Friday, January 8, 2010

Goal # 2: Legal Documents

Death is rarely welcome… Unfortunately I’ve experienced a number of untimely deaths already. A few friends passed away in high school and my mother past away a few years ago, only in her 40s. My experiences have taught me that death can happen at any time – there is no guarantee that we will have the opportunity to enjoy old age.

Taking this into consideration, my relatively new marriage status, and a recently purchased property, I have been meaning to drag Mr. Bartender and myself to an Estate Attorney for a while now. I’m happy to say, earlier this week, we did just that!


Through experience with my mother’s estate and after a thorough reading of “Why Wills Won’t Work” (http://whywillswontwork.com/) I knew that I preferred a trust to avoid probate and allow a smooth transition of our assets to our beneficiaries in the case of our deaths. Questions we pondered included:


- Do we have the proper amounts of life insurance, AD&D insurance, and liability coverage for our cars and property?
- What are our current assets?
- Do we want to leave all of our assets to each other should only one of us die? Or do we want to distribute them to other people as well?
- Where do we want our assets to go should both of us die?


I know the process can seem daunting and depressing, but our attorney seems very pleasant and really broke it down very simply. The goal for us was to create a strong legal foundation so that as our assets accumulate through life and our family expands, changes can be made simply and quickly.

If anyone needs a good Estate Attorney in Chicago, I’ll be happy to refer ours.

Goal # 1: Going "Plant Strong"

A few weeks ago I learned that my blood pressure is a bit high. I knew the day would come, but I must say I was surprised it came so soon. I was raised with good eating habits (no fried foods or salt), I work out regularly (3-4 days a week) and I don’t drink too much (3-5 drinks a week). Though I like my sweets, I have a pretty healthy lifestyle compared to the average American.

Problem #1: no one should compare themselves to the “average American” when gauging their health. We’re a country of tubbies.
Problem #2: genetics. Both sides of my family are plagued with weight problems, diabetes, heart conditions, alcoholism, etc.


A friend at work told me about the Engine 2 Diet: a 28-day plan that promotes a “plant strong”, essentially vegan eating program. Unlimited amounts of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes; cut out all meats, oils, dairy, and processed foods. I must admit, I shed a little tear when I thought about not eating cheese, but I committed to the plan for the 28 days.


Though I may incorporate some low-fat cheese and margarine back into my diet after the 28 days, ultimately I'm looking at this as a lifestyle change. The book provides a number of recipes and approved foods, as well as online resources. The hardest part has been adjusting my palette and learning more healthy cooking skills/recipes. I'll follow up in a few weeks for an update.