Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: Legacy. I'm your host, Christopher Nudo. On this show, we dive deep into the pivotal moments that shape lives, families, and futures. Today, we're honored to have Martel Sardina, firm administrator at Integrity Law. She's also a CPA author, and she's devoted to her community. As a volunteer, Martell brings a decade of experience in estate planning and a personal story that reshaped how she approaches life and and professional purpose. She's a mother, wife, motorcycle rider, and former rock singer. Her journey is as unique as it is inspiring. Thank you for joining us here today. We will begin with a moment that changed everything for Martell, awakening to a crisis that threatened her family's future.
Imagine waking up to a nightmare you never saw coming.
Your loved one is ill, and there's no plan to protect your family's future.
This is the moment that changed Martell Sardina's life forever.
Martell, can you share who and what drives you personally and professionally?
[00:01:37] Speaker A: Well, I'd have to say it's probably my mom and her work ethic.
She's 84 years old. She still works full time. She drives a school bus.
For most of my life, she had two jobs. She did the bus and then was a waitress.
And just getting up every day, going to work, it's like you just got to get up and go and do everything you need to get done.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: That's fantastic. So you've become a mirror of your mom. And we do know your mom is amazing at 84, still working every day.
It's a terrific testimony to follow. So I know. But for our viewers, you're married to Tony. Tell us about, you know, when did you meet Tony? How long ago? How long have you guys been together?
[00:02:26] Speaker A: We met when I was 17, and I auditioned for his band.
So I was the singer in his band, which played a lot of hard rock and heavy metal music, which maybe you wouldn't guess by how I'm dressed today, but that's where we were back then.
And then we got married a couple years later and have been married for 33 years.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: That's fantastic. That's great. So we know from the story, but for our viewers, Tony became ill. And what was your first reaction and how did you really feel emotionally and mentally when Tony got sick?
[00:03:08] Speaker A: Okay, so I guess I'll start with going to the emergency room that day. He woke up. He didn't feel well. We got to the emergency room, and because he had physically walked in the door himself, the doctors didn't think that there was anything wrong with him.
Fast forward about 15 minutes. When we're back in a room and he's having incredible pain, I didn't know what to do because I couldn't artic. You know, he couldn't really articulate what was going on.
And then all of a sudden, he just blacked out. And that's when I'm pressing buttons and calling for help. And the nurses and doctors swarmed in.
And we found out after some series of tests that he had a very serious infection in his chest that had been misdiagnosed for about 30 years.
[00:04:04] Speaker B: And if I really understand it right from the years you and I have been together, this wasn't just a regular infection. Tony was septic. This could.
[00:04:14] Speaker A: Yeah, he could have died.
[00:04:15] Speaker C: Right.
[00:04:16] Speaker A: He was very, very close to dying. If he hadn't gone to the hospital when we did, he probably would not be here today.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: And you're describing a living nightmare that nobody wants to really ever have to deal with. So what were some of your thoughts and feelings and things that ran through your mind at this moment that this crisis was occurring?
[00:04:46] Speaker A: Well, I would say the first reaction was fear, because when he blacked out, I actually thought that he was dead.
The next thing would have been more, you know, immediate. What am I going to do with the kids who were, I believe, in like, eighth grade and fifth grade at the time, and they were at school.
So, you know, not knowing when I was going to be able to leave the hospital, who was going to be able to go get them from school, where were they going to go after that, and just trying, you know, trying to figure out what's going to happen next.
[00:05:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
Yeah.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Wow, that was quite a time. You're in the midst of this tragedy and you don't have anything in place. You don't have any type of will trust, powers of attorney, no estate plan in place.
Looking back on this, I know that you had started the process but never finished it. But what prevented you from having a plan in place during your life that when a tragedy like this occurred, you were unprepared?
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Well, I would say we started looking into estate planning when our oldest daughter was about a year old.
And that was precipitated by.
My husband, had a very good friend who was killed in a motorcycle accident.
[00:06:10] Speaker C: Another tragedy.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Yeah. He left behind two little kids and his wife, and they didn't have a plan.
