PPOA Executive Director
wquint@ppoa.com
So, I am exceedingly hopeful that the majority of PPOA members have surpassed Quitter’s Day. This is the unofficial day, which falls on the second Friday of January (1/9/2026), when most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. Do not worry if you have already “thrown in the towel,” and if it is any comfort, you are not alone! Recent studies have found that about two-thirds of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions within a month.
One of the major problems with achieving New Year’s resolutions is that those who set them are over-ambitious. Making deductions from the available 800 million user-logged activities in 2019, Strava — a social network for athletes — even went on to predict that the second Friday of January was the fateful day when the motivations of most quitters begin to decline. The primary areas of focus for resolutions involved exercise, eating habits and weight loss. For PPOA members, I would ask you to think outside of your traditional resolutions and commit to a new resolution that requires no perspiration, no caloric monitoring and no standing on a scale.
A new resolution that you can start right now and successfully complete in 2026 is to create a living trust for you and your family. If you do not have a living trust, time is of the essence because, as all PPOA members unfortunately and sadly know, “tomorrow is not promised.” Nobody likes talking about death. But this is exactly why every PPOA member should create and maintain a living trust. You and/or your loved one(s) simply may not be there to settle matters when the time comes. Not only does a living trust make good financial sense for you, but it also protects your family from the time, hassle and expense of having to go through probate. Additionally, a living trust ensures that your estate is divided up and distributed according to your wishes, which really helps your family avoid the anxiety and conflicts that almost always come with settling an estate after the death of a loved one.
Setting up a living trust for your family allows you to keep control of your assets and provides an easier way for your family to deal with issues should you become incapacitated. It also allows you to distribute your estate to your children in a more measured and controlled way to avoid problems that may arise when it comes to inheriting money.
In 2006, my wife and I set up a living trust as we were going to travel abroad for an extended period. Because our two children were now young adults and we had been in our house for 18 years, we were advised to consider creating a living trust. This was not the first time we were advised to do so, but nonetheless, we finally acted, joining most people who start with a revocable living trust. A revocable living trust can be revoked or amended by you and does not require legal action. An irrevocable trust cannot be changed without legal intervention.
In 2020, my wife and I decided to “restate” our 2006 living trust as we were blessed with additions to our family. We decided to use United Estate Planning, Inc., to prepare our restated living trust. The trust package was specifically designed to organize our estate for rapid settlement. Additional benefits of working with United Estate Planning, Inc., include free advisement of any significant changes in tax laws affecting our estate, complimentary lifetime legal advice regarding our living trust and updating our living trust periodically, upon our request, at a reasonable cost based upon their fee then in effect. A very noteworthy benefit that we also received was that, because of my association with PPOA, we received a discounted price for the preparation of our living trust package!
PPOA is extremely proud to continue its professional relationship with United Estate Planning, Inc., and one of the many benefits of being a PPOA member is a discounted price for a living trust. Please make 2026 the year that you give your family peace of mind, knowing that a key piece of your estate planning is completed. Please do not hesitate to contact PPOA for additional information. You can also directly contact United Estate Planning, Inc., at unitedestateplanning.com or (714) 637-9840.