Planning for the later years of life is building a shield for yourself and your family. Building a shield necessarily means that you think about a threat or a challenge coming your way, you think about how you would like to protect yourself from that threat or challenge, and you take action to build something that will protect you.

The costs and challenges of the later years of life are mostly predictable. There are tools in the legal toolbox that you can use to build your shield against these predictable challenges. But there are some challenges that are unpredictable. That is when you reassess your shield and ask whether it will continue to offer the same protection.

What does this look like? It involves spending a short amount of time to think creatively, especially about the obstacles that could show between you and the achievement of the goals you have for your family. When a family member's health changes or their availability to be a key decision-maker changes, you ask whether everyone would be better off if you re-built part of your shield.

Some shields are stronger than others. Yours will be stronger if you figure it out now.