And so it was, you know, kind of watching what they went through. And we decided, you know, we don't want that to happen to us. So we did take the step of going to meet with an attorney and started talking about, you know, what are the various documents you need? And then we got to the point where the attorney has said, okay, now you have to think about who do you want the guardians for your children to be? And that's where we got stuck because we couldn't come to an agreement on who those people should be.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: So you took the step, you went to the attorney, you got educated, but then it never got completed because you couldn't. You and Tony couldn't agree on who the guardians were. Which leads me to the thought, what could this attorney have done different to get you to the finish line?
[00:07:04] Speaker A: Well, I think the first thing would have been to tell us that whoever we picked wouldn't necessarily be a permanent choice and that if we changed our minds about who those people should be, that we could change it at a later time. I think we were very focused on if this is the person that we pick, that's who it is forever, and you can't do anything about it.
[00:07:28] Speaker C: Right.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: So that's kind of where we got stuck on it.
[00:07:32] Speaker B: I understand that.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: And then second, yeah, secondarily I would say there was not a lot of follow up from the other attorneys. Attorney's office. Not, you know, not to put the blame on him, but there wasn't anybody that ever called and said, oh, by the way, you know, you were here a month ago.
Don't you want to wrap this up?
[00:07:50] Speaker C: Right.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: So then kind of out of sight, out of mind, right.
[00:07:54] Speaker B: They didn't. You had lost your sense of urgency in the matter. The law firm didn't seem to have any sense of urgency. So how really did this experience shape your focus on how you work today?
[00:08:11] Speaker A: Well, I would say, you know, when I see clients come in that they're kind of in a similar situation. They're not sure who the people should be or they don't really know what they want to do or what they need to do.
Just saying sometimes it's better just to get something down on paper and get something completed. And you can always change it later if you decide you need. You know, let's say you start off with a will and that's what you needed on the day you came in. But now, several years down the road, you have a house, you have more assets, you have little kids.
Now maybe you want to think about creating a trust based plan and you know that these things can be changed over time. We've seen people that have had the whole trust based plan and now they're downsizing so they have less or they sold their house and now they don't need the trust anymore for other reasons. So then they can, you know, close that down and go back to a will based plan if it's necessary.
[00:09:13] Speaker B: It sounds to me like this whole experience really shaped how you feel about people and how you care for them and how you really try to guide them with the knowledge that you picked up as a result of not only working in a law office as an estate planning administrator, but also just being a loving person, helping the community.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: Yes. I mean, I would say I've had friends who have had issues with a parent that's become ill suddenly and no plan was in place and then having to help them try to navigate. Well, what do you do now with your dad's house and your dad's bank accounts and you know, when they realized that a probate court has to be involved and there's additional time and expenses related to that, you know, you take a step back and you say, okay, if I would have done this differently, I wouldn't have had to go through this process, which was very painful, time consuming, expensive.
You know, what can we do now that can help prevent that from happening to somebody else going forward?
[00:10:24] Speaker B: That's fabulous. I'm so glad you shared that.
I'm so glad you shared all of that information because I know I see your love for people every day. But now our viewers really get to be able to see Martell Sardina for the amazing person that she is.
So tell us a little bit about your career path. We know you've gone from auditioning for a band to an accountant and now working for a law firm. How does that happen?
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Well, I would say it's a series of, I don't know, accidents.
Happy accidents that happened when I was in high school. I thought for sure I was going to be the next Stephen King. Then I got interested in music. I started doing that for a little bit and then took a job working for a machine tool company.
And doing that was a writing related job. But the owner came to me one day and he said, I don't have the, you know, resources to be able to keep you on in this writing role.
My accountant says that I need to have a full time bookkeeper in here. So he's like, do you have any interest in learning how to do bookkeeping?
And I was good at math, so I thought, okay, I'll give it a shot.
[00:11:46] Speaker C: And.
[00:11:46] Speaker A: And basically he handed me a shoebox full of receipts and said, okay, the accountant will kind of help you. But Here you go.
So it's that led to going back to school and getting a bachelor's degree in accounting, eventually taking the CPA exam, working in public accounting.
And then, you know, fast forward several years and now I have my first child. So now I'm taking a break from working for a long time.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: We forgot to add mom into the job requirements. Yes, yes.
[00:12:22] Speaker A: So I stayed home with my kids for probably 10 years and then sort of slowly navigating back into the workplace.
