Sleeping When the Wind Blows

Scott Farnsworth recently sent me an e-mail with this timeless story:

The story is told of a wealthy farmer who decided to hire a foreman to help him take care of his farm. A young man applied for the job with high recommendations from prior employers, so the farmer interviewed him, albeit with a bit of skepticism because of his youth. The farmer asked about his personal and work history, how he got along with others, and why he chose to work on farms. All his answers were satisfactory. Finally, the farmer asked him why he should get the job, and the young man replied, "Because I can sleep when the wind blows." The farmer was puzzled by this answer, but decided to hire him anyway based on his job references.

A few weeks later, the farmer was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a huge approaching storm. He woke his son and told him to throw on his clothes and go get the foreman so they could tend to the animals, the equipment, and the rest of the farm before the storm hit with all its fury. He rushed to the barns to see what he could do to protect his farm from the dangerous gale. His son caught up to him in a couple of minutes and said he couldn't wake the young foreman. This angered the farmer, and he swore he'd take care of that impudent young man as soon as his farm was safe.

But as he and his son went from barn to barn and shed to shed, they found that all the animals were safely within their stalls and corrals. All the tools and equipment were put away and locked up. All the doors and gates were closed tight. Everything was battened down; nothing was amiss. There wasn't a thing they needed to do, except go back to bed. The farm was safely sheltered from the storm.

Then it came to him in a flash. He remembered-and finally understood-what the young man had said in the job interview: "I can sleep when the wind blows." He shook his head in amazement and went back to the house with his son. He climbed back into bed, but he didn't sleep. All he could think about was a young foreman wise beyond his years who could sleep when the wind blows.

Many put off estate planning until they are ready to die, but then many of those find that death comes earlier than anticipated. Is your family prepared to weather the storm of your passing or disability?  And what of the current financial maelstrom? Are you sleeping soundly through this crisis?  Don't put it off any longer. Sleep soundly by getting your financial and legal affairs in order.