Sheppard Law Firm - June 2021

Sheppard Law Firm - June 2021

Newsletter Title

t It’s Quiet Time

When Our Northern Friends Leave, We Relax With Calm Summers

Do you hear that?

It’s a little quieter around Fort Myers these days, as we recently said goodbye to the last of our northern friends who will spend their summers up north. It’s an interesting phenomenon that longtime residents of this region will all recognize. As summer draws closer, life starts to move at a little slower pace. The traffic lessens, restaurants are easier to get into, and work doesn’t seem to move so fast. While we miss our visitors, it’s a nice opportunity to catch our breath and relax. However, lately, our quiet season has gotten louder and busier. (And last year was strange due to the pandemic.) Turns out, people are realizing that our region has a lot to offer in the summer, and more people are opting to make Fort Myers their permanent home. I think that says a lot about our community and the businesses we have here — it’s just hard to say goodbye. The Hill family likes to spend our summers at the beach. As any resident will tell you, the beaches are crowded and busy during the school year, so they fill up with tourists. Plus, with all the kids’ activities, it’s difficult to find a free moment. But as our children’s schedules and the beaches free up in the summer, we head there to relax and enjoy a less-crowded adventure. Like any family, we also like to travel during the summer. Each year, we try to select a different location to visit. This year is still up in the air as things continue to open up. Like any good Floridian family, we used to go to Disney World a lot. For many years, we all even had season passes! As we had more children, it became too expensive to justify six season passes.

Our youngest, Caleb, was just 3 years old when we stopped going to Disney every year, so he has a hard time believing us when we say that he has been to Disney. We may all have memories of Disney, but Caleb has been itching to go, claiming he has never been. We just might have to give in and take him this sumer! Despite how hot and humid it can get in Florida each summer, we are an outdoor-living kind of family. I’ll usually pack a bag filled with snacks and water, and I feel the weight lessen as we hike or go to the beach. Hydration is our biggest concern when it comes to staying outside all summer long. But if we can stay hydrated and as long as we are having fun, there’s no chance you will find us inside! Regardless of where you spend your summer this year, I hope you find time to do the things you love. Whether that’s lounging at the beach, going on vacation, or barbecuing in the backyard, few things are better than a relaxing summer day. Just ask permanent Fort Myers residents.

–Mike Hill

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JUNE 2021

The Super Benefits of Yoga June 21 is International Yoga Day, which makes it a great time of year to talk about the unique benefits of yoga — the “superfood” of fitness. As a mixture of exercise and mindfulness, yoga is not only challenging but also has myriad health benefits.

a more relaxed state. It also promotes better sleep and increased focus,” Hochart writes. Multiple studies agree: Yoga can significantly decrease the secretion of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. In one study, 64 women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) participated in a 10-week program, performing yoga at least once a week. By the end of the 10 weeks, 52% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD at all. As with starting any new hobby or regular exercise, it may help to set clear goals for yourself. By doing yoga regularly, there are several physical improvements you can look forward to, such as: • Improved range of motion or ease of movement • A reduction in pain, discomfort, or other symptoms • An increase in physical strength and endurance • Less weight fluctuation • Changes in the way your clothes fit • Better-quality sleeping habits and increased or stabilized energy levels One of the best qualities of yoga is that you can be of any age or fitness level. So, pull up a YouTube video, find a soft surface, and give it a try!

Many people assume yoga is mainly useful for increasing your flexibility. However, it’s also excellent for further developing your strength, mobility, and balance. These can be key benefits for living a healthier lifestyle, whether you’re an athlete or concerned about aging. Kaitlyn Hochart, a yoga instructor from San Diego, California, writes on Healthline, “During yoga, your body goes through a full range and variety of motion that can counteract aches and pains associated with tension or poor postural habits.” Yoga can help you become more aware of these habits, “[allowing] you to fix these imbalances and improve overall athleticism.” Many forms of exercise are useful against depression and cardiovascular disease, but in yoga’s case, you don’t have to break a sweat to start benefiting from its stress-relieving properties. “The breathing exercises you practice during yoga can help lower your heart rate and shift your nervous system into

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Summer brings about many changes. The kids are out of school, more families are on the road for vacation, and the weather gets hotter and muggier. But as you prepare for summertime fun, don’t forget to take a crucial step in the estate planning process: estate tax planning. Through estate tax planning, you can maximize the amount of property you transfer to your beneficiaries with as limited taxation as possible. This should be done regularly, too. As tax laws and your life change, the plans you set in place years ago may no longer line up with your wishes and could cost your beneficiaries much more than you intended. Like every part of an estate plan, estate tax planning needs to match your life and needs of today. Now, for those who just finished the long, complicated process that was tax season 2021, you may be wondering why you need to do more with your taxes right now — especially when the beach or boat is calling your name! But there’s a very important reason for this. Years ago, the estate tax law was scheduled to sunset after the new year. Unfortunately, many attorneys and their 2 floridaestateplanning.com And Ensure Your Assets Are Protected

clients didn’t properly prepare for this sunset with early tax planning. As that date drew closer and the window to prepare became smaller, many attorneys were scrambling to complete requests for their clients. Ultimately, attorneys across

the nation had to admit that they couldn’t complete estate tax planning in time for some of their clients. This meant opportunities were missed. Our goal at The Sheppard Law Firm is to avoid this. That’s why we ask you to start your estate tax planning now and avoid the mad rush that can happen at the end of every year . You can find the peace of mind that comes with finishing estate tax planning and doing it sooner rather than later. Plus, if you do it now, you will have more time to enjoy the beach! Call us today to get started with estate tax planning. We also have educational booklets available for those who would like to learn more about their options.

