In the middle of a Georgia summer, the days are long and it seems like we’ve got more time for the things we enjoy. The kids are out of school, and work slows down a little. If we’re lucky, we get some extra time with our family, spend lazy days at the pool, and vacation with children and grandchildren. It can feel like summer will last forever.
Have you heard of the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment conducted in 1972 by a Stanford University psychologist? In this experiment, children are given a marshmallow and told they would receive a second marshmallow if they could resist eating the first. Scientists studied how long each child resisted the temptation to eat the marshmallow. A long-term study of the children who participated in this experiment showed those who were able to wait for the marshmallow – to defer gratification - were most successful in life.
Time is money—literally. For a recent graduate, time might also seem like an abundant resource, with many thinking they have plenty of time to save for their future – later. The traps of bad credit and debt snare many unsuspecting young adults and cling to their financial history for years.
When it comes to estate planning, the most familiar document is the last will and testament. Most people have a basic understanding that a will allows you to appoint a personal representative (an executor) upon your death and directs that person to distribute your assets as you specify. Put another way, a will says who gets your stuff when you die—but until you die, it does nothing.
Very few people could “save” enough for retirement with today’s long life expectancies and earlier retirements. If you just “save” – yet do not have growth that exceeds both income taxes and inflation, you are more likely to run out of money.
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