Keeping the Golden Years Golden

By Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home

Once again, autumn is upon us.  The telltale signs are all around...the crisp morning air, the changing colors from the lush greens of summer to the rich fall hues of gold and yellow, the v-formations of geese in flight, heading to their winter homes in the south.  All of these signs spell the inevitable end to the long daylight hours of summer and the encroaching cold and darkness of winter.  With it comes the necessity of preparations that must be made for winter...storm windows put up, leaves raked, firewood cut and stacked, and winter coats brought out of storage.

The changing of the seasons is a certainty, one with which we have become familiar and even comfortable. We know the routine; we prepare accordingly and face the sometimes bleak and depressing winter months with at least some comfort knowing that we have done all that we could to prepare ourselves for its arrival.  

Isn’t it ironic that old age and death are as much a certainty for each of us as the constant change of the seasons, but yet so many of us are completely unprepared for their inevitable arrival? Obviously, we do not know the number on our days, and we cannot mark the date of our passing on the calendar as we can the first day of autumn or the last shopping day before Christmas.  But we can all be assured of the reality of their arrival at some time.  

Unlike the changing of the seasons, our own aging and mortality are not part of familiar routines. They are certainly not comfortable topics to ponder, so we often choose to ignore them and thus we fail to make the proper preparations that might ease the burden. Can any of us truly “prepare” for death? Emotionally, probably not, but there are steps that each of us can take to prepare for it that can provide and our loved ones some comfort and peace of mind and help keep our “Golden Years” golden! Some of these preparations include:

-Pre-planning and pre-funding your funeral arrangements

-Setting up a Living Will

-Assigning a Power of Attorney for Heath Care & Finances

-Creating a Will and/or Trust

-Enrolling in a away from home assurance plan

As we enter our retirement years and look forward to a life of less work and more leisure, having all of these issues decided upon in advance is a great way to pave the way to truly “Golden” years and help ease the burden of worry for us and our loved ones.  Here at Peterson/Kraemer we have experienced professionals available to walk you and your family through every step.  

Not sure how to begin?  Start by giving Anna or our staff at Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home a call at 715-845-6900 or email, info@petersonkraemer.com to start the discussion on all of these preparations and help you “Keep the Golden Years Golden”.