Tips forMeaningful Last Words Attorney Craig Hersch Helps You Connect With Your Loved Ones After You Pass

What do you want your final words to your loved ones to be? In his 2021 “Sanibel Island Sun” newspaper article, “9 Tips for Meaningful Last Words,” attorney Craig Hersch suggests you think about this now. You can read the full version of Craig’s column — with all nine tips included — at FloridaEstatePlanning.com. Too often, we don’t share our true emotions with those closest to us. How great would it be if we shared all of those thoughts? So, I propose that you do just that. Write a letter or record a message and tell your loved ones how much they meant to you. Then securely store that document or video, like on our new portal, to be opened concurrently with your will. I thought that I’d suggest a few basic thoughts for those who might not be as comfortable putting words on paper or speaking them aloud.

1. Keep It Positive: When you are composing communication that you don’t intend for a loved one to receive until after you have departed this earth, it’s a good idea to keep it positive. But do be sincere. Don’t heap praise where praise really isn’t believable. 2. Tell Them Why: Don’t be shy telling your loved ones the “whys.” Why are you so in love? Why are you so proud? Why do you smile when you think about them? 3. Wind It Up: Make sure that you leave them with a warm statement. I saw one letter where a father told each of his children that he wanted them to know that he believed in an afterlife, and although his children may no longer be able to touch him or hear him, they could talk to him and he would be there to listen. He told them that he trusted their judgment, and he hoped that they would live the rest of their life with confidence that everything happens for a reason. It

struck me as a powerful confirmation of his love, devotion, and admiration. I hope this provides the start of an outline if you should feel this is important to do for your loved ones. I’m working on a video for my wife and for each of my children, which I intend to update as the years go by. I’m hopeful that these memories will mean more to them than anything material thing I leave behind.

Easy Tuna Poke Bowl

Inspired by TheKitchn.com

This protein-packed recipe is the perfect dinner for two on a hot summer night when you don’t want to turn on the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

• • • •

2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp orange juice

• • • • •

1 scallion, finely chopped 1 cup rice, cooked and cooled

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced 10 oz canned tuna, drained 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped

1/4 cup avocado, cubed

4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

• •

1 tbsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS: 1. First, make the dressing. In a jar, add soy sauce, sesame oil, orange juice, and ginger. Secure the lid and shake until emulsified. 2. In a small bowl, empty the drained tuna and pour the dressing over top. Add the cilantro and scallions and stir until well coated. 3. Divide rice between two serving bowls. Top with the dressed tuna, avocado, tomatoes, and sesame seeds.

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INSIDE this issue

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

The Calmest Time to Be in Fort Myers........1

The Super Benefits of Yoga........................2

Do Your Estate Tax Planning Now...............2

Craig’s Tips for Meaningful Last Words. .....3

Easy Tuna Poke Bowl . ................................3

Superfoods Are Not So New....................... 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’s nothing so trendy as a new superfood or diet, and the “in vogue” ones change constantly. Older readers may remember the Atkins diets and other fads of the early 2000s, but younger ones may

3,000–5,000 years. Teff, which is technically a grass seed, was one of the first domesticated plants, emerging thousands of years ago in what is now Ethiopia. Alternate sources of protein and fiber show a similar trend. Seaweed — the perennial favorite of Twitter dieters everywhere — has been consumed in China, Korea, and Japan since before recorded history. If you know anything about recorded history in those regions, then you know that’s a long time! And kale, whose reputation precedes itself, has been cultivated since at least 2,000 B.C. in Greece, Asia Minor, and other parts of the Mediterranean. So, the next time you dig into your favorite health food, take a moment to Google what you are eating. You might be part of a long line of human beings who have turned to that food for sustenance over the millennia!

not even remember a time before the paleo diet was a thing — and it’s already almost a thing of the past. Many things we associate with these trends, though, are anything but new.

We see this most clearly with the grains we turn to in the name of health. Westerners generally wouldn’t be familiar with quinoa, amaranth, teff, or kamut if it weren’t for their presence in the hippest healthy-

eating Instagram feeds. Many of these foods hail from Africa or the Far East, so it’s understandable we don’t know them all — but there’s nothing really new about them. People in the Americas and the Old World have eaten quinoa for

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