To my colleagues, customers, clients and friends,
The snow piles bordering our driveway are now over my head, which is about normal in the Boston area this week. Boots and wet wool and fleece are making their own piles in the hall, and the straight walls cut by the snow blower have transformed the gentle path from our garage into a tunnel that is downright magical for a child.
You can practically hear the stories that will be told 50 years from now by today's eight-year-olds: "When I was a kid, we had real snow." It reminds me of the stories my grandfather used to tell of the blizzard of 1888, when he was a young boy in horse and buggy days in Waterbury, CT.
He has been gone now for nearly 40 years, but I often think of him when we get a big snow. More than that, I am reminded of the astounding reach of my lifetime, that even in my imagination I am directly linked to events that happened 127 years ago.
How far out into the future will some of my own story remain? That's an act of imagination, too, and a humbling one at that, because it's not something any of us ultimately control. It will be other people who will be doing the story telling.
They will be the ones who might take us forward 127 years, and in my case, I hope it includes memories of being pulled through a snow tunnel on a sled in the big winter of 2015.
Happy winter, whatever your weather,
Susan
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Are you planning a special event for
clients or donors in 2015?
Partnering with organizations to create memorable events is central to my work and something I truly love to do. When the idea of "legacy" is couched in the context of living values, and imagined through action, the subject is inspiring, dynamic and universal, crossing all boundaries of age, gender and financial circumstances.
Please reach out to me if you are planning an event for 2015. We'll explore what you want to achieve and how I might help you get there. In the meantime, a few minutes with this (unedited) video of a presentation I gave at Atlantic Trust's G2G Intergenerational Family Summit will give you a sense of my style.
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Recently Published:
Letters to My Child's Guardian

This extremely comprehensive guidebook was created by Seattle estate planning attorney Virginia Antipolo-Ott after the birth of her daughter, when she began to imagine the unthinkable: What would happen to my beautiful and amazing girl if something were to happen to me? What would need to be in place legally to ensure she was well taken care of? How should I choose her guardian? What practical information would the guardian need to know? How can I communicate the personal values I would like her to be raised with? What information and reflections on living might I leave for my daughter to read when she is older?
Lawyers tell me that it's precisely these kinds of questions that paralyze parents and keep them from creating legal wills. In a workbook format, this book gives parents room to ponder, and record, all that information. It also would be useful for estate planning attorneys looking for tools to help clients move through the very difficult decision about choosing a guardian.
For more information and to order the book, contact Virginia Antipolo-Ott directly: info@lifeletters222.com.
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- Presentations that inspire
- Tools that are elegant, accessible, affordable
- Access to coaches, writers, videographers to get it done: ethical wills, expressions of intent, personal histories
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Press Feature
Susan interviewed in The AdvisorAtlantic Trust's Quarterly Publication (Found on Page 6)
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Legacy Links:
From life planning guru
George Kinder
The New York Times on the therapeutic benefits
of writing about your life A delightfully original one minute animation On love and sex: research
and words of wisdom from couples married for an
average of 43 years
The Purposeful Planning Institute has planned a great conference for financial and estate planning professionals.
I will be attending this conference and am pleased to be sitting on a panel.
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Check out the store for our guidebooks and cards, catalysts for reflection and creation.
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NOW Is A Great Time: Create a 1-2 Page
Ethical Will
Join this live web workshop:
March 9, 2014
7:00-9:00 pm EST
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Peace is not something
you wish for.
It is something you do, something you make,
something you are.
Kayla Mueller
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