For a while I worked at their school, just, you know, I was kind of the lunchroom mom worked in the cafeteria.
And then through mutual friends, we met. And then that's how you convinced me that my whole varied background would be make me well suited to learning how to do estate planning.
[00:12:53] Speaker C: Right.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: How to work for a lawyer.
[00:12:55] Speaker A: Right. And so it was, you know, it was interesting. It was kind of a hard, hard jump in some ways. But I think being a CPA helped a lot because I understood the tax side of probate and, you know, planning for the future and inheritance and everything.
But some of the plan design concepts were a little bit harder to get my head around because I was trying to, you know, figure out why would somebody want a, you know, a will based plan? Why would somebody want a trust based plan? Why wasn't it the same for every family that came in? Shouldn't, you know, shouldn't everybody just get the same thing?
So why are there these, you know, unique ebbs and flows to the direction things go in?
[00:13:43] Speaker B: You must have done really well because it's 10 years and you're still doing it and doing it successfully.
[00:13:49] Speaker A: So, yeah, I would say a lot of the learning curve was helped just by sitting in the client meetings and learning about their families and the dynamics. And sometimes we have people coming from a blended background where there's previous marriages and children on each side and then how do you protect each side of the equation?
[00:14:15] Speaker B: Sure. So this is fascinating and we are gonna learn so much more about your journey. We'll be right back.
Up next, we'll explore how faith and and planning can turn panic into empowerment.
[00:14:59] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:15:04] Speaker B: Welcome back to your life and legacy.
Loving what you're watching. Don't miss a moment or any of your favorite NOW Media TV shows. Live and on demand, anytime anywhere. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku iOS for instant access to bilingual programming or catch the podcast version at NowMedia TV. When fear threatens to take over, faith can become the compass that guides us through the storm. Martel's Journey shows how belief and planning can turn panic into empowerment.
So Martel, really, how did your faith guide you through such an overwhelming moment in your life?
[00:15:53] Speaker A: Well, I would say that you just don't know what to expect. You don't know what's going to happen next. You have no control over what's going to happen next.
So you have to just give that all to the Lord and let him handle it.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: I think it's important that our viewers, we let them in on the little secret that you and I met at church.
[00:16:17] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:16:18] Speaker B: And that it was getting to know one another at church and through friends that really lovingly surrounded us and everything brought us together in a way that now has shaped so much of our lives future.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Who would have thought?
[00:16:39] Speaker B: Who would have thought?
[00:16:40] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:16:41] Speaker B: So, so now you're in the middle of this crisis, you are at church, and so now what were elements of your faith? What were the, what were the things you were able to really lean on to get you through this?
[00:17:03] Speaker A: So I think one of the things would be, you know, there are times in your life where you may doubt the existence of God and then you see him show up through the people who are around you.
[00:17:18] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:17:22] Speaker A: So in that time, there were a group of ladies that I was in a Bible study with that were always praying for me, doing what they could to help with the kids, making us meals.
I would say the same for the co workers that I worked with at the time.
My family, my husband's family, particularly his dad and his wife stepped in and really helped with the kids during that time.
So I didn't think I was going to get emotional talking about that. It's a good thing I brought my Kleenex with today.
[00:18:00] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:18:00] Speaker A: So yeah, it's just the people, right. You hear people talking about being the hands and feet of Jesus to someone else and I was fortunate enough to experience that.
[00:18:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:18] Speaker B: There'S joy that came in the tragedy and you got to really be filled with the joy that the Lord brought despite a very difficult time in your family's journey.
So once you realized action was needed, how did you begin to make the plan to protect your family?
[00:18:43] Speaker A: Well, after Tony was out of what I'll just call the very critical stage, then we came, I believe came in, talked with you about, you know, what is the structure of the family now? What are the assets, what do we need to do? Is it a will based plan? Is it a trust based plan?
And because we had a home, we had some investment accounts and we had the two kids, we decided to go for the trust based Plan because that made the most sense for us at that time.
[00:19:18] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: But it was really, you know, I appreciate the fact that we work together to create the right shoe that fit the foot, as one would say.
But more importantly, we were taking the steps to ensure that your children, God forbid something should happen, were going to be set up best for the future. You were passing along that legacy that, that you and Tony were building together.
