What happens when you die?
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There’s just something about making a gratitude list and eating great food with family that puts a smile on my face and cheer in my heart.
This year, however, things went a little differently for me.
On Thanksgiving day, we learned that a man we had been praying for had passed away. His name was Brandon, and he was struck by a car Nov. 12 while helping a woman and her child get to safety after their vehicle had caught on fire. Since then, he had fought for his life until going to rest Thanksgiving morning.
I didn’t know Brandon personally, but by all accounts, he was an outstanding guy.
His passing hit me hard. You see, he and I have many things in common. We are close to the same age and have similar family dynamics that include a wife and children who we love and cherish.
Brandon was also business owner. That means he had taking on the responsibility of providing not only for his family, but also for the families of all who worked for him. And judging by the teary-eyed employees who showed up at the hospital, that was not a job Brandon took lightly. He had been the kind of boss who had earned his employees’ loyalty, respect and love.
As I pondered this situation, I realized that when I’ve stopped to help people on the side of the road, I haven’t considered it dangerous. So, when I heard that a guy who was loved by all was taken at such a young age while doing that, it hit me deep inside. I found myself asking, “What will happen when I die?”
Now, I’m not talking about Judgement Day, which needs to be considered as well. I’m talking how life will go on after I die and what will happen to all those who depend on me.
As investors, one of our jobs is planning for the future. Ashley and I started thinking about our mortality a few years ago. This was an uncomfortable subject, but it was one we needed to plan for.
If I die today, Ashley and the kids will be taking care of financially. We have a solid life insurance policy in place that has coverage enough to pay for my funeral expenses, payoff all our personal debt and payoff all the mortgages on the rentals. After that, there will still be enough left over to give Ashley living expenses until the kids are through with school.
My policy runs about $65 a month, which is well worth the peace of mind of knowing my family is taken care of. ( you can read more about how we chose our policy on this previous post)
But what about our business?
We’ve been doing some evaluating lately and have found that I’m an integral part of most of its functions. I do the project management and the property management. I’m also responsible for both acquiring new properties and getting funding for those properties. I’m literally a single point of failure for the company. If I die today, the business would shut down and my employee’s would be out of a job.
One of our goals this year is to process map all of the functions that occur in our business, create standard operating procedures for each of them and then start delegating those responsibilities to others.
This will ensure the business will outlive me and also that my employees are taken care of.
This delegation process will also free up some of my time. Which brought me to my next question: “What have I been doing with my time?”
After some tearful examinations I realized I hadn’t been spending my time in the right places. Yahweh and my family are the things that matter most to me. And I guarantee I’ll be spending this newfound time I’ve been given with them.
Joe and Ashley English buy houses and mobile homes in Northwest Georgia. For more information or to ask a question, go to www.cashflowwithjoe.com or call Joe at 678-986-6813.