We last talked about trusts — a few things have changed since then

My last article dealt with trusts and how they work to transfer assets to the next generation. I told you I’d have more on that topic and I plan to before long; but in the meantime, our world blew up.

Today, I’m writing to you as a neighbor.

I’m the retired brother now, in the middle of five, Baby Boomer kids just getting well into the grayer part of life. Brothers Greg and Paul have both been talking to me quite a bit lately.

Not sports, just the stock market cratering and how it’s hard not to sell, even for long-term investors, and this crazy virus. Nothing like it ever in our lives.

All my friends first canceled their cruises to be, and then any travel anywhere, and are now trying to fill the day with jigsaw puzzles while being turned away at the door of their mom’s independent living place.

As Boomers, we are surprised to be in the segment of our population that fits into the category of elderly. Many of us don’t appreciate being thought of that way. But when we look at the age bands set up for measurement of the severity of this virus, we find our age in the poor outcomes group. Yikes!

Being stuck now at home, we watch the daily press briefings. Probably, most people do. Just a few days ago they said this is bad, we need to take new, defensive actions each day, and it will get worse.

The doctor that is saying this is Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Health for our America. He talks in ways you can understand. In fact, many of the people on the Coronavirus Task Force are impressive and share important information.

The daily briefings are letting us know all of what the government is doing here in the USA to help cope with this threat. We are seeing the results of the first major wave of testing and our numbers are going up dramatically.

When you read about the way this thing has spread, it’s interesting to learn that in both Italy and South Korea, the person they have identified as the first to have the illness was young and healthy. Both have progressed and recovered. But in just a few weeks now, both countries have had many more cases develop.

Italy did not have very good testing. South Korea had a whole lot more and used technology — cell phone tracking, credit card tracking — to follow those that were infected to advise the people they had made contact with and also to monitor the quarantine of the ill ones. It seems Italy had a harder time keeping people isolated, a much more social society perhaps.

Maybe we will see something like South Korea here one day. But it seems it is more likely we won’t start GPS individual monitoring here and will have a tough time catching up, if we do decide to go there.

Our leaders are relying on us to isolate and protect those at risk. They continue to emphasize social space as a very important behavior influence on how our country will do. It’s what happens in the next few weeks that will make a major difference in our outcomes.

The virus spreads easily and is not necessarily apparent in younger, healthier individuals. They report 6 out of 7 having no significant symptoms. The movement of these oblivious carriers will determine the breadth of the distribution of infection — no offense meant to you younger, healthier ones. If you knew you had it, you’d never take it to your mom or dad. You just don’t know.

Even though our state is on lockdown and we are told to have social distancing, you have seen many people out and about. Social media has celebrations of gatherings. Mostly younger people who express relief at being able to connect with friends. We can do better.

We know that the infection is in San Joaquin Valley. Some in our surrounding communities are infected. It spreads very easily. We know to isolate, wash those hands now and again several times a day while avoiding contact with others. All while the kids are home from school, you are worried about your job, and you might need some help handling everything at once.

Times we have never seen before.

It’s easier to cope when you have a support system. My church called today. They wanted to let us know services have been canceled and to see if we had any immediate needs.

We don’t know how this will play out, but I hear it when they say it will get worse, and we are a few weeks behind Italy.

My takeaway from all the press conferences, White House briefings, and news articles is that the healthier, younger generation will determine by the choices they make how far and fast it spreads in our towns.

All of us have more than one loved one that is at risk. I think of my dear sister that has kidney issues, my young great nephew with diabetes, and those sweet little silver-haired church ladies that smile so warmly on Sunday mornings.

So today, even if you haven’t in a while or even ever, say a prayer that is being said nightly now by every person of faith.

Ask for God’s help with the stress, the uncertainty, and the fear in your heart. Take comfort. Most of us will get through this. We are being asked to isolate to reduce the numbers of those that do not.

Please ask everyone you know to stay away from others, especially those you love.

Until next time, be safe.