[00:19:47] Speaker A: Right. And then. Well, and then the other thing about just getting it done was that I believe we signed the plan within a month of when he had had the surgery.
So, again, that sense of urgency of the follow through, and even though you had been telling me for several months previous to any of this happening that I really should think about doing my own estate plan, that was kind of the like, yeah, you better get this done today.
[00:20:15] Speaker B: And that really leads me to my next question.
What was the fear? What was that compelling thing that prevented you and Tony from taking the steps prior to the tragedy? Because prior to the tragedy, you had taken one step and then it got stymied because you couldn't pick the people. But then, even when prompted to take the step, there was a fear holding you guys back. What was that? And how did you get past that?
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Well, I don't know so much that it was fear in that interim time. I think it was more like, you don't think anything bad is ever going to happen to you.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: So it's not important because this is never a situation that you're actually going to have to deal with in real life. It's all theoretical.
[00:21:05] Speaker C: Right.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: So until you get into the situation where somebody is injured or in a car accident or, you know, gets cancer or some other illness, that the time sensitivity isn't there.
[00:21:20] Speaker C: Right.
[00:21:20] Speaker A: So you think, you keep thinking, oh, I can do that tomorrow. I don't need to worry about that right now.
[00:21:25] Speaker C: Right, Right.
[00:21:26] Speaker B: And then tomorrow comes and it wasn't. You didn't wake up just the next day. You woke up to a whole new set of life circumstances.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: So how did you stay motivated and maintain clarity when honestly the future felt a little uncertain?
[00:21:49] Speaker A: Yeah, I think at that point you're kind of going through the motions. You know, you have a list of things that, you know, I need to get these things done today.
[00:21:58] Speaker B: I think that's the accountant in your step by step rules.
[00:22:01] Speaker A: Step by step rules.
But I would say overall, a lot of it was, you know, praying for the right outcome, praying for the right.
[00:22:10] Speaker B: Answers, certainly praying for healing for Tony. Right.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: Praying for healing, you know, Knowing that other people are praying for you.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: So, yeah, yeah, that, that, that motivation that we all take away in all of life's journey and during the joyful moments and unfortunately, the tragedies. And it's the tragedies that often ground us to our faith and ground us to always recalling and knowing that the Lord's in control of each day, not us.
[00:22:49] Speaker A: Right. And the other thing is, when you have two young kids that they have to be up and ready for school and you can't, as much as you might want to, just crawl in bed and pull the covers over your head, you have to get up for them.
[00:23:03] Speaker B: You do. You do.
So what lessons from this experience do you carry into your professional work and helping others for the unexpected?
[00:23:15] Speaker A: Well, I think there's empathy and compassion for people who are in different circumstances because we see like every possible scenario that's out there. We do, you know, we have just, you know, a single person who maybe doesn't have any kids that wants to leave money to charity. And it's very straightforward to the, you know, somebody who's newly divorced that needs to redo everything because of the life change or to the extreme. The one time that we had somebody who was awaiting surgery and locked themselves in the bathroom at the hospital until we could get there to sign their plan.
So it's just those different circumstances that come up. You just know everybody's coming from a different place and you just have to try to meet them where they are.
[00:24:06] Speaker B: That's fantastic. That's great.
And Martel, for viewers who want to learn more about your work and how they can follow your expertise and connect with you, what would. Where would they go to connect with you?
[00:24:23] Speaker A: Okay, so I'd say the primary place would be integritylaw.com we have a lot of great resources and articles on our website that kind of lay out what all the various aspects of estate planning are.
You can find our phone number there and, you know, if anybody has questions, feel free to give me a call and I'll try to answer them as best I can.
I also have a LinkedIn page, which I do post estate planning content on there from time to time. But probably the website or calling on the phone would be best.
[00:24:58] Speaker C: That's great.
[00:25:00] Speaker B: All these life experiences and, you know, the blessings of the clients that you've been able to serve has really helped you see people in a different light. And now the lens of going through this tragedy yourself really gives you the opportunity to serve people in a different capacity because you're meeting them where they're at versus just fulfilling a role as a firm administrator.
[00:25:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it helps to have some real world experience in what all these various scenarios can be. And just personally, I've had this experience with my husband. I've had family members who have passed away suddenly.
