10/07/2026
When famed Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer and lyricist Johnny Mercer died in 1976, his widow, Ginger, found a stack of his unfinished business – a pile of his poems and lyrics that had never been set to music. She forwarded them to singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, who pulled one from the heap, sat at the piano, and created “When October Goes,” a beautiful and haunting melody of reflection, the passage of time, and love lost.
Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that October marks National Estate Planning Month. While certainly not as romantic as a Johnny Mercer or Barry Manilow tune, estate planning also hits on the themes of reflection, the passage of time, and taking care of those we love.
Estate Planning is an umbrella term that encompasses documents such as a will, trust, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney, living will, and beneficiary designation forms.
Dennison Keller explains in this month's blog how estate planning is important to everyone and that it is not just about what happens to your assets when you die.
When famed Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer and lyricist Johnny Mercer died in 1976, his widow, Ginger, found a stack of his unfinished business – a pile of his poems and lyrics that had never been set to music. She forwarded them to singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, who pulled one from the heap,...
