A Lawyer Known for His Gift of Giving…
For Marty, as he is known to his friends, perhaps this empathy was born out of first hand experience when his wife Patti was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006 and he realized that her diagnosis could trigger changes that might forever affect their lives and plans for the future. With that in mind, Marty and Patti educated themselves about living with MS and its potential long term costs, which can be extensive.
As they immersed themselves in preparing for the future, Marty applied his estate planning strategies to accommodate for Patti’s chronic illness and the unique unpredictable elements of living with MS. He also made adjustments to his life insurance holdings, trusts and other financial planning tools. Realizing that other families living with MS or other chronic illnesses could benefit from this type of specific estate planning advice, Marty began donating hundreds of hours of his professional time to the Society. “I can give back to the Society by sharing my special expertise.”
Patti modified her work hours to accommodate for her fatigue and undertook a positive regimen with one of the disease-modifying drugs. They both became active volunteers with the Society and their WalkMS “Tax Team” has raised over $44,000 to date.
“Adjusting to Patti’s diagnosis was difficult at first,” advises Marty, “but we learned to plan around her symptoms. Unfortunately, we also came to realize that despite the high incidence of MS, people who don’t personally live with the disease, don’t have a lot of understanding or sensitivity regarding its impact. That can be frustrating.”
Marty’s drive to protect people living with MS and to help fund research for a cure is unflagging. Free estate planning advice for people with chronic disease is available at his website www.laweasy.com. Marty just published a book called Estate Planning for People with a Chronic Condition or Disability (Demos Health). Generously, all royalties will be donated to help those with chronic illness. Marty is also the author of Funding the Cure, a book the Society distributes to potential donors to guide those with ties to MS as to how they can achieve a wide range of personal goals while giving to the Society. Any royalties on this book will be donated to the Society. He has also written numerous articles on financial planning for Momentum.
“I am passionate about aiding the Society,” says Marty, “not only because we need to fund a cure, but also because of the support they provide to families living with chronic illness. I am always trying to find ways to share my expertise with other people living with MS and chronic illness generally. Planning for the future is complicated and there is a need for educational resources.”
Marty spends his lengthy office hours advising clients on how to best manage their money over their lifetime. His practice concentrates on estate planning and administration, tax planning and corporate law. To this end, he has written 34 how-to legal books and 700+ articles. Marty is now finishing a new book for distribution by the Michael J. Fox Foundation that covers both estate planning and charitable giving for families living with Parkinson’s disease.
“Too many people and institutions are insensitive to those living with chronic illness. The more visibility given to the realities of any chronic illness, the easier it will become for anyone living with that illness, or anyone who has a loved one with it as well.”
His financial skills on strategizing for long term planning in the wake of a chronic illness combined with his dedication to give back to people in need as a volunteer have been spotlighted repeatedly in national media such as The Today Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and most recently, in a major feature in Forbes Magazine.
Download Forbes 7/13/09 article (.pdf)
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0713/charity-alzheimers-estate-planning-prescriptions.html
Moreover, Marty provides helpful ways you and those you know can give back to a cause of your choice in a current column in Financial Planning magazine.
“We need to continually educate people about living with MS and the need to fund research in order to increase the public’s sensitivity to the emotional, physical and financial costs of living with a chronic disease, and I will be there to do that until we are living in a world free of multiple sclerosis,” affirms Marty.
Some of Marty's Momentum Contributions:
Power of Attorney—Your most Important Legal Document
Home Sweet Home Business
Gift Annuities Help the Society and Protect Your Financial Future