I've had friends who have had things happen, illness or injury or whatever, and just trying to help them understand, okay, here's where you are today.
What plan is in place and if there isn't a plan in place, how can we help you make that happen so that the next weird circumstance that comes up, you're better prepared for?
[00:26:14] Speaker B: Absolutely, absolutely.
And on that note, coming up next, how Martell turned her personal experience into a professional path in estate plan.
Welcome back to your life and legacy. Let's transition from Martel's personal awakening to how she transformed that experience into a career helping families navigate uncertainty. From personal hardship to professional mastery, Martell turned her experience into a purposeful career that helps countless families navigate uncertainty. Tell us about the experience with your dad and how that changed your life.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: My dad was diagnosed with brain cancer and lung cancer in 2008, 8 or 2007. He passed away in 2008 and he again died. A person who died with no plan in place.
Even though he had been the executor of his father's estate and was aware that an estate plan was a thing, it just never, probably never had the sense of urgency to get anything done.
In that case, there wasn't a lot of assets to deal with. So it was relatively easy to wrap things up, but it was hard in the sense that we didn't necessarily know what all of his wishes were. It would have been nice to have a little more guidance in that area and, you know, so we tried to just do what we thought the right thing was and hope we got it right.
[00:28:31] Speaker B: I would say that that probably summarizes most people's experiences that while we try to prepare the best we can, we're never fully prepared for not only the loss when it arrives, but also after the loss, what needs to get done, how it needs to get done.
And it's only in hindsight that we really recognize what we could have done better with a little more planning.
[00:29:08] Speaker A: Right.
And then I would say that because of that, at least I had some kind of a background familiarity with what the process could be.
I would also say that in working as a cpa, I had occasions where we would have to help someone with an estate tax return.
So I did have a little bit of familiarity in that Realm. But for me, I think just knowing how important that is and how if the plan is there, it just makes things so much easier because you are under so much stress anyway, just from whatever the circumstances are, it's one less thing that you have to worry about or deal with. You know, you can just kind of go, okay, here's what we need to do next and here's the steps, and let's just work our way through the steps. Maybe that is, you know, the accountant in me, but I think it helps because when people have the steps, they can at least see that they're making progress.
[00:30:15] Speaker C: Right.
[00:30:16] Speaker B: And I think the accountant in you would now really have the ability to help people plan for things that they don't even think about. Like in today's world, how many subscriptions do you have? And, you know, when you pass away, you're not going to be watching Hulu anymore, so, you know, that subscription has to be canceled. And all of these. Real life down to earth.
[00:30:46] Speaker A: Yeah. And I mean, one of the big things that we see is, you know, what do you do when you don't know someone's password for something?
So having some sort of a plan in place to deal with the digital aspect of your life and you know, how much trouble we've had with certain, you know, certain clients that they don't have access to a phone anymore. Now they can't get the backup code to log into an account that's actually a joint account because one spouse had the password and the other one didn't.
[00:31:20] Speaker C: Right.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: Very practical thing.
[00:31:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:23] Speaker B: So what challenges did you face transitioning your personal experience to professional experiences? So when really the question is.
[00:31:37] Speaker A: When.
[00:31:37] Speaker B: Did you realize that all of these personal experiences that you had really impacted your professional life in such a loving way?
[00:31:48] Speaker A: Well, again, I think it's the empathy for what each individual client is going through, whether it's just trying to get a basic estate plan done, or if we have someone that's on the other side either doing a probate or a trust administration.
You have to be sensitive to the fact that these people are hurting a lot of times.
[00:32:09] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:32:10] Speaker A: And because I've been there multiple times in different ways, I feel there, you know, I can connect on that level. But then you also have to step back and remember that whatever you experience personally isn't the exact same thing that they're experiencing.
So trying not to push what worked for you into someone else's planning, even though it might be a good idea, it might not be the right thing.
[00:32:40] Speaker B: For their family yet, being Able to meet them where you're at because of the experiences that you've had allows you to connect with them at a level much different than just attorney to client, but more person to person.
[00:33:03] Speaker A: Right?
