What did Heath Ledger, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, John Wayne, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana, and Anna Nicole Smith all have in common? They all had lousy Wills – and because of this, their deaths left not just emotional turmoil for their friends and families, but also created financial uncertainty, legal battles, and expensive, long-term, court-ordered supervision of the estates, draining the assets away from the people they wanted to protect and care for. In other words, their financial legacy was one of frustration and confusion..

No matter what your net worth, whether you have assets of millions or thousands, you need to have a basic estate plan in place. What exactly is an estate? Your estate consists of all the property you own at the time of your death, including real estate, bank accounts, stocks and other securities, life insurance policies, and personal property such as automobiles, jewelry, artwork, and household items. Having a comprehensive plan for all these items can resolve many legal questions that may arise after you die, such as: Who gets what? Does a personal guardian need to be appointed to care for minor children? How much tax will need to be paid in order to transfer property ownership? What funeral arrangements are appropriate? In essence, a good estate plan ensures that your wishes are carried out, that your family’s future financial goals are met, and that you leave a positive and empowering financial legacy for those you love.

Realize that having a will is not enough. A will, written and signed properly, directs “who’s in charge” and “who gets what” from your assets at the date of death, but it’s of no use before you die. If you become incompetent, a will doesn’t control your assets or designate who can make healthcare decisions for you. After you die, a will doesn’t avoid probate of your estate. In fact, a will can be a one-way ticket to the endless fees and delays of probate court.

If your financial life is simple and straightforward, you may actually be able to create your estate plan by yourself. However, if you have multiple bank and investment accounts, real estate investments, or a non-traditional family situation, you may want to consult with a lawyer. Regardless of which route you pursue, here are three suggestions to get you started. I’ll share more next month.

How many times have you thought that positive thinking is all about hocus, pocus? It doesn’t work so there is no sense in even trying it. Only weird people believe that they can change their world through positive thinking. Let me ask you though. Do you really feel better through negative thinking? Do you feel better focusing on all of the things you can no longer do? Do you feel better focusing on all of your aches and pains? Of course you don’t.

Positive thinking alone may not get you everything you want out of life. However, it is a huge step in the right direction. Whatever you are focusing on you will get more of. This is a fact of life. Whether you believe it or not. You have heard that perception is everything. This is true because your perception of your world creates your reality. If you believe that people are bad and are out to get you, this will be your experience. However, if you believe that you are surrounded by loving, kind, caring people than this will be your experience.

As people age, pain in the body often becomes more and more prevalent. If you focus on the pain in your leg, your leg will not only continue to hurt it may even feel it hurts more. However, if you distract yourself instead and focus on something that makes you happy, something that brings you joy you will feel the pain in your leg less and eventually it may not even bother you at all.

It has been proven for many years now that the universe is completely made up of energy. You and I and everything in our world is energy. Energy has different frequencies. Our thoughts have different frequencies. The easiest way to control our individual frequency is through our thoughts and feelings. If you are feeling bad or thinking stinkin’ thoughts then you will be attracting more of the same through your energetic field. You are a magnet and you will attract more of what you are. If you feel good and focus on thoughts that are positive and uplifting you will be attracting more of this through your energetic field.

It may sometimes feel hard to change your thoughts and feelings from focusing on the negative to focusing on something positive. There is a tool that you can use though that will make this switch super easy. First of all put a smile on your face. Then start thinking about all of the things you are grateful for. Start off with the obvious. Be thankful for waking up. Be thankful for your breakfast. Start writing all of the things you are thankful for down on a piece of paper. Before you know it you will have a list of things and you will begin to feel better. It is impossible to be feeling bad and thinking negative thoughts when you have a smile on your face and you are thinking about all the things in your life you have to be thankful for.

Once you have done this exercise start sending loving thoughts to the areas in your life that you wish to see improvement. Send love and happiness to the areas in your body t...