Death Readiness

06/03/2026

This photo makes me laugh.

In 2005, I graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in Russian language and literature. I worked hard and got good grades.

And yet, on graduation day, I was holding a blank piece of paper.

Why?

Because I forgot to pay my final month's rent.

The day before graduation, I checked my campus mailbox for the first time in ages and discovered a notice informing me that my diploma was being withheld until I paid my bill. So while my classmates posed with their diplomas, I posed with a blank sheet of paper.

My mother thought it was hilarious.

The older I get, the more I realize that most mistakes don't happen because we're careless or unintelligent. They happen because we don't know what we don't know.

That's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about making estate planning more approachable.

Most people aren't avoiding it because they're irresponsible. They're avoiding it because nobody has ever explained it to them.

We're all learning as we go.

Some lessons just happen to come with a blank diploma.

06/02/2026

When I was 30 years old, I was already an estate planning attorney.

I still didn't have a Will.

What I did have were the three documents I think matter most for many young adults:

✅ A healthcare power of attorney
✅ An advance directive
✅ A financial power of attorney

Most young adults don't need a trust fund strategy.

They need someone who can:
• Talk to doctors if they can't speak for themselves
• Handle finances if they're incapacitated
• Know what medical treatment they would want
• Find important information in an emergency

I think one of the reasons young people often put off estate planning is that nobody has ever explained it to them. We tend to treat estate planning as something you do after retirement, after kids, or after you've accumulated wealth.

But bad things happen to young people, too.

The good news is that estate planning isn't a pass/fail test. You don't need everything at once.

Adding a beneficiary designation is a step.

Signing a healthcare power of attorney is a step.

Documenting your wishes is a step.

Writing down information for the people who love you is a step.

Check out the full episode here:

What estate planning documents does a healthy 30-year-old actually ...

05/28/2026

As a solopreneur who just started practicing on my own, I’m still bringing my own mail to the local post office.

And it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day, especially with our newest foster puppy riding shotgun.

Starting your own business isn’t glamorous. There isn’t a giant team or a mailroom. Sometimes it’s just you, your laptop, and a Detroit Dog Rescue puppy.

And there’s something very real about it.

You build the systems yourself, carry the responsibility yourself and show up before everything looks polished. Little by little, something meaningful starts taking shape.

So, here’s to the unglamorous parts!

05/21/2026

New foster puppy alert 🚨

Meet Hans from Detroit Dog Rescue.

Hans is foster puppy #3 and has arrived with big opinions, endless energy, and a deep commitment to fetch.

He appears to believe every object is either a toy, a challenge, or both.

Also, our emotional boundaries continue to deteriorate.

05/19/2026

A question families ask all the time: “Can Mom still sign?”

Usually by the time that question comes up, everyone is already standing in the doorway of a crisis.

Memory changes have started, a diagnosis may have happened, and everyone is hoping the answer is yes.

A few things many people do not realize:
• Competency is not an all-or-nothing label
• The legal standard can differ depending on the document
• A person with dementia is not automatically unable to sign a will or other estate planning documents
• A notary or witness is not making a final legal determination about competency

But the bigger point is that estate planning works best when we're making decisions from a place of choice, not urgency.

Once families start asking, “Can Mom still sign?” we're often already very close to a day when she can't.

Today, I share a personal story involving my own mom, a deathbed signing that never happened, and what actually happens when questions about mental capacity arise.

There’s a lot more nuance than most people realize.

Check it out here:

What happens when someone with memory changes needs to sign a will, trust, or power of attorney? Who actually decides whether they’re “competent” enough to s...

05/18/2026

New foster puppy alert 🚨

Meet Padme from Detroit Dog Rescue.

We’re only on foster puppy #2 and I already have concerns about our ability to maintain emotional boundaries.

05/15/2026

You know what nobody wants after a crisis? A scavenger hunt.

Not searching old emails, guessing passwords, or calling random people trying to figure out who knows what.

Most families aren’t struggling because there’s nothing in place. They’re struggling because the information is scattered, incomplete, or nobody understands how it all works or where it is.

That’s The Death Readiness Playbook difference. Less chaos, more clarity.

*link in graphic

05/14/2026

I know I’m supposed to lift weights. But I don’t own weights, don’t belong to a gym, and apparently my strength training plan has mostly consisted of thinking about strength training.

So yesterday I dug a weighted vest and wrist weights out of the garage and went for a walk.

Is it the same as a carefully designed strength program? Nope. Is it perfect? Definitely not.

But it was something. And, estate planning is a lot like that.

People put it off because they think they need to do it perfectly. They think they need all the answers, all the documents, all the organization, and a giant uninterrupted block of time before they can begin.

But progress doesn’t require perfection.

Maybe your “weighted vest” version of estate planning is making a list of your accounts. Maybe it’s finally having that uncomfortable conversation. One small imperfect step today is still a step.

What’s one thing you’ve been putting off because you thought you had to do it perfectly?

05/13/2026

Here’s a reminder that “too late” and “perfectly prepared” are not the only options.

The Death Readiness Playbook helps you start where you are and move forward from there.

*link in graphic

05/12/2026

One of the hardest phrases families hear after a dementia diagnosis is: “It’s too late.”

Too late to update the estate plan, too late to fix the trust and too late to make meaningful changes.

But in many situations, that’s not entirely true.

One of the biggest misconceptions about estate planning is that the documents themselves are the whole plan. They’re not.

The ownership of assets matters, beneficiary designations matter and powers of attorney matter.

And sometimes, the opportunities that still exist come from understanding how all of those pieces work together.

Today, I walk through a real-life scenario involving a family dealing with dementia, outdated estate planning documents, and the assumption that nothing more could be done.

Here are a few important takeaways:

• A dementia diagnosis does not automatically eliminate all estate planning opportunities.

• Existing powers of attorney may still allow trusted family members to act on behalf of an incapacitated spouse.

• Joint ownership and beneficiary designations can dramatically impact what flexibility still exists.

• Many revocable trusts were never properly funded in the first place, which sometimes creates more flexibility than families realize.

• Updating powers of attorney after one spouse becomes incapacitated can prevent major administrative headaches later.

• “Imperfect” estate planning does not necessarily mean “hopeless” estate planning.

And somehow this all connects back to a homemade Velcro running shirt I invented with my mom in the late 90s.

If you’re helping aging parents, navigating dementia in your family, or wondering whether an old estate plan still works for your life today, I think this episode will resonate with you.

Check out the full conversation here:

What happens when a parent develops dementia and an attorney tells your family it’s “too late” to update estate planning? In this week’s Tuesday Triage episo...