Journey through estate planning leads to book

By Jeff Morris

Planning your estate and planning for aging are two completely different things. According to Manotick’s Marc Seguin, the latter scenario is often overlooked by people as they prepare for their retirement and beyond.

Seguin has written a book called Advocacy in Aging. The book is an easy-to-follow guide on financial planning, power of attorney, downsizing, health care directives, living will, gradual transitions, and more.

“It’s an easy read and it includes a lot of story-telling,” Seguin said of his book. “It’s not about financial planning, it’s about aging.”

Seguin, a retired business professional, went through an eye-opening journey with both his in-laws and his own parents. His father-in-law was passionate about estate planning, regularly sharing his findings. When both of his in-laws received a diagnosis of dementia, it became clear that he had not envisioned, discussed, or planned for the scenario of becoming ill or losing mental capacity. Seguin wondered if he, who had read so much on estate planning, had not thought about or planned for such a situation, how many people would, and to what extent?

Seguin wondered how this life transition could have been planned for and managed better. “People think about their finances and their estates, but what happens if you can’t care for yourself is something that is often overlooked,” he said.

Aging, estate planning, and dementia have become regular topics of conversation in Seguin’s personal social network. He and his wife proactively listen and share their experiences. Over time, they have been called upon to help friends and family.

The insight and experience gained during this ongoing journey have resulted in the establishment of five pillars of planning that capture solutions for the vast majority of the issues people face through the aging process or as they lose capabilities. Seguin said the recommendations and guiding principles presented in his book have become fundamental additions to his own estate plan and to his regular open communication about his plan with his family, typically yearly.

When Seguin turned 60, he was given a copy of Willing Wisdom, a book written by Thomas William Deans. Seguin said the book not only inspired him to turn his own experiences into his own book, but he reached out to Deans for some guidance.

“I spoke to Tom about the idea, and he was very positive,” Seguin said. “He mentored me through the entire process.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into everyone’s lives, it also affected the process of Seguin’s book.

“I had a plan to do a page per day,” he said. “It’s not that having more time at home because of the lockdown helped me get the book done faster, but it helped me spend more time on certain things and be more thorough in how I wrote the book.”

For more information on Seguin’s book or to order a copy, visit advocacyinaging.com. The book is also available at Manotick Office Pro.