• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
< class="site-title" itemprop="headline">Flood & Masiuk LLC | Southampton Estate Planning Attorneys

Attorneys At Law

  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Speaker Connection
  • Estate Planning
    • Asset Protection and Business Planning
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning Services
    • Trust Administration and Probate
  • Elder Law
    • Are You A Caregiver?
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veteran’s Benefits
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Needs Checklist
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning FAQ’s
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning FAQs
      • Trust Administration & Probate FAQs
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Trust Administration & Probate Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Home / Estate Planning / The Wrong Joe- Estate Planning is the story of your life

The Wrong Joe- Estate Planning is the story of your life

August 12, 2013 by Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney

One of the many reasons that Estate Planning is so fascinating is that everyones life is a Story. To create the optimal estate plan, it is importantalmost essentialto learn That Persons Story. Details like where one grew up, how (s)he met their spouse, how did (s)he choose their lifes work, what ones kids are likeall of these richly unique details help to bring about an Estate Plan which is a true reflection of ones own values, personality and legacy.

The more stories Ive come to know, the more that Im convinced that major, life-defining events sometimes grow from small, minor, random, accidentaland sometime mistakenhappenings.

Heres an example of Life Happening Out of a Mistake:

The year was 1970. On a local college campus walked a college sophomoreserious in purposefocused upon his educationallowing himself some extracurricular time by joining the college concert band. As his sophomore year progressed, he was occasionally met between classes by an unusually friendly, terribly cute young woman, who always greeted him with a sweet smile and a bright hello whenever they passed. As the term continued, the young womans smiles and greetings became invitations to join her and her roommates for coffee and cards in their apartment.

Not quite understanding the reason for the young womans exceptional friendliness, but rarely able to resist this unexplained level of feminine attention, the young man finally agreed to meet the young woman and her roommates at their apartment. Knocking on the door, the young man again was greeted by what had now become the familiar friendly smile, except this time, there were additional words:

Theres someone Id like you to meet, said the Smiler, whereupon she introduced the young man to another woman, who, after greeting and taking one look at the young man, dropped her face on the floor with disappointment. Confusion and nervous discomfort became palpable among the three (along with some whispering between the two women), until the Smiler took the young man aside to apologize:

Im so sorry. My disappointed roommate here had asked me to invite a boy named Joe from the concert band for coffee and cards, because she thought he was cute and was too afraid to invite him over herself. She just told me that the boy she wanted to meet was Another Joe from the band and not youIm so sorry.

Rather than send the young man away, the Smiler tried to make a thoroughly uncomfortable situation a bit better by inviting Joe in, pouring him some coffee and just sitting and talking. These two college sophomores slowly but gradually learned that they really liked each other, and eventually the young man summoned enough courage to ask the Smiler on a date.

That date, October 23, 1970, was the first date between the woman who eventually became my wife, and me.

Its amazing that one evening of being the Wrong Joe has led to a friendship of 42 years, a marriage of almost 37 years, a law practice of 26 years and a family with two adult, college educated childrenand everything in between but thats how random life is, sometimes.

Speaking just for myself, being The Wrong Joe was The Best Mistake that Marianne Flood ever made.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney
Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney
As the founder and managing partner of the Southampton, Pennsylvania law firm of Flood & Masiuk, LLC, Marianne Flood oversees a practice devoted to providing clients with personalized service and counsel in all aspects of estate planning.
Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • What Is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust? - July 24, 2015
  • Will Medicaid Take My Home? - July 22, 2015
  • 2015 Estate Tax Exclusion Adjustment Released By IRS - July 18, 2015

Filed Under: Estate Planning

About Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney

As the founder and managing partner of the Southampton, Pennsylvania law firm of Flood & Masiuk, LLC, Marianne Flood oversees a practice devoted to providing clients with personalized service and counsel in all aspects of estate planning.

Primary Sidebar

Blog Subscription

Flood & Masiuk LLC | Southampton Estate Planning Attorneys

112 Lakeside Park
Southampton, PA 18966
Phone: (215) 322-6330
Fax: (215) 322-9199

MAP

map for Flood & Masiuk LLC office

Opening Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.
Attorney Advertisement

footer-logo
  • fb
  • twitter
  • linked-In