National Financial Wellness Month: How Estate Planning Strengthens Your Financial Foundation
January is National Financial Wellness Month, a time when many people resolve to save more, spend wisely, and plan for the future. Budgets are reviewed. Retirement accounts are checked. Financial goals are set.
But financial wellness isn’t just about what you earn or save. It’s about whether your financial life is protected when life takes an unexpected turn.
At Pettis Webber Pacific, we often say that estate planning is financial wellness planning. Because without the right legal structures in place, even the most disciplined financial plan can quickly unravel.
Financial Wellness Goes Beyond Numbers
True financial wellness means:
- Knowing who can legally manage your finances if you cannot
- Ensuring bills, mortgages, and investments don’t stall during illness or incapacity
- Protecting assets from unnecessary probate, taxes, and court involvement
- Giving your loved ones clarity instead of confusion
We regularly meet families who did “everything right” financially—until a health crisis revealed that no one had legal authority to help.
Estate Planning Is Financial Protection
A strong estate plan protects your financial life in ways no budget or spreadsheet can:
- Durable Financial Powers of Attorney prevent frozen accounts and court intervention
- Trusts provide continuity, privacy, and control
- Beneficiary coordination ensures assets go where you intend
- Long-term care planning protects savings from being consumed by care costs that can exceed $11,000 per month
In Washington and Oregon, failing to plan can mean months of delay, thousands in legal fees, and avoidable stress for families already facing hardship.
Why January Is the Right Time
January offers perspective. It’s a pause between what has been and what’s ahead. It’s an ideal time to ask:
- Would my finances keep running if I couldn’t manage them myself?
- Are the right people legally empowered to help?
- Does my estate plan reflect my life today—not years ago?
Financial wellness isn’t about fear. It’s about confidence.
A Strong Start to the Year
This National Financial Wellness Month, consider estate planning an essential part of your financial health. At Pettis Webber Pacific, we help families in Washington and Oregon build plans that support stability, clarity, and peace of mind—no matter what the future brings.
Start the year with confidence. Schedule a consultation today.