Yeah. And then having that, you know, the real world experiences of what happens in the hospital when you have a power of attorney that isn't effective immediately. And now you have red tape that you have to go through to get doctor's letters that say that you're allowed to make the decisions for your, you know, spouse or your mom or dad is, you know, you can give some guidance on that. Like, here's the reasons why maybe you would prefer to have a document that's effective immediately versus something that's triggered by a doctor's letter just for the sake of expediency and, you know, being able to do your job as the person's agent or caregiver.
[00:33:48] Speaker C: Right.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: Such practical advice, simple wisdom.
[00:33:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:52] Speaker B: So were there mentors, courses or pivotal moments that shaped your approach when it comes to helping those with estate planning?
[00:34:05] Speaker A: Sure.
I would say that at the very beginning, you were probably my biggest mentor because I sat in on all of the client meetings just to kind of be a sponge and soak in as much of that information as possible about all of the different planning strategies that are out there.
I've done various training courses with the University of Illinois and their tax school with Wealth Council and the different documents, like more technical stuff. And then now being part of a peer group of other law firms that are doing the same thing and just getting ideas from them about, you know, what they're, what they do in their practice, what they're seeing out there in the marketplace, how do you adjust to the different changes that are happening?
And then, you know, how do we bring that back here to Illinois and make those things work for our clients?
[00:35:10] Speaker C: Right.
[00:35:11] Speaker B: How do we take those best practices for the estate planning world that we live in and the estate administration world that we help clients through those difficult times and give them the very best that's available.
[00:35:28] Speaker C: Right.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: Yeah. So how has your unique perspective and let's be honest, you know, rock and roll author, CPA mom, and now firm administrator for a law firm.
It's definitely a unique set of skills and perspective.
What sets you apart from everybody else, or maybe I just articulated what sets you apart, but there's a lot of color there. Martell, what can our viewers learn about that?
[00:36:05] Speaker A: I would say say that I think one of the things, not that it's not just me, but I think that amongst a Lot of the estate planning professionals that I know, it's the empathy and the, you know, the compassion for what the client or potential client is going through, looking at that and, you know, trying to help them figure out not necessarily how to fix everything, but, you know, because we can't do everything for them, but how to get them to the place where they can start making the decisions that need to be made so that they can either have a plan or clean up a messy plan or no plan and just try to get life, for lack of a better term, back to normal.
[00:37:02] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:37:03] Speaker A: So out of crisis mode and back to kind of a status quo.
[00:37:07] Speaker C: Right.
[00:37:08] Speaker B: And I know because we work together, but for our viewers, Integrity Law is a very faith based law firm, meaning that all of us really embrace the Bible and Christ's teaching and, and try and bring that sense of compassion, faith and guidance as we're taught to every client meeting.
How have you done that?
[00:37:40] Speaker A: I would say it would have to do with getting people to really think about the decisions that they're making.
So especially in the cases of like blended families or families where there are family members struggling with, you know, addiction or financial mismanagement and sometimes the client, you know, wants to maybe disinherit a child or a family member.
And I'm not saying that there aren't a million reasons why that's completely appropriate to do so, but at the same time, you know, is that really what you want to do? Is that the way that you want to leave things with the people who are left after you're gone?
Because the person who's getting disinherited is going to be very angry. They're not going to understand why.
So it's like trying to get them to think about is that the right way to handle it? Or if you're going to do it that way, maybe you should be having that conversation now so that they're not hit with a ton of bricks when the time comes.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: Excellent. That's so good. Yeah, it's wise wisdom there.
[00:38:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:38:54] Speaker B: On that note, we'll be right back. Up next, Martel shares her vision for impacting families and leaving a lasting legacy.
Welcome back to your life and legacy. Loving what you're watching. Don't miss a moment or any of your favorite NOW Media TV shows. Live or on demand, anytime, anywhere. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS for instant access to bilingual programming or catch the podcast version at NowMedia TV. In this closing segment, Martel reflects on vision, impact and the legacy we leave through the work we do and the lives that we touch. What if your past hardships became the key to helping others protect their families and plan for their future?
Martell's mission is not just a career, it's a calling. What is your vision for helping families and individuals navigate estate planning successfully?
[00:40:38] Speaker A: Well, I would say I think the first thing is to not wait. So if you don't have something in place, you need to start thinking about that now.
[00:40:47] Speaker B: Is there a too early?
