Title: |
Money, Wellness, Estate Planning and Planned Giving | ||
Author: |
Betty Franklin, RN | Section: |
General Wellness |
Submitted: |
November 2006 | Expertise base on: |
Experience |
Money is one of the central issues of all our lives. Money was originally invented to facilitate the sharing and exchanging of goods and services between individuals and groups of people. In today's culture the power we give money out weighs its original purpose.
The power of money can, however, be truly amazing. If placed in the right hands money can help, it can heal and it can create great value for ourselves and others. Instead of looking at money as a "tool" to acquire the needs of our existence, we relate to money as a power to be reckoned with. What we need to learn is how to use "the tool of money" wisely. We need to learn to manage ourselves and the decisions we make in regards to the money we have. When we have the knowledge of how to use this "tool" wisely, we can then manage our financial priorities more constructively and efficiently and in return do amazing things with the finances we acquire.
Just as health and fitness govern our physical lives, money and finances affect our economic lives as well as our health. Much of our earlier conditioning and environment affects our attitude toward money. 90% of people grow up doing what their parents did financially.
As I promote balanced healthy living in my business, through the "Six F's of Wellness" - Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Finance and Fun, many ask what finances have to do with wellness and health. They may also wonder what an RN, a Registered Nurse, is doing talking about finances.
Financial concerns bring stress and pressure, which in turn can affect our health. Who do you know who has been laid off from their job and then been unable to find work; injured themselves at work and then struggled to receive money from Workman's Compensation or a Long Term Disability program; lost money in stocks and/or mutual funds; lost a spouse to an accident or illness and had insufficient insurance coverage to live the life they have become accustomed to; suffered a marriage or relationship break-up with a resulting decrease in their standard of living for themselves and for their children?
Think how the level of emotional pain from these circumstances resulted in some form of physical pain or illness - depression, anxiety, back pains, headache, stomach upsets, heart attacks, suicide attempts - the list goes on.
Our lives are an expression of who we are, our responses to life and it's challenges show people, show our children, our spouse, our friends, our peers, our world what we are and what we stand for, they are an expression of our character.
The legacy of our life, that we leave behind may be considered the material wealth, possessions, or property we have. But truly our real legacy is our life, our influence, and our impact. We are building a legacy of our life right now, and we continue to do so every day that we are alive.
Estate Planning is a tangible way of looking at our life or legacy - our relationships, our possessions and our finances. It may require a mental shift, a change of attitude or thinking to go through the process well. It is a time spent reviewing our life, as we consider how to use our money and possessions wisely to give to our family, others and to give to the greater good.
In Estate Planning, many people consider giving a gift to a charitable organization. This "Planned Giving", as it is referred to, is not about the charity the gifts are given to, it is about the individual. The gift speaks from a person's heart. It is made with the assets that have taken a life time to build. In giving to a charitable organization a person makes a statement about their belief in an organization, in a cause. It is a personal and sensitive matter. It is something anyone can do. One does not need to be "rich" to give a substantial gift to a charity. There are many "Ordinary People" who are making "Extraordinary Differences" through a variety of Planned Giving options.
In donating a gift to a charitable organization many things can be accomplished. The gift can feed a communities hungry, shelter its homeless, educate children, mentor youth, sustain the arts, care for the elderly and those in need, house stray animals and more.
When a person gives it can offer a number of health benefits, both tangible and intangible. The joy one feels when they truly give from the heart can enhance their circulation and respirations, suppress stress-related hormones in their brain, activate the immune system, put a smile on their face and a skip in their beat. It can give them those "warm and fuzzy" feelings that we cannot put a price or financial value to. It becomes a gift that gives back.
In the process of Estate Planning and giving a Planned Gift to one or more charities, people are able to review their good fortune in life, they can reflect on how productive their lives have been. This process shows that despite challenges in life, there has been a purpose. After they have completed the process many individuals feel relief, gratitude and a letting go of things. They find they are better able to enjoy the rest of their life and time spent with loved ones.
Our lives and the legacy we leave behind is not a matter of how big or small, how good or bad our lives are, or how rich or poor we are, but it is ultimately about how we feel about what we do. The way we live our life, the impact we have on others, on our family, our friends, our business associates or for that matter the rest of humanity impacts others, it does make a difference.
