Horoscope

Some of us are going to have to fight hard to rebuild the muscle mass lost during the pandemic.

Rebuilding Lost Muscle Strength

By Matilda Charles

SPECIAL TO THE FORUM

Ashow of hands: How many of us feel that we’ve lost muscle strength during the pandemic? Unfortunately, the answer is that many of us have, and we’re going to have to fight to get it back. Here are a few thoughts on rebuilding our muscle strength: • Look to YouTube for exercise videos designed for seniors. You’ll find thousands: seated exercises, workouts at home, walking workouts, low impact, beginners and more. • Sit in a kitchen chair and stand up. Sit down again. Stand up. Repeat 10-12 times. • Invest in hand weights (order them from Amazon and they’re delivered right to your door). Start small with 2-pound weights. If necessary, use 1-gallon plastic jugs (one in each hand), partially filled with water, as weights. • If you have stairs in your home, use them to help your leg muscles. Increase the number of times you go up and down each day.

Take it easy, especially at the beginning, but be persistent.

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Don’t Let Perfect Be Enemy of Good

Q. My wife and I know that we should be creating Estate Planning Documents, such as a Trust, Wills, and the like, but we can’t seem to get from talking about it to actually doing it. Any suggestions or thoughts on this?

By Gene L. Osofsky

SPECIAL TO THE FORUM

A. Yes. Know that you are not alone. Many clients have this issue and, unfortunately, some never get to the point of actually creating their estate plans. Of course, there are sometimes unknowns when planning an estate, but don’t let uncertainties get in the way of creating your plan. Having an imperfect plan is usually better than having no plan at all.

Remember: When planning an estate you want to be able to consider all the angles, but there are inevitably a number of “known unknowns” which can make planning difficult. These include:

How long you will live and which one of you will be the survivor;

How much money you will have left over, which—in turn-- can depend upon longevity and your care needs as you age;

Your own children’s health and possible financial needs, now and perhaps many decades into the future.

There are also value judgments to make. Should you treat all children equally, or should their individual financial situations be taken into account? In any family, some siblings can be highly successful financially, while others struggle. Some children may have supported you in your old age and others may have totally ignored you.

A word to the wise: Unless you have had a discussion with your children, treat them equally in your estate plan. You can provide differential support during your lifetime, but unequal distributions at death can create great difficulties if they come as a surprise.

Should you create trusts that protect assets for your children and grandchildren, or simply provide that the funds be distributed outright at your death for them to use as they choose? Whom should you appoint in various roles—as agent under powers of attorney, as health care proxies, as trustees, as personal representatives in your Wills?

Not having definitive answers to these questions can make it difficult to finalize a plan.

In any event, it is important to review your plan every three to five years in any case, since circumstances and laws may have changed;

The best way to approach estate planning is to think through all these questions and then create the best plan you can based on current circumstances.

Your attorney can help you talk through these questions. It may even help by giving yourselves a deadline, perhaps one coincident with a benchmark date, such as your next birthday or your marriage anniversary.

Resolve to “do it”, and good wishes on your undertaking.

However, before you get overwhelmed and give up on estate planning altogether, you need to consider the following:

Any plan is usually better than no plan;

We can’t totally predict the future, and we often have to do the best we can based on what we know today;

No plan is irrevocable; you can make changes as circumstances change or if you rethink what you wish to do, so long as you are alive and mentally competent; and, if you are concerned about your own capacity declining in the future, you can even delegate the power to make changes to a trusted friend or family member by so providing in your documents.

Gene L. Osofsky is an Elder Law and Estate Planning attorney in the East Bay. Visit his website at www.LawyerForSeniors.com. He wishes to thank Harry Margolis, Esq., of MA, for permission to use and modify this article.

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HOROSCOPE by Salomé

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ARIES (March 21 to April 19): This is a good time to reassess important relationships, both personal and professional, to see where problems might exist and how they can be overcome. Keep communication lines open. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): It’s not easy to bring order to a chaotic situation, whether it’s in the workplace or at home. But if anyone can do it, you can. A pleasant surprise awaits you by week’s end. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Be careful that you don’t make an upcoming decision solely on the word of those who might have their own reasons for wanting you to act as they suggest. Check things out for yourself.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): A personal relationship that seems to be going nowhere could be restarted once you know why it stalled. An honest discussion could result in some surprising revelations.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): That unexpected attack of self-doubt could be a way of warning yourself to go slow before making a career-changing decision. Take more time to do a closer study of the facts. VIRGO (August 23 - Sept. 22): A workplace problem needs your attention now, before it deteriorates to a point beyond repair. A trusted third party could be helpful in closing the gaps that have opened. LIBRA (Sept. 23 - October 22): A recent family situation could give rise to a new problem. Keep an open mind and avoid making judgments about anyone’s motives until all the facts are in.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Rely on your always-sharp intuition to alert you to potential problems with someone’s attempt to explain away the circumstances behind a puzzling incident. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): Although you still need to do some snipping of those lingering loose ends from a past project, you can begin moving on to something else. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19): With your self-confidence levels rising, you should feel quite comfortable with agreeing to take on a possibly troublesome, but potentially well-rewarded, situation. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Travel is favored, both for business and for fun. The end of the week brings news about an upcoming project that could lead toward that promised career change. PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20): You might feel suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of responsibilities. But if you deal with each one in its turn, you’ll soon be able to hold your head above water and move on.

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