FUMS 101 - GYST: Estate Planning with MS part 1

FUMS: Giving Multiple Sclerosis The Finger

08-03-2022 • 41 mins

This is the first in a series of episodes where I'll be looking at the messier parts of life - estate planning, divorce, digital death, end-of-life planning, wills, etc. Y'know - fun stuff like that. And in true FUMS style, I'm calling the series G.Y.S.T. - "Get Your Shit Together"

Sooner or later, we are all going to have to start thinking about what happens at the end of our life - whether we have a lot or a whole lot of nothing, it's a fact of life! And while this is the same for everyone, if we have a chronic health condition there are a whole lot of other considerations. What if I'm unable to stay in my home? What if I can't make decisions about my finances or care?

With this in mind, I looked for an attorney whose practice concentrates on estate planning for the chronically ill. I bet you can guess how many results that particular google search threw up. What I did find was a professional with a personal connection to chronic illness - MS, in fact.

Martin M. Shenkman (call him Marty) is an attorney whose private practice concentrates on estate planning. When his wife was diagnosed with MS, he recognized how different planning looks for people with chronic illness and it changed his whole approach to estate planning.

Marty was so generous with his time, and this interview is so full of important, actionable content, that we decided to split it over two podcasts. And far from being a depressing topic, estate planning is more about planning for life rather than death. It's the process of providing peace of mind for you, and your loved ones (however you define the term).

Full show notes and resources at https://fumsnow.com/fums101/

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