Warning; This post may get heavy handed, because well… it’s been a heavy fucking week.

Note; this post isn’t calling out a close friend who recently had a major fuck-up, he had his shit mostly together well in advance of said fuck-up.

But do you?

Reality check; for at least one of you, sadly, this post will change your life, and the life (lives) of your family. I will get a call from you, or a family member, next week, next year, or ten years from now. It will happen, and it will be painful call, but because you took action… it will be less painful.

How do I know this?

Because I’ve hammered on this topic before, and I’ve had three hard calls over the past few years. Less hard than they might’ve been because shit was handled in advance though.

OK, some people stopped reading, because I used the ‘fuck’ word… I’ll write a cleaner version another time, when I’m less emotional… for me to be remotely emotional about anything… well that says a lot.

If you’re still reading this, you’re most likely a Broker.

You are a Mortgage Broker

A Broker looking for an edge, always hungry to learn, also you’re not super-judgmental… which is a Brokering super-power in itself (a future topic).

Most likely, when asked what you do, you respond with ‘I’m a Mortgage Broker‘

You don’t say ‘I broker’ or ‘I sell mortgages‘ although you might say you provide expert advice… still the odds are that you think of yourself as a Mortgage Broker.

The business of Brokering is woven into your identity.

It’s not a ‘thing’ you do, it’s (a key piece of) who you are.

Just as people say ‘I like to play hockey’, or ‘I like to ski’, or ‘I like to golf’, or ‘I like to ride moto’, or ‘I like to curl’ etc.

Others, people like you and I, we take some of the things we do very seriously, we take things to the next fucking level. We own the field we play on, we’re masters of the tools, we see the ball.… and we become the ball. We’re a part of that thing, and that thing is a part of us.

We are hockey-players.

We are golfers.

We are snowboarders.

We are mountain bikers.

We are cyclists.

We are curlers.

We are hikers.

I myself am a skier, I am dirt-biker, and ya I still say that I am a Broker’s Broker.

I am these things that I do.

You likely are too… D too.

We don’t just ‘do‘ these things from time to time. We are a part of these activities, and these activities are a part of us, woven into our DNA!

And then, out of nowhere…

You find yourself super-fucked, and not in the way you like to be… No-no, this fucked, it’s more of the ‘Royally’ sort.

That thing you do…

…you are never doing it again.

That thing is over.

Permanently.

And that thing, guess what… it’s the absolute least of your concerns.

Issue #1 – staying alive.

Check.

Good job.

Issue #2 – Recovery.

Shit gets real when we find our identities challenged. Even more so when it boils down to relearning the basics of life, perhaps with a much more limited range of ability.

And of all those activities listed above, only one of ’em pays the bills (for most of us).

What if you cannot do that one thing?

That Brokering thing.

Now what?

Fuck!

When was the last time you sat down and calculated your monthly nut, you burn rate, the cost of being you?

Do it now, take five, it doesn’t have to be bang on. Sketch it out on an envelope, use ‘notes’ in your phone, whatever, just answer the question for yourself; what’s your number?

Be real with the math.

Then add $5,000 to that number, to offset rehabilitation costs, to cover care-workers, renovations, maybe a modified vehicle. All new costs for your new life.

How are those bills being paid?

Ya, there’s a tough question that is much easier to answer today, easier to answer from the comfort of your couch, the kitchen table, your desk. This is not the kind of question to leave until you are laying in a hospital bed.

I understand that now.

First I thought about the identity bit, the ‘who I am‘, and whether the things I do, the things I think of as a part me matter at all. I don’t have all my answers just yet. Maybe I keep riding, maybe not. It’s difficult to not have your perspective altered when you have a front row seat to the path things can go down. And so… maybe some activities have a timeline, and ‘retiring’ on top isn’t a bad idea.

Maybe.

More importantly, as I really got into ‘what matters’ – then I really took action.

You’ve read this far, you know your monthly costs, so we get down to the heart of the matter.

Will you take action?

If you have a mortgage, from any lender, will you email support@brokersupportcentre.com and get an MPP disability policy on your own mortgage?

