Sommers Law Group Newsletter
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March 2024: Meet Lenore
March is National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month and estate planning might not seem directly related, but they both contribute to overall well-being and ensure a healthy future. Here’s how they can be connected:
- Health and Longevity: National Nutrition Month emphasizes the importance of healthy eating habits for overall health and longevity. Estate planning also focuses on securing the future, including healthcare directives and provisions for long-term care. A well-rounded estate plan might include provisions for healthcare proxies, living wills, and instructions for end-of-life care, ensuring that your health needs are addressed even if you cannot express them yourself.
- Financial Health: Proper nutrition is essential for physical health, but financial health is equally important for overall well-being. Estate planning involves making decisions about your assets, including investments, real estate, and retirement accounts. By ensuring your financial affairs are in order through estate planning, you can provide for yourself and your loved ones, including covering healthcare costs and maintaining a certain standard of living.
- Legacy Planning: National Nutrition Month promotes healthy habits that can be passed down through generations. Similarly, estate planning allows you to establish a legacy by determining how your assets will be distributed among heirs or charitable organizations. This includes considerations such as setting up trusts for education or healthcare expenses, charitable giving, and passing down family heirlooms or traditions.
- Quality of Life: Both National Nutrition Month and estate planning ultimately aim to improve quality of life. A nutritious diet supports physical and mental well-being, while estate planning ensures that your wishes are carried out and your loved ones are provided for in the best possible way. This can include considerations for guardianship of minor children, providing for family members with special needs, or minimizing estate taxes to maximize the inheritance for beneficiaries.
In summary, while National Nutrition Month promotes healthy eating habits, estate planning addresses the broader aspects of securing your future, including health care, finances, legacy planning, and overall quality of life. Both are essential components of a comprehensive approach to personal well-being and preparing for the future.
Meet our Staff – Lenore Gawf
Hello, I’m Lenore Gawf, a seasoned paralegal specializing in Estate & Trust Administration with Sommers Law Group. With over 12 years of experience in the field, I bring a wealth of knowledge to every case I handle.
Outside of the office, you’ll often find me enjoying time with my dogs or attending sporting events. I have a passion for cultural experiences, whether it’s visiting museums, attending the ballet, or tapping my toes to the sounds of country music. I also love traveling, particularly to Europe, whenever I have the opportunity. Whether I’m exploring a museum abroad or curling up with my German Shepherds by the fire while watching a movie, I find that these experiences bring joy and fulfillment to both my personal and professional life.
In my role, I guide clients through the complexities of estate and trust administration. My attention to detail and commitment to providing compassionate client care are hallmarks of my approach. I believe in making a meaningful difference in the lives of those I serve, embodying the core values of our firm.
Wishing all our readers a wonderful 2024 filled with prosperity, joy, and success.
Recipe of the Month – From Lenore Gawf
Here’s my husband Brian’s favorite pie, I’ve made for him for more than 20 years. This Fresh Blueberry Cream Pie comes with a warning label, “it may lead to a loss of productivity for the rest of the day”.
February 2024: We Love Our Pets
Estate Planning Should Include Provisions for Pets
What would happen to your pets if something happened to you? For your pet’s sake, it’s a question you ought to be asking now.
As an estate planning attorney, I am in the business of helping people think about a lot of things they’d probably rather not. Not only do I only practice law in the area of estate planning, I am one of the few attorneys in our country that is well-versed in planning for pets.
Too often people forget to include their pets in their estate plan, and it is seldom that the attorney preparing the estate plans ever raise the issue. However, even those who do make some arrangements often handle the situation in ways that aren’t legal or don’t work well, such as leaving money to a pet (you can’t), or making an inheritance conditional on the death of a pet (which too often speeds up the process, sometimes by years).
So what works? No two people are the same and neither are their estate plans. However, the following should give you a general idea about what you should discuss with your estate planning attorney when providing for your pets.
Power of Attorney
At a minimum, every pet owner should have some form of “durable power of attorney” ready; designating someone to make immediate decisions for your pet should you become incapacitated by illness or accident.
Pet Trusts
Colorado is one of several states that recognize pet trusts through its statutes. This allows the pet to be given to a person and permits funds for the animal’s care to be held by Trustee. The trust should have provisions for the care and maintenance of one or more companion animals if the owner becomes incapacitated or dies.
A comprehensive plan should include the provision of a Pet Guardian (a caregiver for your pet during your disability or upon your death) and a Pet Trustee (the person who ensures that the financial needs of your pet are met).
The selection of the Pet Guardian and Pet Trustee is perhaps the most important responsibility of the pet owner. That person can be a friend, relative, sanctuary, or other reliable person you feel confident will put the well-being of your pet first.
The Pet Guardian and the Pet Trustee should not be the same person, to avoid any possible conflict of interest and to help ensure that the pet is cared for according to your detailed instructions.
It is also important to consider the costs that will be involved for the care of your pet. Those costs include food, veterinary expenses, medications, emergency care, and, burial or cremation fees.
The residual of any such fund be left to charity to remove any financial temptation from the arrangement.
