Planning for a perfect closing

　　The unknown is what many people fear. Some set off to conquer， some to overcome， and others seek to manage. What do you do？

　　“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned， the hard way， that some poems don’t rhyme， and some stories don’t have a clear beginning， middle， and end.Life is about not knowing， having to change， taking the moment and making the best of it， without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.”——Gilda Radner (1946-1989)

　　“Delicious ambiguity” is that uncertainty of life. Is that what you wish for？ Is this what you would like your closing chapters of life to be for yourself and your loved ones？

　　The unknown is what many people fear. Some set off to conquer， some to overcome， and others seek to manage.

　　One should seek for the perfect closing though perfection is usually far from reality. Nevertheless， this should not bar you from planning to write your closing.Often， we can fail to plan， but we do not plan to fail.

　　A happy ending

　　The Singapore Government has been promoting healthy retirement and financial planning. Of late， “life and beyond”Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is one of the elements that is an important part of future planning.

　　So now is the time for you to take stock and review your own destiny.

　　Your personal choiceof happy ending requires some planning at your end instead of leaving it to “whatever willbe will be”. You would prefer to write your own story with the “thereafter” and “happily ever after” when you cross the finishing line， won’t you？

　　It is your story and your chapter to close， whether“happily ever after” or whatever your heart delights in.You should be the master of your own story and destiny especially on the closing.

　　With your life-long learning， knowledge and experiences， you will be as equipped as anyone to write your closing chapters. Plan and write it together with your loved ones. Be the master of your own destiny！ Share your thoughts and plans with your close friends and trustworthy professionals. Begin with an end in mind. Know your goals and objectives before proceeding to work on your relevant documents.

　　It is about your life， and your life story. Your legacy for the next generation and perhaps beyond. Legacy is not about numbers and measure ments it is about your storiesbe told and things that count but cannot be counted.

　　A dilemma

　　Some of the issues in your closing which you can better prepare yourself and your loved ones for are：

　　A Will

　　A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

　　An Advance Medical Directive (AMD)

　　In a nutshell，A Will kicks in when one loses his/ her lifeAn LPA when one loses his/her mental capacity

　　An AMD when one is terminally ill and/ or loses his consciousness

　　Perfect or not， satisfying or discomforting， it is better for you to write your own life story and its closing.

　　It is a tough decision as you come across questions such as：

　　1. What to write？

　　2. Who to give？

　　3. Who to execute (as trustee)？

　　4. When to give？

　　5. How to give？

　　6. Why not to give？

　　It is a matter of the head and the heart， or is it？

　　A friend shared with me her dilemma. She feels that her“rightful” executor and donee should be her eldest child，while she has more confidence and faith that her second child would be the better person.

　　Preparing and writing your closing is neither about the heart nor the head. It is not about correctly or rightfully. It is about while you are now， when living and well， you decide who is the best person to assist you in carrying on your story and legacy when you are not well or pass on.

　　If you cannot decide now， then who would you expect to be able to？ Or are you just simply passing the baton and“blame”？

　　Decide， if in time to come， your executor or donee should be challenged when executing his roles， at least can he rise to the occasion and say this is what you wished forand it should be respected.

　　Do remember to empower your trustee and donee and compensate him for his roles. After all， it is a thankless task they really are doing.

　　Do-It-Yourself

　　Often， there will be talks and personal preference on DIY Will writing. Many will contemplate or attempt a DIY Will writing， after attending a seminar or two， or if not， thenwith the help of online information or resources. Yes， this ispossible but what if there is an oversight， a typographicalerror， or a legally in appropriate statement？

　　The professionals are there for a reason， be it your lawyer or trustworthy financial consultant. You will beadvised on issues to consider such as why， when you arenot listing your dearest and closest next of kin in your Will.After all， when not listed or given， some of your next of kindoes have the right to contest your Will and documents.There are ample examples of such in the news every oncein a while.

　　Procrastination and delay

　　One of the easiest way out of making a tough call or when in dilemma is to delay writing your Will. However， “delicious”is the “ambiguity”， is it worth putting your future and that ofyour loved ones on hold？

　　How many of you know when will the final hour of your life be？ Did the deceased driver behind the racing caron Singapore roads or Malaysia highway know？ Did the‘passed on’ senior folk or young person crossing the street know？

　　Enjoy the certainties

　　Life is full of uncertainties. Be the master of your destiny.

　　Write and plan the closing chapters of your life and for those who you leave behind. Then proceed to live with those certainties that you have written for yourself and your loved ones.