Becoming a parent is the ultimate step into adulthood.  It simply doesn’t get more real than that, does it? That little face looking up at you makes you realize that life isn’t just about you anymore.

Suddenly, you are responsible for the well-being and care of a little person who is totally reliant on you.  And in some ways, this new “mini-you” that has come into the world makes you feel immortal.

On the flip side though is the lurking thought “what will happen to mini-me if something happens?”  If you are like most people (69%), you push away the thought because it’s too scary to contemplate your child being raised by anyone besides you.

But, here’s the thing … if you aren’t willing to take the time and invest the energy in setting things up for your little one (and her mom) the right way, you will leave your family with a world of hurt if something happens to you.

The good news is that setting things up the right way and doing the right thing by your family doesn’t have to be as painful as you think it will be.  If you are in the know about what you need and how to get it taken care of, getting your personal affairs in order can even be downright enlightening.

Let’s start with the bare minimum of what every dad needs to have in place to make life as easy for his kids and their mom if anything happens.

Click here to continue reading ‘The Five Legal Documents Every Parent Needs and How to Make Sure They Don’t Fail”

It’s my passion to study the thought and business leaders who have achieved great success in this world. The more I study, the more I’m convinced that a spirit of excellence is the common denominator in creating a legacy that lasts for generations to come.

Take a moment and think about the following quotes:

• Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.- Steve Jobs
• Excellence always sells.- Earl Nightingale
• Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle
• If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude. - Colin Powell
• The noblest search is the search for excellence. - Lyndon B. Johnson

Having knowledge or a bunch of letters behind your name will only get you so far.  What works wonders in your business is the transformational power you’ll acquire when you integrate excellence into every element of your life and your business.

So what does this look like and how do you do it?  Try any one or more of these:

1. Give 1000% effort to everything you do-even when it feels like no one is paying attention or your work is unappreciated.
2. Pay attention to the little details that will create a wow experience for everyone who comes into contact with your business.
3. Go beyond just “doing your best” and instead  are constantly striving to do things better.
4. If there is a problem with a customer or client, don’t get defensive, but instead validate the other persons concerns do whatever it takes to make it right-even if it costs you time and money in the process.
5. Make sure your office space is clean and looks the best it possibly can, whether you see one client each day or 1,000.

Before you know it, you will notice that people begin to treat you better, more starts to happen in your business and most of all, you will feel great about what you offer to the world.

Your services will be unshoppable as customers realize the value of your business over the local competition.   Nor will people hesitate, or be afraid to do business with you because they know you’ll stand behind their satisfaction, even if that means giving a full refund or stepping in personally to ensure the job is done right.

Not to mention the word-of-mouth buzz you’ll develop for being a person or a business of excellence will take you further than any traditional marketing campaign ever could!

So I encourage you to evaluate where you are compromising and accepting less than excellence in your business and life.

Make a commitment to step up your game in this area-no matter what the cost.  If you do, I promise you’ll be blown away at the growth and satisfaction you experience as a result.

Another story of failed legal planning hit the news this week, as a single mother from California died during the birth of her fourth child leaving behind four little ones and no guardianship directives.

To complicate things further, the father of these children is not (and has never been) in the picture to claim responsibility. So fearing the kids would end up separated in the state welfare system, a neighbor (who also has six children of her own), stepped up to the plate. And thankfully the Los Angeles community has stepped up to the plate by donating diapers, clothing, food, etc. for the now mother of 10.

But in most cases, stories like this one don’t have such a happy ending. The sad reality is that children are placed in situations their parents would’ve never have dreamed possible because they didn’t take the time to plan ahead in the case of their unexpected death or incapacity.

Let this be a wakeup call for you.

There are three simple things that could have been done differently to ensure these kids were taken care of upon their mother’s passing. And if you have little ones at home counting on you, I urge you take these steps now to ensure a legacy-and not regrets-are what you leave behind:

1. Get a Term Life Insurance Policy- For a small amount of money each month, this mother of three with a fourth on the way could have been paying for a life insurance policy so that her children were provided for financially should something happen to her (especially knowing that their father was not in the picture and would not contribute to their care financially). Because she did not have life insurance in place, her children are now forced to rely on handouts and charitable donations from neighbors until they are old enough to support themselves.

