Opinion – Marcia Dessen: Thanks and a last story

I have the habit of giving thanks before asking, giving thanks for the graces achieved and for those I hope to achieve.

So, let me start with thanks. THE Sheetwhich provided me with this valuable space to help people find a purpose in taking care of finances and understand the importance of financial planning in their lives.

To the readers, who encouraged and inspired many of the stories I told, making it clear that people matter and come first. Finance and, finally, financial products and services that help us solve and avoid problems complete the list.

Yes, it’s a farewell, today I leave the column of Sheetnot without sharing with you one last story that moved me and encourages me to continue doing what I do.

Caio and Telma, 51, have been married for 16 years, parents of Estela, 14, and Bento, 11. Both are doctors and built up the family’s heritage by working hard, always in the private health sector, without employment in the public sector.

Unexpectedly, Telma had a stroke, was taken to the hospital, but died on the same day as the stroke.

Caio was suddenly forced to take control and be responsible for all the expenses of the family budget, previously shared with his wife. Far beyond the numbers, he is also concerned with providing the emotional support that children need in the face of the premature loss of their mother.

Caio and Telma understood each other well, had no debts and were both responsible for managing the family budget. They kept separate bank accounts. He does not have access to his wife’s account passwords, estimates but does not know for sure the value of the investments in her name and will only know at the end of the inventory, which will be through the judicial process, mandatory modality when there are minor heirs, as in this case.

The family income, which until then came from two sources, will come exclusively from Caio’s income. Spending control needs to be improved, the family budget is high, and their biggest concern is to be able to provide for their children’s education until they achieve their financial independence.

Where will the money come from to replace the income that used to come from Telma’s work? Could it be that the couple was farsighted and sought a form of protection against the risk of premature death of one or both of the providers of the family with two minor children to raise and educate?

Yes, luckily, thanks to the frequent reading of this column, about four years ago they looked for a certified financial planner for a financial planning that, among other things, included a recommendation to buy life insurance with enough coverage to provide for their children’s education. . Blessed insurance!

Caio is now analyzing alternatives to properly invest the funds he will receive from the insurance company, with the objective of guaranteeing the cost of his children’s studies until they are ready to enter the job market.

The rewarding experience of having given him the support he needed to make important decisions at such a delicate moment in life only strengthens my decision to continue doing what I do, using voice and lyrics to simplify what is complicated and share my knowledge and my experience with people who need guidance.

See you around. Big hug to all of you.

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