I often hear the phrase, "I keep meaning to do this," especially when discussing essential paperwork and long-term planning. This sentiment is particularly common among those who dedicate their lives to serving others, such as healthcare workers. The story of one nurse, who worked 20 years of double shifts caring for patients at Fairview Southdale Hospital, illustrates this perfectly. She spent two decades prioritizing the lives of others, often leaving the hospital at 7:00 a.m. after only sleeping four hours, only to head back for another shift. During this time, she had built a stable life (a paid-off house, a 401k, and life insurance), but she lacked one critical element: a single document tying it all together.
She had the assets, but she didn’t have the plan.
I met her while she was taking care of my own mother in that same hospital. When she finally came into my office that morning, still in her scrubs, apologizing for the outfit because she had just gotten off a double shift, she articulated the worry shared by so many busy individuals: she felt that because she was "saving lives," the paperwork could wait. She, like many people, kept saying, "I keep meaning to do this, just after my next shift". But I had a crucial message for her: it can’t always wait. Everything she had built (her home, her retirement, her life insurance) was only one bad day away from being lost.
That morning, I told her, "Give me 15 minutes."
We initiated what I call the 15-Minute Foundation, and in that incredibly short span of time, we protected everything that mattered to her. This simple process shows that you don't need a perfect estate plan; you need one that exists. You can start by protecting the basics and refining it later.
Minutes 1–5: The Critical Three
The first five minutes of the 15-Minute Foundation focused on three critical, foundational steps. These steps ensure that if something were to happen immediately, the nurse’s wishes regarding her health and finances would be respected, and her assets would pass where she intended.
- Healthcare Directive: We immediately named her sister on her healthcare directive. This was vital because the nurse’s estranged mother may have otherwise been the default decision-maker. This designation ensures that a trusted, empathetic voice guides medical decisions when the nurse cannot speak for herself.
- Financial Power of Attorney (POA): Next, we designated her daughter as the financial power of attorney. This move granted the daughter the legal authority to handle the nurse’s financial affairs, from paying bills to accessing accounts, should she become incapacitated.
- Simple Will: Finally, we created a simple will, directing that everything she owned would be left to her daughter.
Three quick steps, five critical minutes, and the foundation was set.
Minutes 6–10: The Money Trail
The next five minutes were dedicated to reviewing what I call the money trail. It is often the case that even when people have accounts and insurance, their designated beneficiaries are outdated, incorrect, or overlooked legal changes.
We conducted a swift review of her accounts and beneficiaries to confirm that the right people were named on the right accounts.
Crucially, we updated her 401k beneficiaries, which were still listing her ex-husband. This common oversight can be devastating; if she had passed away with her ex-husband still listed, those retirement funds could have legally gone to him, despite the divorce. We corrected this error immediately. Additionally, we logged her life insurance details, noting where she had coverage and who those beneficiaries were.
Ten minutes in, we had the critical three documents secured, and we had checked and updated her critical accounts.
Minutes 11–15: The Plan
The final five minutes focused on ensuring the plan could be accessed and executed seamlessly. The best documents in the world are useless if nobody knows where to find them or how to access the necessary information.
- Password Manager: We created shared access to her password manager. In today’s digital age, the inability to access online accounts, banking, or digital assets can paralyze a family during a crisis. Providing access ensured her daughter could manage digital necessities.
- Personal Planning Essentials Checklist: We filled out a "My Personal Planning Essentials Checklist" to act as a roadmap, cataloging important information, contacts, and asset locations.
- Document Storage: Finally, we created a plan to store copies of her documents in a location where her daughter could easily find them.
In just 15 minutes, the nurse’s life was brought into order. It was simple, quick, and calm.
Protection Over Perfection
Six months later, the nurse returned to my office to complete a full, more complex estate plan, which included adding a trust and refining details. But it was that initial 15 minutes, the foundation, that truly did the heavy lifting.
The profound necessity of that initial plan became terrifyingly clear just a few weeks later. The nurse texted me, not from her shift, but from the ICU. She was there as a patient, not a nurse, recovering from emergency surgery after serious complications.
Because of those 15 minutes spent between double shifts, her daughter knew exactly what to do. She had access to everything. The daughter spoke to the doctors, handled the insurance claims, and paid the mortgage. A life-altering crisis was handled calmly and efficiently because the protection was in place.
This is the ultimate lesson: Your family needs protection more than perfection. The most expensive estate plan is not the complex one you plan to create someday; it’s the simple one that you never make time for. Start with 15 minutes, protect the basics, and you will immediately begin to feel what peace of mind really feels like.
Do You Have the 15-Minutes?
If you need help getting your 15-Minute Foundation in place or are ready for a complete estate plan, let's schedule a Legal Strategy Session online or by calling my Edina, Minnesota office at (612) 294-6982 or my New York City office at (646) 847-3560. My office will be happy to find a convenient time for us to have a phone call to review the best options and next steps for you to work with an estate planning attorney.
