Charlie ‘kept his cards close to the chest.’
He was a husband, father of three grown children, and a business owner.
Then he received a diagnosis and was given a very short time to live.
He had NO PLANS for succession or even someone who could step in and figure out how to take over the leadership of his business.
He had TOLD NO ONE where the important documents were located such as insurance or life insurance policies.
NO ONE knew how to get into bank accounts or even which financial institutions had accounts of his.
He paid all the bills. NO ONE even knew how to get into his bill-pay systems to make sure that the bills continued to be paid on time.
A lifelong friend and fellow business owner came to visit him and offered to step in with the business to keep it running for him until it could be sold to the benefit of his wife and family.
He refused.
He was convinced that his health was fine and that he would not need anyone to step in for him.
He had NO Advanced Directives to guide his family and healthcare team on the levels of care he wanted to receive.
He had authorized NO ONE to speak for him with the doctors making decisions about his treatment.
He died two days later.
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There are so many important decisions and steps owners could take now to prevent this sort of chaos for their family.
Do this while it is not emotional. There is no crisis. Everyone is able to approach it with cool heads.
Step ONE you could share with owner clients – exchange responsibilities for at least a week, a month is better with their spouse or closest person. Trade bill paying, cooking, lawn care, grocery shopping, and whatever other tasks tend to be accomplished by just one person.