2. Name Short-Term and Long-Term Guardians- While this story “seems” to have a happy ending with the neighbor stepping up to raise the four children and keep them all together, will she really be able to manage raising ten children? Maybe there was another friend or a family member who would have raised these kids EXACTLY as their mom would have wanted, but we’ll never know because she didn’t document her choices for her kids’ care.

3. Create a Legacy of Non-Tangible Assets- This mother unexpectedly died during childbirth. Because of this, her newborn baby will never hear the sound of her voice or know firsthand what her mother’s values were or how she would have guided her about things like spirit, money, discipline, education, sex, or health care. As parents, even if you don’t have any money to leave behind, you can leave your children a gift of your values - who you are and what’s important to you. You can do that for free by writing letters or recording a CD for your children. If you work with a Personal Family Lawyer®, this is just part of the legal planning process and becomes a gift that is far greater than all the money in the world.

Ideally, the best way to ensure the well-being and care of your family is to meet with a Personal Family Lawyer®-but if that’s not feasible for you at the moment because of time or financial constraints or because there isn’t one in your neighborhood, I’ve given you steps you can take in the interim. My number one suggestion is to grab a Kids Protection Planning Kit and a digital recorder or a video recorder. The Kids Protection Planning Kit will walk you through the legal documentation process and even has forms you can complete to leave instructions to your guardian. But, even better than writing them out, speak them. Leave your kids an audio or video message from you - that’s truly priceless.

Regardless of how you chose to go about it, take the time to get your affairs in order while there’s still time-ESPECIALLY if you have young kids depending on you at home. It’s the only way to leave behind a real legacy-instead of regrets-at the end of your life.

Take a quick inventory of your wallet.  How much of your “wealth” is in there?

If you’re like most people, you have a few credit cards, a small amount of cash and your driver’s license.

But what about wealth as it relates to your kids, your pets and keeping everyone in your family safe and secure if you are in an accident?  Is that covered in your wallet?

It should be.

This isn’t a trick question and the solution to protecting your “wealth” as it relates to your loved ones is so much easier than you think.

Essentially, you must carry a card in your wallet that gives medical or emergency personnel instructions about the children, pets or other dependents waiting for you at home and who to call in the event of an emergency in which you cannot communicate.

Let me give you an example so this is crystal clear.

You go out to run errands and leave your children at home with their teenage babysitter.  On the way home, there’s a car accident and you cannot communicate.  Based on your wallet, the police have just enough information to ID you, but they have no idea you left your little ones at home with a babysitter and their father is out-of-town on business.

After a few hours, the babysitter begins to worry. She calls her own mother for advice—who suggests calling the police because you haven’t come home yet.  The police arrive and confirm that yes, you’ve been in an accident and asks the babysitter if she knows anyone in your family who could come be with the children.

But, your babysitter only knows your neighbors.  And the authorities won’t leave your children with the neighbors because there isn’t any written authorization from you to do so.  Instead, they call in social services to figure out what to do.

By now your kids are very scared, upset and have been put through hours of unnecessary worry because there weren’t proper directions left for them to be cared for by someone you know and trust in the event of an emergency.

Is this what would happen if you were in an accident?

Or maybe you don’t have children at home, but you do have pets that you consider your babies.  If you’re in an accident, are there clear instructions in your wallet that describe your pets and who should care for them in case of an emergency?  If not and you are in an accident, your pets could remain alone and uncared for because no one knows they are there waiting for you.

All of this is so easy to prevent.

Take a few minutes and put a card in your wallet that tells emergency personnel how to care for your family members should something happen to you. It doesn’t need to be fancy—but it should be just enough to protect your most important and valuable “wealth” in the event of an unexpected emergency so strangers are not making decisions on your behalf.

And don’t forget that we have a great and affordable resource if you need help putting a “legal bubble” around your loved ones.  For this week only, our Kids Protection Planning Kit (which also contains personalized cards for your wallet and medical power of attorneys) are 75% off for your convenience.  For more information or to order the kit, go to http://www.kidsprotectionplan.com/specialoffer