Maiden Voyage

Hello to all! (However many of you “all” might encompass.)  This is my initial attempt at blogging on a more personal level (not as much lawyer stuff).  I will endeavor to post in the first person on regular intervals. Hopefully, it will be of interest to most of you, at least from time to time.

The first thing that I would like to do is to say thank you to my wife Janne.  About five (5) years ago, I decided that I was going to break up my former general practice law firm in my hometown of Phoenix, New York  (of which Estate Planning and Asset Protection was only a small part), and move my office to 7th North Street in Liverpool. It was there that I founded Safe Harbor Wills and Trusts, where our sole focus is helping our clients protect their home and life savings for their families and loved ones.  (They “why” of this decision will be forthcoming in my next post.)

This was a big step, because I would be walking away from a fairly reliable stream of income, and essentially beginning a new law practice, in a new office, in a different town.  I had no clients, no systems, no process, and no proof that I would succeed.  Without my Janne’s belief in me, and her financial and personal sacrifice while I worked on building Safe Harbor Wills and Trusts, I could not have left behind a law practice which was emotionally draining and professionally stunting.  Many spouses would have demanded to stay with what was safe and known.  It was a scary prospect but, as always, Janne believed in me, and that, in the end,  was what I needed.

My children, Connor, Hannah, Evan and Nolan also deserve credit. As I was building Safe Harbor Wills and Trusts, their unwavering belief and encouragement gave me additional fortitude to continue to move forward.

As I write this blog over time, I will attempt to provide pertinent information regarding estate planning, asset protection, Medicaid, Trusts, paying for long-term care, accessing services for disabled clients to enable them to stay at home, probate, and protecting assets for your family after you are gone. Hopefully, I wil be able to augment these posts with real life examples (protecting attorney-client privilege, as always). I may also intersperse some updates on my wife, my kids, and our journeys through life.

I might also provide some quotes from time to time which I have found inspirational, or maybe just funny.  These will be fillers, for times when I don’t have anything interesting to post. They will give you a glimpse into what makes me tick. (Foretold is forewarned, they say.)

I hope that you will enjoy this blog, and if so, that you will invite your friends and family to enjoy it as well.

This maiden voyage has come to an end.  Happy New Year to all.  I will see you again in 2019.

John Murphy