– Rev. Lynn Benson – Director of Legacy Giving, UMF
With less than a month and a half before 2022 draws to a close, to what might you and I give some thought?
I recently read an article on just this topic and I thought it worth sharing. Roger Whitney, CFP, CIMA, CPWA, RMA, AIF (all those letters behind his name reveal lots of financial training) publishes a weekly newsletter entitled, 6-Shot Saturday. Whitney, also known for his podcast, The Retirement Answer Man, often reviews listener questions from that week’s podcast, etc. in this Saturday newsletter and always ends with a challenge, what he calls a SMART Sprint (yes, Roger likes running, biking, etc.) It is from a SMART Sprint challenge that I came across this question, What Should I Consider Before the End of the Year?
Being faithful Christians includes being good stewards of all God has entrusted to our care. This includes our time, our talents, our relationships, our health….all of it is gift from God, which we are to take care of, to manage, or to steward the way God would have us do it. This time of year offers us some particular challenges as so many decisions for next year need to be made now. Roger offers six categories of things to think about now as we close out 2022. His list includes important topics from tax planning to estate planning and everything in between. It is such a good list that I am including a link so that you can look over it yourself. Click here for What Should I Consider Before the End of the Year?
Speaking of estate planning, did you know that part of the free services we offer at UMF is helping churches help their folks with estate planning? Wills and Estate Workshops are a wonderful way to help your folks consider their faithful stewardship not only in life, but also in death. A Last Will and Testament is a legal document that communicates a person’s final wishes pertaining to their assets. It provides specific instruction about what to do with their possessions. It will indicate whether the deceased leaves them to a person, a group, or wishes to donate them to charity. A will can also handle matters involving dependents, the management of accounts, and financial interests. It’s an IMPORTANT document but we are told that only 50% of our folks have up-to-date wills. Laws change, taxes change… all things that can impact our estate planning.
Make 2023 the year you get your will done (or updated). I welcome an invitation to come to your church and lead a Wills and Estate Planning Workshop to help others get theirs completed as well. Contact me today and let’s get this on our calendars for early 2023. I can be reached at: lbenson@umfnc.org