Seeing Your Future

 

October 21, 2015 - that’s the date Doc Brown set to travel forward in time at the end of the movie “Back to the Future”. If you are old enough to remember 1985, you likely watched it on the big screen and heard Doc Brown’s excitement as he said “I always dreamed of seeing the future”. If you were too young or born later, you may have stumbled across it while channel surfing or perhaps, you’ve at least heard of Michael J. Fox and the “Back to the Future” movie series. The storyline is about the consequences of altering life through time travel. Marty McFly, played by Fox, and Doc Brown bounced between the past, present and future in this movie and stationed themselves squarely in 2015 in the 1989 sequel. For the writers, exploring the past and present was the easy part. But as they moved Doc and Marty into 2015, they had the more challenging and arguably more fun, task of imagining life almost thirty years into future. Since we’ve long passed October 21, 2015, fans enjoy celebrating “Back to the Future Day” each year and comparing what the writers imagined to our lives today. Jaws 19 and the holographic billboard to go with it, flying cars and turning trash into fuel on demand through the help of a handy Mr. Fusion are not part of our daily lives. For that matter, neither is time travel. But, they did get some things right or close to it. The writers were not far off in their illustration of the role technology would play in our daily lives along with hints of social media. They got pretty close with hover boards too.

How much time do you spend dreaming of and “seeing” the future? Imagining life ten, twenty or thirty plus years from now may feel daunting and perhaps, even disconnected from things which demand your attention today. But like we saw in the movie, decisions you make now can and most likely will, impact your future. How do you picture your journey as you move through the twists and turns of life and head toward retirement? How do you see your children’s and grandchildren’s futures? If you are already retired, how do you see your assets passing to the next generation? Do you have a vision for how you want them to be used? If you are a business owner, how do you envision the impact on you and your family as your company grows? How do you imagine transitioning when the time is right? Answers to these questions begin first with tapping into your mind's eye and creating visions for the future. It’s important to “see” your future and from there develop a plan that moves through time with you. Once established, leaving your plan unattended or worse yet, shelved, will likely end up much like the writers imagined 2015, parts may materialize or get close and others will be total misses.

You may think of your Private Wealth Advisors team as having the expertise to manage your investments or serve as trustee for a family trust. But, did you know we can help as you imagine your future, now and as you travel toward it? First and foremost, our team is here to understand how you envision your life’s journey by asking the right questions and being avid listeners, not just the first time we meet but every time. Taking your visions and dreams and translating them into a plan along with making sure it stays in synch as your life changes is the foundation for what we do. Managing investments, administering trusts, and developing strategies for retirement, taxes, borrowing and wealth transfer are essential parts of your plan, all of which begin with your dream of the future. Only in the movies can you go back in time. We can guide you through the important decisions that shape your future and make sure it remains in line with your vision. We look forward to being a part of it.

Audrey Mistor

First Merchants Private Wealth Advisors products are not FDIC insured, are not deposits of First Merchants Bank, are not guaranteed by any federal government agency, and may lose value. Investments are not guaranteed by First Merchants Bank and are not insured by any government agency. This material has been prepared solely for informational purposes. First Merchants shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the data or information, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Any views or opinions in this message are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the organization.