[00:40:49] Speaker A: I don't think so.
I mean, I think it's never too early to learn.
So you can learn about what your options are. You can learn about what the various, you know, documents, the purpose of them and what they're used for.
At a minimum, I would say, you know, just helping somebody get like a financial or health care power of attorney in place, that would be a great starting point.
And then helping them build that as, let's say it's a young couple build as you grow together. Right. So maybe at first it's you start with the poas, then you add a will, Then as you accumulate, you know, either house or investments or have children, now maybe thinking about going into one of the more sophisticated trust based plans, the more, you know, the easier it will be to make decisions.
And there's no, you know, there is a, you may not feel like there's a sense of urgency to get it done, but you, the sooner you get it done, then you have the peace of mind knowing that it's done and that you don't have to worry about it should something tragic happen.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: So many young people today are not doing planning because they're afraid of the cost.
It's not going to happen to them. They don't need it right now.
They're in a place where it's for the old guy upstairs. As a matter of fact, I think you and I like to joke around about the 60 year old kids that come in with their 80 year old parents and they need to take care of their 80 year old parents, but are ignoring the fact that they're 60 years old already.
[00:42:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:41] Speaker B: So, you know, tell us how your personal experiences, whether it would be caring for your, you know, the loss of your dad, the loss of close friends, the tragedy with Tony. How would you use those stories to really help these people understand that they need to take care of themselves?
[00:43:03] Speaker A: Yeah, well, when you turn 18, that's where you gotta start because now you're an adult in the eyes of the law, that's scary. So. Right. And your parents aren't allowed to make decisions for you anymore.
So we see a lot now with college kids coming in to at least get a healthcare power of attorney done in case something happens while they're away at school.
But you know, younger couples that maybe don't have kids that don't think it's, you know, they don't have to worry about this yet or it's too expensive, there are solutions out there at every possible price point.
[00:43:41] Speaker C: Right.
[00:43:42] Speaker A: So there's really no excuse for not doing something.
[00:43:46] Speaker C: Right.
[00:43:48] Speaker A: And even if we have a meeting with somebody to explain, just explain to them what the options are and they go home and use some kind of an Internet service to prepare a power of attorney, I would rather see that happen than the person do nothing at all.
[00:44:05] Speaker C: Right.
[00:44:06] Speaker B: Something's better than nothing.
[00:44:07] Speaker A: Yes.
And you know, with our 60 year old kids and the 80 year old parents, they have to think, you know, because a lot of them are grandparents themselves.
[00:44:18] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:44:18] Speaker A: And so they have children and grandchildren and accumulated wealth that if they don't do anything, a lot of that money is going to get eaten up in court costs and attorneys fees. And while, you know, attorneys like to make money, I'm going with the CPA side of things, like what you would say with the irs. Let's keep that as low as you.
[00:44:42] Speaker B: Can to a minimum.
[00:44:42] Speaker A: You have to pay. Keep it to a minimum.
[00:44:44] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:44:46] Speaker A: So doing something now, even though it might cost you a few dollars out of pocket, is going to save you a lot more in the run.
[00:44:53] Speaker B: That's right. And, and it's going to be. It's. You're, what you're doing is you're setting a good precedent and developing the passage of your legacy to those you care about.
[00:45:06] Speaker A: Right.
[00:45:07] Speaker B: I often say that, that doing your estate plan is the best love language one can have to their kids.
[00:45:16] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And like my kids are, one just graduated from college, the other one's still in college. But when they went away to school because of the fact that we had, had all these things happen in our family, I'm like, before you guys go away to school, we're doing a simple will, we're doing the healthcare and financial power of attorney.
You may never need it. I hope you don't. I hope I never have to use it. But at least it's there should something go wrong.
[00:45:47] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:45:49] Speaker A: And I think talking to your young adult children about that and trying to prepare them for what's coming as they get older, at least now they understand some of the concepts.
So that when they eventually graduate school and get married themselves, it's already kind of in the back of their mind, oh, yeah, I need to take care of that. That's on my checklist.
[00:46:12] Speaker B: I was just gonna say that there should be a checklist that says, oh, I'm an adult. What are some of those things that need to happen? Oh, I just got married. What are the things on that checklist? Oh, I just had a kid.
