There are a few books that have truly shaped the world as we know it. First there’s the Bible, the book that defines Christianity and life-change. Billions of people have lived their lives according to its text. Then there is the Magna Carta. Written in 1215, it is one of the key moments in the history of democracy. For Americans, the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, is often credited with being the work that pushed the colonies to declare their independence from Britain. Don’t forget the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, which defined what we now know as free market economics.
When you read something great, it can change your life—and the reason is simple: Words are powerful. In fact, they are more powerful than the most deadly weapons of force.
Why, then, would you not take the time to plan out a powerful ending to your own story? Why would you ever want your heirs to guess what your story was all about? The decisions you make today will affect how your story is told, and those decisions can also change the lives of your heirs…. for generations.
The enemy of tax-efficient estate planning is not the IRS, but procrastination. Procrastination is also the enemy of happy endings since the beginning of time. If you want to have a say in your own story, the day for action is right now. As the saying goes, “You have only today, you aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.”
Don’t promise yourself that you’ll get to the business of planning tomorrow. You could do that. But imagine if Thomas Paine had postponed. Imagine if Adam Smith had waited just a little too late to publish his groundbreaking work. The day for action is right now. Tomorrow may seem a long way into the future. And perhaps it is… or maybe not.
Wealth is more than money. Don’t just plan for your future, live it right now. Pass it on and share the insights like this that you find valuable.