It’s the least expensive coverage there is, it can be in-force on the same day you connect with them – which makes for a better nights sleep. The MPP disability coverage DOES NOT conflict with any other long term disability policies you may have (that are almost certainly too low). And you can take coverage on more than one property, if you are listed on the mortgage.

The MPP coverage caps out at $10,000 per month, it runs for 2 years in the event of… getting fucked.

And if you are a 51 year old male, non-smoker, this will cost you $374.18.

You can gather from the specificity of that number, mine is locked in place now.

This is a no-brainer.

Be smart.

Take action.

***here, I’ll make it even simpler – just copy and paste this text into an email and send it to the above address; ‘Hi there, I’d like to get disability coverage on my mortgage, can you please contact me to go through the questions over the phone, and to arrange for a nurse to visit me at my home or office asap. I understand I will need to pee in a cup and have some blood drawn. I would like to make this all happen this week please. Thank you’

Tell you don’t feel just a little bit better for taking that action, at last!

OK…

What else did I do?

I emailed my long term insurance agent, and confirmed my coverage details… or lack thereof. There was a surprise re my Critical Illness coverage amount… oops – I’ve now applied to triple it because #inflation

What else?

I doubled my long-term disability coverage, to $15,000 per month, for life, if something happens to me over the next ten years.

So ya, I can say that I really got (some of) my shit together last week.

All in, this was ~60 minutes of my week, that’s it.

And now, if shit hits the fan next week, nobody has to figure out how to hold their (financial) shit together for me. It’s handled.

Will you handle your shit?

It’s the polite thing to do.

Oh, sorry what’s your objection?

You live alone, you’re in your twenties, you ‘don’t believe in insurance‘… just stop!

You won’t live alone forever (happily).

You won’t be in your twenties forever (sadly).

And hopefully you won’t be stupid forever, because insurance is real, accidents and illness are real, and the bills… they will all be real. So get your shit together!

Want a shout out on the podcast for handling your shit?

Send me an email confirming – and I’ll holler at you (first name only) during an upcoming episode.

Is all of the above shit that I put in place expensive?

Sure, but so is all gear for the crazy shit I do.

This is now just a bigger part of it.

What does a seasons pass at Whistler cost?

Mine costs 10K per year now.

1K for the skiing

And another 9K to cover my ass, or at least the future maintenance of my ass, if shit goes south.

Look at it however you need to, just look at it – and act on it.

What’s more agonizing; the hit to the bank account while you’re able bodied and kicking ass each month?

Or…

The hit to your psyche realizing that you fucked up years before your big fuck-up moment… and now… now you cannot unfuck it.

I write this shit because it’s one way I can honor a friend, one who took the right steps to have his shit together. But also who for sure never expected to get fucked as hard as he did.

Will he bounce back?

Yes.

He already is, in spirit.

If recovery is about an intrinsic kick-ass positive spirit, well then fuck ya… he’s on his way.

If recovery is about having a Wife and Son who rally, rise and just absolutely shine as brilliant beacons of hope, light, strength and abundant love… he’s on his way.

If recovery is all about having been such a great human being that he finds himself surrounded by dozens and dozens of people clamouring to help any way they can… again, ya – check – he’s golden!

And if recovery is about hard work, (he’s up for that), and patience (he’s got more than most) – cool!

All of the above play a role in the science part, in the cellular-level shit, and so there’ll be things that heal fast, things that heal slow, things will reconnect, and there’ll be strength to endure the things that correct so slowly they can hardly be measured.

He will be back, perhaps with a new identity.

As the one who is kick-ass!

Conclusion

People, I love you, and I care about you.

For the sake of that love, get your shit together.

Money will not fix all of your future problems, but it will 100% fix future money problems.

Be well.

Be safe.

Be covered.

Be better.

And most of all be able to say ‘I am prepared’.

That’s who I am.

Boom! The light goes on 90 minutes later… writing and re-writing this post!

This is my (new) core identity… prepared.

Is it yours?

Will it be?

DW