“Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.”

-Mike Tyson

Years ago, a client lost his wife far too early. She was just 54 and he was 63. He was supposed to die first because her mother, still alive, survived until 102. You don’t plan for things like this. They certainly didn’t.

He carried on for 14 more years, although “shambled through” was a more appropriate term than “carried on.” Money was not a concern, but his days were long. He never really got over the loss, with life more existence than experience.

We all have weaknesses and his, unfortunately, was alcohol. Loneliness and the bottle are not good companions – or they are excellent companions, depending on how you look at it – and those dependent on alcohol seek out others with similar traits. He moved through a succession of partners over the years until finally settling for a woman far younger with an even worse drinking problem.

It was his life, so I can’t judge. His estate planning choices I can judge, though.

They were not good.

Written by Paul Siluch
February 7^th, 2024

In nature, some species thrive while others die off. Why one and not the other? Maybe one adapts to a changed environment while another benefits from dumb luck. Both work.

Ask the dinosaurs. They were bigger than every other life form on Earth and dominated almost every niche above ground. Along came a meteor and suddenly small and burrowing creatures became dominant in a very short space of time. Flying dinosaurs adapted and became birds. No other dinosaurs made it.

Companies are no different. They can prosper for decades and then fall apart when business conditions change, and new competitors arise. It can be sudden, like Blockbuster Video that only survived for 25 years. Or it can be a long decline, like Sears Roebuck that lasted 125 years.