-free long after cleaning. Since you simply spray some onto a cleaning cloth, the 5-ounce bottle lasts quite a while. With a 4.7 rating

from over 1,400 reviews, Insignia is perfect for all of your screen-cleaning needs! Pick up a bottle of your own at Best Buy for $9.99.

Electronic Wipes Weiman Electronic Wipes are perfect for removing grease smudges, dust, and fingerprints from any of your delicate screens, including TVs, tablets, phones, and laptops. They can even be used to spot-clean keyboards. The wipes come ready to use and contain no harsh ingredients. You can purchase them on Amazon for $14.98.

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