Daniel never expected to hear the words “you have cancer,” but his diagnosis changed everything in an instant. As the one who had always managed their finances, he worried about how Nadine would handle their future without him—and they needed a plan to ensure their family’s financial stability.
Daniel was in his late forties. He was the one who handled the family’s financial matters. He owned a small business that was profitable. He paid the bills and balanced the family’s budget. He had always been the one to manage the family’s savings and investments. At that same time his wife, Nadine, had her hands full with other responsibilities. She took care of their two young children and worked full time as a teacher. They had recently upgraded and moved from their starter home into a larger one.
Daniel had been particularly tired and was dealing with various physical symptoms. He felt like something was wrong. He scheduled a visit with his doctor who ran some tests. Some of the results were concerning. After more testing and getting a second opinion, Daniel learned that he had an aggressive form of cancer. This was both unexpected and devastating as his prognosis was terminal.
Daniel and Nadine had estate planning documents, but they had not been updated in some time. Their wills did not reflect the birth of their second child. They needed our help in reviewing all of their estate planning documents and in making changes to ensure their wishes were represented. Daniel wanted guidance about what he should do with his business, and he was very concerned as to how the investments he had worked so hard to build would continue to be managed so that Nadine and their children would benefit. Since Daniel was the one who always handled the finances, they were both concerned about how Nadine was going to be able to take on this role. She had no experience with managing their budget or paying the bills, and she was planning to continue working while taking care of their kids. They wanted to make sure that in Daniel’s absence that Nadine and the kids would have financial stability and that we would remain a source of ongoing support for them.
