The Estate Plan Advanced Institute
Mary-Ann who heads my Business Development Department and I went to sunny (110 degrees) Las Vegas to attend The Estate Plan Advanced Institute hosted by The Estate Plan.  My trip started on Tuesday with a long drive down Interstate 95 with my lovely 13 year old daughter, Sierra.  Often I would ask myself as I saw a tiny cluster of homes off in the distance or a perfectly maintained dirt road leading to what I thought was absolutely nowhere, why in the world would anyone live out here? What do they do? How do they survive? I mean the very act of standing out in the sun causes any exposed skin to crackle in the blazing heat. Honestly, I never saw one bird, rabbit, squirrel or bug and rarely did I see a human being. The absolute vastness of the Nevada desert is in itself amazing.  Tiny towns full of history dot the way:Beatty, Goldfield, Tonapah and of course, Area 51. A lot of military installations fill in the rest and the occasional brothel. The Nevada Test Site has been marked as a historic site, but don’t get out and read the sign or you’ll probably glow for the rest of your life!
The event itself was fun because it was held at the MGM Grand. Fabulous food and humungous swimming pools. I made Sierra walk the Las Vegas strip until she turned to me and said, “are we done yet?” Yes, dear let’s go back and swim! Â
The event was successful. Both Mary-Ann and I get to connect with a lot of people we already know but typically only see once a year. Plus it allows us the opportunity to make new acquaintences as well. Henry Abts who wrote the book, The Estate Plan is a blessing. His passion to help people avoid probate and reduce their estate taxes is still his focus and lasting mission. If you do not know why you should have a Living Trust, order his book from us and read it!
After the event, Sierra and I went to stay at my Dad’s house since he just moved to Las Vegas. The entire north side of town is completely brand new. His home is gorgeous and it was great to spend time with him. However, after seeing all of the growth and development and the hoardes of people visting Las Vegas, I’m not certain I can fully believe our state government telling me gambling wins are down and we are in such a huge deficit. Another event going on simultaneously at the MGM Grand had over 4,000 people attending for a solid 4 days. That’s one event, one casino. Please!
Anyway, the trip home was a little more eventful. I decided to take a detour through Yerington, a town I had never been to (SE of Minden/Gardnerville) and was delighted to see all of the farms and ranches…it was so green and lush compared to the pale brown I had just driven for another 7 hours. Even though it cost me an additional hour of driving time, it was worth it. My philosophy: You live in a state, you might as well spend time seeing it!
Since we were gone for 6 days, it’s really great to be home again. Now I just have to unpack!
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