Message From The Rabbi

Rabbi Spike Anderson

One of the deepest honors that I have as a rabbi is to accompany congregants and their families in the final stages of life, and through our death and mourning rituals.  I can not describe the quality of this type of time together any better than our Jewish tradition, which describes it as kaddosh…sacred.

I’ve seen our Temple Emanu-El community come together in beautiful ways to support the widows and widowers who are left behind, and who struggle to adjust to their new reality without their beloved.

One of the challenges I see them struggling with is navigating the ‘systems’ that previously were handled by their husband or wife, including insurance, financial assets, and legal issues.

This is why I’ve asked congregant Lee Katz, to once again offer our community the popular class, You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know: A crucial conversation regarding financial preparation before a loved one’s passing.

Sunday, January 19, 10:00am-11:30am

Register HERE

Lee volunteers his time as an elder care adviser (non-attorney), trustee, and executor to help us avoid mistakes that can cause your spouse tremendous angst in the midst of their grief and significantly cost your heirs.

This seminar should be used as a tune-up to your financial planning to enable you to create value and more easily transfer $$$ to your heirs. The goal is to ease the transitions and maximize the value of your dollar bequests to your loved ones and next-generation heirs.

Lee will help you create a detailed checklist/road map for a successful transition of your assets so you’ll be prepared. Preparing this checklist in advance facilitates the transfer of assets and allows a detailed review of all your wishes to eliminate chances of error.

The discussion will include your legacy, bequests, and desires for clarity. This information can then be discussed with your legal and financial advisors.

The key to a successful asset transition is managing and fine-tuning your wishes before and NOT after a loss. You could be diluting the bequests you desire with inconsistent documentation.

You will receive a handout at this event to guide you through the process…

In short, Lee Katz will help make sure that you are prepared so that things are ‘easier’ on the people whom you love most, in the season where they should be mourning, rather than having to navigate a myriad of systems and details.

This is a tremendously good use of everyone’s time.

We hope to see you there.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Spike Anderson