Summertime is Fun Time? Well let’s just say it’s become different this year!
Usually the summer months for me have been spent enjoying our 1000 Islands cottage and all the boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing and sailing as can fill one’s day. Of course, there are the ongoing chores and maintenance items that need to be fit in too, but for some reason, I even find all of those at the cottage more pleasant than at home in the city. Jumping into the lake to cool down whenever you feel like it, makes you feel like the kid you were, and in many ways still are.
But this year has become significantly different to say the least. On the 4th of March, my mother in law died following a short battle with cancer. She was this amazingly independent and full of life 94-year-old who at the end of November last year was not feeling well and was diagnosed with a bladder infection. Things did not improve and just prior to Christmas she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Renal Cancer. Her health deteriorated quickly. We had always supported her wish not to be placed in a nursing home, my wife moved in early in January to become her primary care giver. If you want an education into what Home Care truly is, I cannot think of a more frustrating way to learn. The reality is, our “Home Care” system is a long way from what ‘Care at Home’ should be. I have now become an advocate for change in this area.
And what about COVID-19? Anyone not affected by it? Since everything struck in the middle of March, I have been helping my clients to calm themselves by assuring them that their investments in their Segregated Funds continue to be managed by very competent fund managers and the June statements have proven that to be so; nobody has shown a loss since their December 31st statements. As for their concerns regarding their Income Replacement, Life and Critical Illness Insurances, they have nothing to worry about as those insurances are fully guaranteed and the contract language cannot be changed in any way to weaken the policies.
So now it is the end of July; I played my first round of golf yesterday with my son and Friday we are starting a week of vacation at the cottage.
Stay well everyone and I hope that you will enjoy whatever this summer still has for you.