Parenting is a tough job, with an ongoing list of things to do and never enough time in which to do them. The school days are laden with frantic employment; lunches and homework, field trips and afterschool activities. Most parents barely have a chance to catch their breath until they fall into bed at the end of the day. Who has time to think about estate planning?

Once the summer months roll around the temptation to relax into a cool pool with a tall iced-tea can be overwhelming, especially when you know that busy family vacation is coming up soon.

Tempting as it may be to put off your estate planning for just one more week or month, the best thing you can do—for yourself and for your family—is to dig in and call your attorney right now. The high-travel time of summer is full of potential danger, and you’ll feel much more relaxed on your family vacation if you know you’ve taken steps to provide for your children with a trust and nomination of guardians if something happens to you.

Even putting aside potential travel dangers, summer is a busy time in hospitals right here at home, with heat stroke, poisonous animal bites or insect stings, not to mention bone-breaks and muscle strains. Any hospital visit will be made much smoother if you have an updated Health Care Directive and HIPAA in place.

Take advantage of these slower days of summer to protect your family and give yourself peace of mind. All of your summer activities will be more enjoyable when you know you have a safety net in place for your spouse and children should something happen to you. If you don’t act now those busy autumn school days are just around the corner, waiting to fill your leisure hours with frantic activities once more.

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There are some people who might question the patriotism of those who would try to arrange their affairs to pay a lower amount of taxes. But how much truth is there in that?

Is it unpatriotic to want to work within the limits of the law to reduce the amount of taxes you pay?

Everyone will have their own opinion about this, and we welcome you to join the conversation by leaving a comment. To begin the discussion we give you the opinions of two distinguished American jurists:

“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes. Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: Taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant. “

— Honorable Learned Hand, U.S. Appeals Court Judge, Helvering v. Gregory, 69 F.2d 809 (1934).

“I live in Alexandria, Virginia. Near the Supreme Court chamber is a toll bridge across the Potomac. When in a rush I pay the dollar toll and get home early. However, I usually drive a free bridge outside the down- town section of the city, and cross the Potomac on a free bridge. The bridge was placed outside the downtown Washington D.C. area to serve a useful social service: getting drivers to drive the extra mile to help alleviate congestion during rush hour. If I went over the toll bridge and through the barrier without paying the toll, I would be committing tax evasion. If, however, I drive the extra mile and drive outside the city of Washington, I am using a legitimate, logical and suitable method of tax avoidance, and I am performing a useful social service by doing so. For my tax evasion, I should be punished. For my tax avoidance, I should be commended. The tragedy of life today is that so few people know that the free bridge even exists.”

— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis

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How is your business doing this summer?

The warm months from June to August can be an excruciatingly slow period for some small businesses and their owners. They experience a slow summer slump while their client base goes off on vacation or relaxes at the beach. But rather than viewing this time with dread, why not look at the summer slump as an opportunity? This slow period can be a great time to delve into the inner workings of your business and make improvements, as this article by Colleen LeBaise on Smart Money’s Small Business site recommends.

Having just passed the second quarter milestone, summer is the perfect time for business owners to execute their midyear check-ups; reviewing performance and finances from the first half of the year and planning ahead for the next half. DeBaise’s article has further suggestions for turning these idle summer days into productive powerhouse moments, including networking with professionals and creating a disaster plan.

During this time when you are performing your reviews and making plans for the future is a perfect time to touch base with your estate planning attorney, who can help you plan not only for any possible natural disasters, but for legal, financial, and personnel disasters as well. And while you’re there, your estate planning attorney is a great person to ask about networking opportunities or to help you review your business plan.

Take advantage of these slow summer months to get done all those things you only have time to think about during the busy portion of the year. Before you know it business will be heating up as the weather cools down in fall, and then the holidays will be upon us. Give yourself a head start in these long dog days of summer.

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