She's Gotta Have It: Three Official Documents Every Sister Needs - spending extra money on key legal documents - Brief Article

Ebony, Nov, 2001 by Laura B. Randolph Lancaster

IT was a facial and a bra that got the whole thing started. A facial and a bra that transformed a blithe lunchtime conversation among three Sister-friends from routine chatter (the job/the kids/the shoe sale at Saks) to weighty matters (crucial/official/essential documents every Sister needs).

Of course, it wasn't just any bra and facial that changed the conversation from intriguing fluff (Have you seen Sade? Girlfriend looks younger than she did when she released her first CD) to important stuff (I'm getting to it.) On the contrary, in both cases--the bra and the facial--we're talking truly extraordinary examples of each. The pinnacle of pampering--Beverly Hills-style.

Let me elaborate. The facial in question is "the C&C," as my girlfriend Diane likes to call it. For the uninitiated, that's the champagne-and-caviar facial being offered by a Hollywood salon, where--I have it on good authority--Angela Bassett goes to get her glow on. If, like me, you haven't experienced this luxurious beauty service, I'm told that an esthetician applies a champagne exfoliant to your face and neck, then follows it with a moisturizing caviar treatment that is said to make your skin look and feel as soft as a baby's behind. Beverly Hills being Beverly Hills, the C&C is followed by a glass of bubbly--that kind that's imbibed, not applied.

As wonderful as the whole experience sounds, the C&C has nothing on the bra that's being offered at a chic boutique just a stone's throw from the creme de la creme of Beverly Hills of shopping, Rodeo Drive. So what's so special about this particular bra? It's cashmere. As in the melt-on-your-skin yarn spun from the undercoat of an Indian goat. The oh-so-mah-velous fabric that feels like a second skin, only smoother, softer, silkier. In fact, the boutique is offering an entire line of cashmere lingerie sets. But, for reasons known to every Sister over 30, the bra is the real find.

So how did a bra and facial become the main topic of conversation? Blame it on Diane. The following week she was headed to the West Coast on business and couldn't decide whether to blow her monthly discretionary money on, as she put it, "the C&C or the cashmere cups." After debating the pros and cons of each, the three of us finally reached a consensus: She's gotta have it. Or, more accurately, them. The bra and the facial. I mean, given Diane's crazy-busy work schedule, who knew the next time she would be in Beverly Hills?

Before the official go-ahead could be granted, however, two important terms had to be agreed upon: (1) For the next several months, in order to compensate for the splurge, Diane would have to go into serious scrimping/saving/sacrifice mode; and (2) since Shelly, the other Sister-friend at lunch, and I were also forking over not-in-the-budget money for lingerie sets, the three of us would have to do something of real value for our lives, not just our looks.

The something we came up with is a trio of documents that every Sister needs. Important documents. Official documents. Documents that, experts say, can protect your family, your finances, and your future. Because they are so crucially important, however, before having any of them drawn up, you should do two things--(1) your own research and (2) talk with a lawyer who has experience in estate planning. Detailed, easy-to-understand information can be found on Web sites (e.g., www.aarp.com and www.quicken.com) and in bookstores (The American Bar Association's Guide to Wills and Estates is thorough and inexpensive and can be purchased at your local bookstore or ordered by phone at 1-800-285-2221).

The following is a trio of documents worth their weight in champagne, caviar and cashmere.

(1) A Will: This document contains instructions about how you want your property distributed after your death. In it, you also appoint someone to carry out your instructions. Note: Not all property is distributed through your will (it depends on how you hold title to it), so you need a clear understanding of what portion of it can/will/should pass through your will.

(2) A Living Will: This document tells doctors whether to take extraordinary measures to keep you alive. In it, you state your wishes regarding whether you want certain medical treatment withheld or withdrawn if the treatment is merely prolonging the dying process.

(3) A Health Power of Attorney: This document designates someone to make decisions about your health care for you when you are unable to do so.