Planned giving can be for everyone

I have a lot of books sitting around my house with the hope of reading them someday but know there is no possible way to read them all in my lifetime. I would have to give up every activity, hobby and project to fill them.

But one book sitting on my desk shelf emerges every few months, where I write down a thought or a note, insert another document or just check to make sure it is up to date. What book demands that much attention and requires constant commitment from its user?

“I’m Dead. Now What?”

It is a book designed to be completed while you are alive to benefit those who will have to deal with what is left when you are no longer around. I purchased the book with the hope that I would get all my affairs in order before my time on this earth comes to an end. My hope is to be organized on my deathbed because it is not likely to happen before then.

To help those who have to deal with the aftermath of your passing, it has a section to list all your assets, another section to categorize your investment and insurance policies, even a section on who is to take care of the dog. Hopefully, this has been discussed prior to when it is implemented, especially if they aren’t dog people.

While I may be one step ahead by purchasing the book, I am not that different from most people who think they have all the time in the world to get organized, to get prepared, to have a plan in place before they die.

While it isn’t fun to think about, we all have to admit that we are going to leave this earth someday. Yet, we go through our days acting like it is never going to happen.

But if we truly care about our loved ones, we should have our affairs in order. That may be having a will: a basic. It may be medical orders: great to have in place. Or it may be an estate plan - truly thinking long-term.

Let’s stop for a moment because when most people hear the words “estate plan,” they think that it is reserved for only the wealthy among us. But in reality, every single person can and should have an estate plan to benefit those around us.

And this is not something you have to do on your own. There are so many ways we can get our affairs in order for our loved ones and there are many organizations in our community which are willing to help us do it.

For example, McCook Community College and Nebraska Extension are hosting a free workshop about Farm Succession and Estate Planning on Thursday, Feb. 8 in the MCC Student Union. The Community Hospital Health Foundation is even picking up the tab for lunch so all that is asked of you is your time from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Yes, it will cost you a few hours to attend, but those hours are an investment for your family, for your heirs, for your community to make sure a plan is in place when the time comes. The workshop will offer tools and strategies to begin the planning process to hand off a farm or ranch to the next generation. Pre-registration is appreciated so there are enough supplies and food by calling MCC at 308-345-8122.

On March 20 over the lunch hour, the Nebraska Community Foundation is hosting an hour-long webinar featuring author and financial advisor Mark Weber.

As the author of “A Spectrum of Legacies,” he will discuss values-driven estate planning and help answer three questions to ask yourself when planning for after you are gone:

* How will I know when I have enough?

* How much should I leave my children?

* How will I be remembered?

Weber will share how you can align estate planning with the values you hold dear to benefit your family and your community. This event is free with registration through NCF’s website. Or McCook Philanthropy Council is hosting a watch party at McCook Christian Church and McCook Community Foundation Fund will even provide lunch. RSVP by calling or texting 308.340.3412 or on the MCFF website, mccookfoundation.org.

Will people leave either of these events with a plan in place? No, they will not.

But they will leave with resources to get the process started. They will leave with questions to ask their families about what they would like to see happen. And perhaps most importantly, they will leave inspired to get a plan in place to benefit themselves, their family and their community.