Now, what's on that checklist? And I think what you're saying is estate planning, it's.
[00:46:33] Speaker A: It's a lifelong process. It's an evolving process.
Like I said, you could start at 18 with essentially nothing and keep going until you're a grandparent or great grandparent and your life changes along the way, guide what kind of a plan you need.
[00:46:52] Speaker C: Right.
[00:46:53] Speaker B: And does your plan change as life evolves?
[00:46:57] Speaker A: I would say yes.
So you just have to, you know, if you have a plan and you haven't looked at it in a few years, now would be a great time to, you know, have an attorney review it and tell you if it still fits your circumstances today.
[00:47:13] Speaker C: Right.
[00:47:13] Speaker B: I always like to think of a foot in a shoe. I don't know, maybe a hand and a glove, because they really.
I always like to think that one size doesn't fit all. It's a tailored. It's a tailored fit for not only who you are, but where you are in life's process.
[00:47:34] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:47:35] Speaker B: So do you see your role as a calling?
I mean, how does.
Where you're at today and the experiences you had, which, honestly, I feel, knowing you as well as I do, it is a calling of yours. But how does that really impact how you work with our clients?
[00:47:58] Speaker A: As far as it being a calling? I don't know that I ever thought of it that way before.
I. Sometimes I wonder, how did I get here? And I'm happy that I'm here, and I like what I do, but I never really thought about the trajectory and, like, all these twists and turns in it and that it led me to the place that I'm supposed to be now.
So how that impacts how I work with people is just, again, it's, you know, trying to meet them where they are, trying to understand the circumstances in their family, trying to help based on what I've experienced personally, but also not overstepping and trying to force a solution into their life that isn't the right fit.
You just have to, you know, sometimes we're like, okay, please do it this way. And they're like, no, no, I only want to do this part of the plan.
[00:49:01] Speaker B: And is that true for. You know, I understand that that's for the majority of people we meet with, but how have these experiences also impacted those close friends and family members?
[00:49:14] Speaker A: Well, I would say it's.
I'm getting on people a lot about getting their plans done, about, you know, making sure that they're helping their parents and finding out what plan is in place for their parents.
And then now I have friends, a very good friend who just became a grandma.
[00:49:34] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:49:35] Speaker A: So. And her daughter has recently married and had a baby. So what plan is in place for that family? You need to think about that, too. And, you know, as the grandma now, you can have some pull in helping them get it done.
[00:49:49] Speaker B: Definitely some influence.
[00:49:51] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:49:51] Speaker B: So what legacy do you hope to leave behind to your family and through your work and the thousands of clients that you touch?
[00:50:02] Speaker A: I would just hope that everybody would heed the advice that they're given and think about the decisions that they're making.
[00:50:11] Speaker C: Right.
[00:50:12] Speaker A: And, you know, when you don't know the answer, pray about it.
[00:50:16] Speaker B: Good wisdom there.
[00:50:17] Speaker A: And then, you know, follow through. Don't wait.
[00:50:20] Speaker C: Don't wait.
[00:50:21] Speaker A: Because tomorrow's not promised.
[00:50:24] Speaker B: It's not.
[00:50:24] Speaker C: No.
[00:50:26] Speaker B: Martell, this has been an incredibly valuable time together, and I thank you so much for joining me today.
[00:50:34] Speaker A: Thanks for having me.
[00:50:35] Speaker C: You're welcome.
[00:50:36] Speaker B: Where can people follow you and continue this conversation further? Because we only had a short amount of time to unpack this, but those that want to really know more of your story, where can they learn more?
[00:50:52] Speaker A: I would say the. You know, probably the best way would be through the Integrity Law website. My email and contact information is there and happy to answer questions for anybody who might want to know more.
[00:51:04] Speaker C: Great.
[00:51:05] Speaker B: Thank you again so much for joining us today.
Hope you learned something valuable about Martell and her story.
Really, Martell, your journey reminds us that preparation, faith, and experiences can turn even the toughest challenges into opportunities that impact others positively to our viewers. Take time to reflect on your own life. Plan for the unexpected, and consider the legacy you wish to leave behind.
This is your life and legacy. I'm Christopher Nuto. Thank you for watching and see you next time.
