Wendy and I had just landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on the way to Vienna for our first ever cruise. We each brough a carry-on bag out of our Delta flight and headed straight to the flight information display to find the gate of our connection. Charles de Gaulle Airport is very big and sprawling and getting from one gate to another can sometimes take a while.
After taking a minute to find our connection, we continued walking past a couple of security gates, the type that warns you on both ends you cannot go back without getting detained or arrested. We then proceeded down an escalator and to an airport tram. While waiting for a tram, Wendy turned to me and asked whether she was rolling one of the carry-ons or whether I had both. I quickly looked towards Wendy who was carrying no bags, and a sense of dread overcame me. That suitcase contained our jackets and some other winter items to keep us warm. It was chilly in Vienna!
Admittedly, what followed were a few tense exchanges between the two of us. Wendy then indicated that she must have left a carry-on bag in front of the flight information display when we stopped to look for our connection. We didn’t need to stop there as Wendy had known the gate, but I wanted to anyway for some reason.
Key Blind Spots Addressed
We both rode the escalator back up and looked towards those security doors, hoping that some personnel with security clearance would come through and lead us back the mere 100-150 feet to our unattended bag. That unfortunately never occurred.
Not too far from the tram, we found two airport employees and explained our dilemma. They indicated that we should head to the Delta counter 4 stops down on the tram and roughly 2 miles away on the opposite end of the airport campus. I told Wendy that we would never see our bag again. She called me a Grinch and an Eeyore and told me to get on the tram with her and head to the Delta counter. Wendy is often the more positive of the two of us. As the tram sped away, I could almost visualize our carry-on leaving my site and disappearing over the horizon.
When we arrived at the Delta counter, we spoke with one employee who indicated that we should go to Delta online and file a missing bag report. This report would then be attended to in the next couple of business days. Wendy and I were not inspired by this response or the effort that was made to help us.
We then went to a second employee. She asked us a few questions to pinpoint where our bags might be, and then immediately jumped into action. She called another employee to ask them if they could temporarily take her spot and then headed back on the tram to the opposite end of the airport to find our bag. Wendy and I each took a seat, and I started discussing our recovery odds. Wendy then turned to me and said those odds were 100%.
About 30 minutes later, an employee called me over to the desk and showed me a picture of a silver/gray suitcase on her I-phone. It was texted to her by the employee trying to help us. Yes! I shouted. That was definitely our suitcase.
I was then told that the airport police had formed a perimeter around the abandoned suitcase, and it would just take a few extra minutes to let them know what happened and to convince them that it not a security risk.
When we got our suitcase back, Wendy and I both thanked the employee profusely. She had truly gone out of her way to help us.
I was on fire - almost
5. Estate Planning for Their Children: We worked on estate planning strategies to ensure their children would benefit equally in the event of an unexpected passing, while also preventing any undue tax or financial burden to any one of them.
6. Ensuring Healthcare Access for Adult Children: Since their children are over 18, we helped them establish the necessary legal documents to ensure they could continue assisting with healthcare decisions if needed.
7. Evaluating Long-Term Care Insurance: We are currently assessing long-term care insurance options to determine whether coverage could help protect their assets and provide financial security for each other and their children in case of a prolonged need for care.
8. Projecting Retirement Readiness: We analyzed their current budget and anticipated future expenses to help determine when they could comfortably retire.
Final Thoughts
Without a financial plan, serious mistakes can be made. However, it is rarely too late to work on a plan and create a better outcome even if it initially seems a fix is out of reach. Giving up or ignoring the problem will most often make it worse.
Make sure you have a professional partner that is willing to roll up their sleeves and help, like the one Wendy and I found at the airport.
Our motto is “we can help you with that.” We will collaborate with you on any financial decision you make, engaging other subject matter experts when necessary. We will not stop until we get things right. We encourage you to reach out to us for assistance in making important financial decisions and we always appreciate you recommending us to others.
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And Now …
Today, 10 years later, our practice has grown considerably. We have phenomenal clients, a great team, and our practice is still part of the Integrated Financial Group. During this time, we have helped individuals and families with their estate planning, investment planning, executive compensation planning, retiree tax planning, and insurance planning. These are just a few of the areas we focus on for our clients.
I eventually got my drivers’ license (at the ripe age of 27), married my lovely wife, Wendy, and purchased a home in Woodstock GA complete with a fire extinguisher on each floor and a built-in sprinkler system.
Working with my amazing team to best service you has been the ultimate privilege. Our team will continue to expand our range of offerings with the goal of responding to all your financial planning needs. We will also make sure to do so without ever letting up on our service and responsiveness to you.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey.
Most investments are meant to be long term. Always evaluate whether the time horizon required for an investment to succeed matches your timeline for liquidity.
Imagine in mine and Wendy’s case if the doors and the windows locked just as we were trying to leave or that someone came down the stairs just as we were wandering around the main level.
Our motto is “we can help you with that.” We will collaborate with you on any financial decision you make, engaging other subject matter experts when necessary. We will not stop until we get things right. We encourage you to reach out to us for assistance in making important financial decisions and we always appreciate you recommending us to others.
by Hetmayar
Authored by Gary Alpert
Tracking ID: 701157-1
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