Professor Kohm speaks to women and charitable giving officers on the importance of estate planning

Recent engagements include:

Estate Planning Success for Women, Barnabas Foundation, Key Note Address and Workshop, September 17, 2008, (Chicago, IL).

Estate Planning Success for Women, Bon Secours Healthcare Foundation, Key Note Address and Panel Discussion, September 24, 2008 (Richmond, VA).

This month I have had the opportunity to speak to people I love – WOMEN!  and those who care about women who want to leave a legacy well beyond themselves.  I met and worked with some wonderful people who wholeheartedly want to make a difference in the world.

Most Estate Planning volumes are written BY men, FOR men, with men in mind.  But our book Estate Planning Success for Women is different – it is written particularly for women, with an eye toward offering a method for how to plan your estate with foresight, clarity and love. 

[See www.barronpublishing.com ] 

 Did you know that women will be responsible for $74 trillion in wealth transfer over the next generation.  Yet women are an untapped resource for changing the world – and we are starting to realize what an impact we can have.

Let’s start with some facts of great importance:

-       More than 80% of all married Women will outlive their husbands – and by an ave. of 8 years!

-       90% of all women will have to be responsible for their own financial security. 

-       50% of women (and 1/3 of men) will require some sort of long term care at some point in their lives – which can cost from $70,000 per year to as much as $150,000 per year.

-       Only 14% of women in the US have done any sort of estate planning to cover these issues of health care planning, retirement planning and legacy planning. 

-       Only 7% of women have earmarked funds for long term care, or such insurance.

-       ¾ of all elderly living below the poverty line are women.

 Because I teach Wills, Trusts & Estates, Family Law, Gender & the Law and Elder Law at Regent University Law School here in Virginia Beach, I’ve learned that women and women’s issues are at the center of nearly all aspects of our law and culture.  Whether the legal issue is estate planning, marriage, divorce, equal pay, comparative worth, family regulations or the spousal election – women care about and deal with finances.

I am willing to bet that every woman reading this blog has others she cares about.  I’m further willing to bet that you want to act on that love and concern, and that’s why you’re here today.  In each of my talks this month I’ve focused on how a woman can use her estate plan to create family harmony and to make a real difference in the world.  If you’re like me and most women, I encourage you to find out how to leave a legacy that will live on well beyond you – and make a difference for eternity.

Women can see that estate planning really relates to caring for others.  Estate Planning Success for Women offers you nearly all the information you need to review your current circumstances, and move to where you want to be to leave a legacy for a long time to come.