7 Powerful Estate Planning Lessons From a Rare Southern Snowfall
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On January 21, 2025, New Orleans metropolitan area residents awoke to a rare and beautiful sight: snowfall blanketing entire neighborhoods. For many, it was a delightful surprise. People put on their sturdiest southern winter attire and went outside to observe this rare weather event. Next door neighbors were outside laughing and throwing snowballs, while others were walking up and down the street to take in the sight of thick layers of snow covering sidewalks, driveways, cars, and lawns that are usually still slightly green, even in January. The wind blowing across rooftops sent snow flurries swirling into the air before gently landing on evergreen trees and bushes. It was truly a rare sight.
My mother’s favorite time of year was winter. She was a southern woman who longed to see an enormous amount of snow. On that day, also the anniversary of my brother’s death, I missed my mother more than ever. She would have absolutely loved seeing that much snow covering the front and back lawns of her home. I imagined her sitting in the doorway overlooking the patio all day long, wrapped in the birthstone blanket I crocheted for her 70th birthday. The insulated storm door would have also shielded her from the cold as she watched the snow flurries create a beautiful thick winter white blanket across the backyard.
This rare snowfall serves as a reminder of how life can throw unexpected challenges our way. It was all expected to be over in a day or so, but four days later, the snow still lingered on the ground and the nighttime temperatures were below freezing, making it unsafe to resume normal travel activities. Most people were unable to get to work and businesses were unable to reopen. Similarly, the initial impact of a sudden illness or death on your family can linger far longer than expected.
Just as no one anticipates a snowstorm in an area known for its warm, humid climate, no one anticipates that sooner than later they will face a medical emergency, long-term illness, or sudden death, so they put off planning for these unexpected challenges.
What Estate Planning Has in Common With a Rare Southern Snowfall
If you live in the south, you are already familiar with preparing for a storm. Think of creating an estate plan like preparing for life’s “snowstorms.” Just as snow in southern Louisiana is rare and can catch residents off guard, so too can life’s inevitable challenges. Both require foresight and being ready for events that can disrupt the normal patterns of life. Preparation is the key to feeling calm, confident, and safe, no matter how rare the occurrence.
When you create an estate plan, you set your family up much like a city that develops contingency plans for rare weather events. You ensure that there is a clear written plan for how your assets will be managed and distributed, minimizing potential problems for your loved ones and reducing anxiety, fear, and stress at an already difficult time. Just as you’d make sure to have warm clothing, emergency supplies, and a plan for unexpected road conditions, an estate plan consists of essential tools like powers of attorney and a will, or even a trust, to guide decisions and maintain stability during life’s most challenging times.
Unprecedented snowfall in the south also creates hazards that require sufficient preparation for such extreme weather. Similarly, without a proper estate plan, your family may face legal and financial complications at a time they can least afford to do so. An estate plan also helps protect your family’s financial well-being by preserving property, reducing the burden of the succession process, minimizing taxes (for large estates), and ensuring your loved ones can access your financial assets without significant delays. And by taking steps now to plan for mental or physical incapacity and death, you create a safety net that ensures your wishes are honored and your family is protected.
Cities in the south rarely experience snowfall, so when it happens, they may not be fully equipped to handle it. Roads freeze over, public transportation halts, and daily routines are disrupted. The metropolitan area literally shuts down. Life as we know it stands still for a few days. If we are unprepared, we are in the same situation: ill-equipped to handle life’s inevitable challenges, shaken and uncertain about our family’s future.
An Estate Plan Serves as Your Family’s “Emergency Kit”
Estate planning ensures you’re ready for those moments. By drafting powers of attorney and a will, and even setting up a trust, you create a written plan to protect your family and assets, regardless of life’s surprises. Preparing for the unexpected and taking proactive steps can go a long way in reducing uncertainty, anxiety, fear and stress for yourself and your loved ones.
When a snowstorm hits, you need essentials like food, water, and a warm safe place to stay. Estate planning serves as your family’s “emergency kit” for legal and financial matters. At a minimum, it would include these key documents:
General Power of Attorney
Appoint someone to make legal and financial decisions for you, and manage your home, business, and other assets when you are unable to.
Medical Power of Attorney
Appoint someone to manage your healthcare and make medical decisions according to your wishes when you can’t speak for yourself.
A Last Will and Testament
Ensure your money, property, and other assets are distributed according to your final wishes to help minimize family disputes and lengthy, costly legal battles.
Financial Assets
Insurance policies, retirement and investment accounts, payable-on-death bank accounts, and other financial assets are necessary to cover unexpected expenses.
Just as you wouldn’t wait for the snow to begin falling before making sure you have everything you’ll need to shelter in place for several days, don’t wait until you are in the middle of a medical crisis to put your estate plan in place. It’s important to have your affairs in order well before an emergency arises.
Estate Planning Lessons From a Rare Southern Snowfall
A rare southern snowfall can offer several valuable lessons to help us understand estate planning, highlighting the importance of being prepared and proactive in managing unexpected situations.
Here are seven principles of estate planning that mirror what you’re already doing to prepare for extreme weather conditions.
Expect the Unexpected: Just as snowfall in the South is unlikely but possible, unforeseen events in life can occur at any time. Estate planning helps you prepare for such events, ensuring that your affairs are in order, your wishes are clear, and your family is protected.
Advanced Preparation: Both weather events and life’s challenges require proactive planning. Waiting until a storm is upon you (or a life crisis arises) can lead to chaos, anxiety, fear, and stress. By having an estate plan in place, you ensure that your family is ready for whatever comes it’s way.
A Comprehensive Approach: A thorough approach is critical for managing both severe weather and estate planning. Just as you prepare your home, vehicle, and family for severe weather, an estate plan covers various aspects of your life, from financial and healthcare matters to final distribution of your assets.
Safety and Security: Protecting your assets and loved ones is similar to securing your home against the cold. Estate planning provides security to safeguard your family's future, just as you would safeguard your home during severe weather.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Unexpected snowfall requires flexible plans that are easily adaptable, whether it's sheltering at home or modifying travel routes. Likewise, an effective estate plan should be flexible enough to accommodate major changes in life, such as marriage, the birth of a child or grandchild, divorce, remarriage, or death of an heir.
Community and Support: Just as checking on neighbors during a snowstorm fosters community resilience, involving family and professionals in your estate planning process strengthens your plan and ensures everyone understands their role and responsibilities.
Regular Reviews: Southern snowfall, though infrequent, reminds us how important it is to check and replenish emergency supplies. Regularly reviewing and updating your estate plan ensures it remains relevant and effective during any life changes.
Just as a city must prepare for rare weather events to protect it’s residents, you must prepare for life’s inevitable challenges to protect your family from being vulnerable to life’s unpredictability. Take action now to ensure your affairs are in order, your wishes are honored, and your loved ones are safe and secure. Because much like snowfall in the south, life’s surprises often come with little to no warning. Will you be ready?
NEXT STEPS
Subscribe to Fundamental Estate Planning Simplified, a private podcast created especially to help Louisiana residents get their affairs in order. You will learn why estate planning matters and how to ensure that your wishes are honored both before and after your death. And, because I have a holistic view of estate planning, you will also learn how to wrap up a loved one’s estate without going to court and how to preserve inherited property to create generational wealth. Listen to a few episodes here.
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