November is officially here. Halloween is over. The leaves are falling from the trees. That morning dew has turned into morning frost. And 2020 is now firmly on the horizon…
Remember 2009? It seems so long ago. I had no children, my beloved Yankees had just won the World Series, and I was miserably plugging along working for someone who by then had totally lost my respect. If I went back in time and told my 2009 self where I would be at this time in 2019, I am not sure I would have believed it. But here we are, facing the dawn of the 2020’s decade.
Business Planning
Whether you’ve started your own business or are still considering doing it, I’m sure you are in a very different place than you were 10 years ago. We’ve seen technology advance seemingly light years ahead. If you’ve saved a copy of your company’s website from 2009, I’m sure it’s a far cry from what it looks like in 2019. The smartphones in our pockets are probably as powerful (if not more powerful) than our desktop computers were.
So as 2020 is upon us, where will your business be in 2029? If you have a brick and mortar retail shop, how does your online presence look? Are there growth opportunities for you on social media? Can you add more e-commerce to your website? Maybe now’s the time to launch an app for your company? These are just a few high-level goals that you could add to your business. The 2030’s seems so far off now, but having a strong 10-year plan could be just what you need to start the 2020’s off and running.
Estate Planning
I co-presented on this topic earlier this week. One of the first questions is
What is estate planning?
We use the term so frequently that we forget that it’s not what most people encounter. Estate Planning is a fancier term for your will and the documents that go with it. Each person’s estate plan is unique to them. What your neighbor has chosen for them is not necessarily the right choice for you. So just copying what they have can be dangerous.
With the dawning of the 2020s, now is a good time (although really, anytime is a good time) to review your estate plan. Especially if your estate plan was created or last updated in the 2000s, a review of what you’ve created and whether it is even relevant to your life in 2019 is a good use of your time. Most estate planning attorneys will happily sit down with you and review your current documents.
I also recommend to my clients that they work with a financial advisor. Your financial advisor should be checking in with you before the end of the year. If for some reason they don’t, you may want to consider looking elsewhere. A good financial advisor will be responsive and want to do a year-end (and decade end) review of your finances. If you don’t have a financial advisor and don’t want to just pick one randomly online, email me and I can give you some names.
Next Steps
It’s time to do some business and estate planning before the start of the next decade. If you’d like to get a head start, call my office to set up a legal strategy session and we can review the best options for you – (877) AMAYERS.
