“What-if” Planning Blog
Essential End-of-Life Planning Tips for Military Families: Preparing for the 'What-If'
A recent visit to the Normandy American Cemetery in France reminded us of the importance of preparation, especially for military families and veterans. In this post, we share practical steps—from accessing benefits to covering key areas of financial, legal, emotional, and household readiness—so military families can face ‘what-if’ moments with confidence and care.
Spooky Consequences of Not Having an End-of-Life Plan
While Halloween is all about ghosts and ghouls, the real scares often come from things left undone—like end-of-life planning. Without a plan, you risk leaving your family with unanswered questions, costly delays, and lifelong uncertainty. From “Lost Control from Beyond” to “Family Hauntings,” the consequences can be chilling. Now is the time to consider not only your own end-of-life needs but also how to support your spouse or partner in the event of the unexpected.
Don’t leave loved ones with a haunting legacy. Discover simple steps to start planning today.
Top Myths and Mistakes of Advance Directives
Think your loved ones will automatically know your healthcare wishes? Not so fast. Discover common misconceptions and mistakes people make when it comes to advance directives and how you can avoid them.
In this blog, I share the emotional story of my wife Kris and the regrets I carry. Don’t leave your family guessing—start the conversation today.
Life’s Last To-Do List: Communicating End-of-Life Plans with Your Children
Once you’ve created your end-of-life plans, it’s important to inform your children.
Top 10 Reasons Every Stay-At-Home Parent Must Take Charge of the Family’s End-of-Life Plan
The top 10 reasons every stay-at-home parent should make sure their family has a what-if-the-breadwinning-partner-doesn’t-make-it-home-tonight plan.
Top 10 Resources and Tips to Keep Your Tribe In the Know: Mastering updates on your loved one’s illness
When a loved one faces a life-altering diagnosis, the burning question on everyone's mind is, 'How can we help?' Discover 10 powerful tips and resources to keep family and friends updated on the journey towards healing.
What He Didn’t Say Before Dying is Breaking our Hearts: Talking about dating and remarriage before one of you dies
Of all the conversations to have with your spouse as you prepare your end-of-life plans and wishes, the topic of remarriage may be the trickiest. And the unfortunate challenge is that you may not know the difficulty of that conversation until one of you faces life without the other.
Cemetery Selection Guide for Families
If your end-of-life plans involve a burial, cemetery selection can be one of the hardest decision-making processes you go through. There are many factors to consider when choosing the right cemetery for you and/or your loved ones and it can be a stressful process.
How Hurricanes Answer the Question, “Should I Have an End-of-Life Plan?”
Tropical storm Hilary hitting California is a reminder that disasters can strike anywhere at any time. It should also serve as motivation to have our affairs in order through end-of-life planning to protect family members from unnecessary hardships when an accident or illness impacts your family.
What is the Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice?
What is the difference between palliative care and hospice? These two terms are often misunderstood and used interchangeably. In this week’s blog we describe the difference as they may come up when you complete your advanced directive and living will.
How Do You Explain Death to Children?
Explaining death to children is a difficult, but important, task. In this week’s blog post we’ve included links to articles written by professionals who offer great advice and counsel about how to talk to kids about death and prepare them for loss, as well as how to support children who are grieving now.
The Great Family Council
One of the most important steps in end-of-life planning is to communicate your wishes with the family. Sharing your plans helps ensure that they are conducted according to your desires and helps eliminate family squabbles over post-mortem activities.