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BE YOUR OWN WHATEVER
Be Your Own Advocate: Lawyers, Accountants, and Beyond
Lessons in Legal and Life Choices
Be Your Own Guy
First off, I’m not a lawyer — much too nice for that, right? Okay, maybe that’s a cheap shot. Not all lawyers are bad. In fact, most are committed to doing the best they can for their clients, just like any other professional — doctors, accountants, or even auto mechanics. Sure, there are bad people in every field, but they’re not who I want to warn you about.
And honestly, my title isn’t about lawyers specifically. I used “lawyers” because everyone loves a good lawyer joke (even lawyers themselves). You don’t hear too many good accountant jokes, though, do you?
But jokes aren’t the point. Let me tell you a story.
A Place for Mom
I knew a man who remarried late in life after losing his first wife. He wanted to make sure his estate went to his adult children, so he had a lawyer draft a pre-nuptial agreement. The plan seemed simple: his house and land would pass to his kids after he died, using a Life Estate. His new wife, their stepmother, could live in the house for a while after he was gone. No reason to rush her out, right?
