We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jan Meyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jan below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jan with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I got my work ethic under a banana tree. Growing up on the island of Saint Lucia, hard work was just a part of my life. My weekends were spent alongside my mom and sisters tending to our banana trees. And, on Tuesdays, we were helping with all the steps involved with processing bananas for sale. This was one of the ways that my single mom made extra money to keep us housed, clothed and fed. Hard work was the expectation of my youth. After emigrating to the US, although I was no longer tending to banana trees, I was still expected to carry that same energy into my new life. I had to excel in high school, through college and through law school. This required, oftentimes, extraordinary amounts of self-discipline and tenacity. During the really tough moments, I would remind myself that if I could carry boxes filled with bananas on my head at the age of 7, I could learn whatever needed to be learned and I could excel on “that” exam. I carry that same energy into my business as well. You work hard, you work smart but you do the work.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I love solving problems; the more complex sometimes, the better. This is what I love about my practice area. Clients come in with their unique problems, and family structures and it is my job to help them create an estate plan that will be best for those unique circumstances. Assisting executors to navigate the complicated landscape of probate court brings me great satisfaction. Drawing a laugh from a client on Zoom while simultaneously discussing their funeral arrangements may seem morbid to some but it feels like a job well done to me. This is what I do as a virtual estate planning, probate and trust admininistration attorney. Meyer Estate Law, P.C. delivers legal services to our clients in an easy, convenient and fun manner. By being virtual, we can and do service clients throughout California. No need to travel long distances to get your estate plan done or to settle for your local attorney who may not understand you, your family structure or your culture. We assist a very diverse clientele in securing their family’s legacy and taking steps toward creating intergenerational wealth.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Being self-motivated, kind and being open to always learning and being better have been three of the most important attributes in my journey so far. I like to think of life like a mountain range; lots of peaks and valleys of varying heights and depths. Sometimes, all you can do is put one foot in front of the other to get to the top but you have got to be able to get yourself to the top. That’s where being self-motivated comes in. You won’t always have someone there to push you or give you a hand so you have to be able to be that hand or that push for yourself.
Kindness begets kindness. It is as simple as that. I was raised to help others when I can and expect nothing in return; to smile; to be respectful and to treat others like I would like to be treated. I have raised my kids to be the same. The result of that has been a good life, filled with caring people and with no drama. Kindness is free but powerful. Our world feels like it’s lacking in kindness. I look for opportunities to be generous, greet someone with a smile or a kind word,and encourage others to do the same. Its good for them but so good for you too.
I love being a perpetual student. I cannot serve my clients effectively if I do not continually grow my knowledge and experience. I feel like lack of intellectual curiosity is a dream killer. The more we learn, the more we grow, the more progress we make and the closer we get to accomplishing our dreams. The more we learn, we better we are at honing our craft and delivering quality service to our clients. There’s no way around it, Curisosity makes us better parents, spouses, friends, family members and overall, better humans. Keep learning; keeping growing.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I came across this statistic recently; that over 70% of African Americans do not have an estate plan. This lack of estate planning can be attributed to a lot of things but I believe that one primary reason is lack of education; no one is talking about the importance of estate planning in these communities. I know that estate planning was not something that was discussed in my family or within my community. I would like to change that. Why? Because estate planning leads to wealth protection and generational wealth. I have been and would like to continue to collaborate with groups that are looking to provide this type of education to Black/African American communities. We need to change the conversations around wealth protection and wealth transfer. I would like to see that 70%number begin to lower because it would mean that less Black/African American families are not starting wealth generation from scratch at each generation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danapointwills.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meyeresqfamilyprotection/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meyeresqfamilyprotection
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meyeresqfamilyprotection/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa03uxLaNEdTJ0F__C9I5MA
Image Credits
Kait McKay Photography , Carsten Tice Photography
