No Sour Notes When You Hire the Professionals

There are good musicians in my family… I am not one of them.

Each fourth grade student at my elementary school was compelled to choose a musical instrument or join the chorus. I chose the trumpet. The noises that escaped from that collection of joined brass tubes, valves, and fittings – with my help – were indescribable.

My grandmother was “treated” to an impromptu trumpet “concert” in my parents’ dining room early in the fall of fifth-grade. As soon as I started playing, I spied my grandmother losing control of her normally placid countenance. She was turning bright red, the laughter popping out in bursts until it was uncontrollable. I believe it was one of only two times in her life in which she lost total control.

The other time being her hearing that Lucky Lindy had successfully crossed the Atlantic in 1927.

I gave up the trumpet.

Next, it was on to the violin. My mother had been a talented violinist. She played at Carnegie Hall in the late 1950s as an invitee along with the best NYC high school violinists. Her playing was smooth and melodic.

My violin sounded like a rusty door being pried off of its hinges by a grizzly bear. In the eighth grade, the orchestra teacher actually seated me off-stage with another not-quite-expert violinist during orchestra concerts. If you were in the audience, you may have seen the tip of my sneakers, but definitely not me nor my violin.

The violin went back into its case.

You usually know what you are good at. Diagnosing a transmission problem in your 1977 Olds Delta 88? Sure. Being the second-best player in any pick-up basketball game? Definitely. Making your own will, navigating the Medicare and Medicaid system when a loved one is ill, or downloading a power of attorney from the internet? No. 

After decades of talking with legal do-it-yourselfers, certain patterns have emerged. Bad experiences with lawyers and the idea of tackling what looks like just paperwork seems doable. Saving money is another reason to see if you can draft a legal document. I have seen some pretty wild documents masquerading as legal work. Like a weekend hobbyist building a birdhouse with no door, you crack a smile, appreciate the effort, and wonder what the point of all of that wasted time was.

But this behavior is destructive. It is a mindset that can lead to catastrophic results. Medicaid planning and estate planning involves protecting homes and other significant assets. Mistakes made by an amateur will cost you and your loved ones hundreds of thousands of dollars. A grandchild may not be able to afford college. A disabled child will not have enough funds to sustain them over their lifetime. A spouse may have to sell the family home.

When you must protect your family, you call a professional and have it done right.

I gave up playing music, outside of pressing some keys in a music store while my daughter goes instrument shopping. I became a DJ, first in high school and then in college, playing other people’s music – talented musicians who were not me.

It was better that way… for everyone’s ears.

Alan D. Feller, Esq., is managing partner of The Feller Group, located at 572 Route 6, Suite 103, Mahopac. He can be reached at alandfeller@thefellergroup.com.