Your best bet is to talk about this subject beforehand with friends and family, make arrangements in advance and keep them current. Never assume your family will take your pet. Make sure you have found a willing adopter and that the details you’ve arranged are known. Also, talk to your attorney about how to structure any money you leave for care.
Nobody likes to think about these issues, but if you don’t look out for your pet, chances are no one will.
Meet our Staff – Madison Johnson
I am thrilled to take a moment to introduce myself to all of you through this newsletter. My name is Madison Johnson, I am the Client Relations Director here at Sommers Law Group, I have been with Sommers Law Group for a little over two and a half years. I am dedicated to providing exceptional service and care to all clients.
In my journey thus far, I have had the privilege of meeting many clients and dedicating myself to the most exceptional service and experience. Sommers Law Group has not only shaped my professional trajectory but has also reinforced my belief in the power of collaboration and continuous learning.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I love camping with my dog Willow. I am a track and softball coach at Chatfield Senior High School. I had the pleasure of being a part of the 2023 5A Girls Softball State Championship team. I also very much enjoy spending time with family and friends. Whether it’s reading, coaching, or family, I find that these pursuits not only provide me with relaxation and joy but also inspire creativity and new perspectives that I bring to my professional endeavors.
I am eager to connect with each of you, learn from your diverse experiences, and contribute in any way I can to our collective success. I am genuinely excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the opportunity to work together to make a positive impact.
Thank you for welcoming me into the Sommers Law Group Family, and I look forward to getting to know each of you!
National Love Your Pet Day
National Love Your Pet Day was celebrated on February 20th. This is a day for all those pet lovers to show their love for their best friends.
Below are some of the Sommers Law Group Pets.
Quote of the Month
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” — Pablo Picasso
Recipe of the Month
German Chocolate Fudge and Denver Sheet Cake
Passed down from Madison’s Great Grandma
January 2024 : WE ARE BACK!
Are you feeling bogged down in a swamp of clutter, deadlines, and incomplete tasks? As we begin the New Year, do a few simple things that will increase your productivity and peace of mind for 2024.
Clean Up Your Technology
Just as you regularly clean your home, your technology should be decluttered to help it—and you—function more efficiently. It may seem tedious, but you can listen to your favorite tune or watch an old movie while you quickly refresh your technology.
- If your voice mailbox is nearing capacity, take a few seconds to delete old messages.
- Review your email inbox: reply when necessary, and delete or archive old messages. If your inbox is full of promotional emails, unsubscribe from them to permanently reduce the clutter.
- Sort through your cell phone apps so that only the apps you need remain.
- Clean up your computer: delete unnecessary files or move old files you want to keep to an external drive.
- Update your Facebook profile (and other social media accounts): review privacy settings, remove access to third-party websites and applications you do not use, review your friends and followers to ensure you still want them to see the content you share, and look at groups you joined to see if there are any you are no longer interested in.
- Physically wipe down your mouse, phone, and other devices with an electronics-friendly spray and wipe. These devices can harbor an astounding amount of germs.
Care for Your Legacy
Often, things we consider to be urgent take precedence in our schedules, and equally important personal tasks can be pushed aside.
- Call an old friend you have been meaning to contact. Reconnecting with important people in our lives can be one of the most energizing things we can do for ourselves.
- Ensure your estate planning documents are up to date and accurately reflect your wishes. Make sure that you have named people you trust to make your medical, legal, and financial decisions in the event of your incapacity or death.
- Compile and organize the information and documents that your decision-makers will need if something happens to you. This is a reminder for our clients to review their Estate Planning Binder.
Consider making your New Year’s Resolution to complete and/or update your estate plan. We are happy to help you accomplish your New Year’s Resolution! Call us at 303-984-9900 to schedule a FREE initial consultation to review your estate plan.
Happy New Years and Update From Linda Sommers
Happy New Year! We hope you had a great holiday season! We wish you a peaceful and prosperous 2024!
In 2023, there were exciting changes for Sommers Law Group and me personally. Haley, a critical team member at Sommers Law Group (and my youngest daughter), left the firm to begin her first year in law school at the University of Utah. As Haley begins her law school career, her sister (my oldest daughter), Mandy, is completing her final year of law school at the University of Wyoming. To say that I am proud of them both is an understatement.
This holiday season was extraordinary as both girls came home for the holidays. We could relax and spend much-needed time together, the three of us under one roof!
In 2023, I celebrated 30 years of being an attorney; for 27 years, I have served as an attorney at Sommers Law Group. Thank you to all the wonderful family, friends, clients, and professionals who have supported me in this endeavor.
In this newsletter, I share a family recipe for cinnamon rolls passed down for several generations. Christmas and Easter each year, I prepare these cinnamon rolls from scratch for our family. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Special Thanks
One of the many ways that our clients have helped our firm over the years is by referring us to their friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and other loved ones. We have always taken the time to express our sincerest form of gratitude for allowing us the opportunity to help your referrals with their own estate planning.
If you have someone that we can help, it’s easy to refer them. Just forward along this newsletter to them or invite them to call our office!
Quote of the Month
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Recipe of the Month
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls: Passed Down through Linda’s Family