The upcoming holiday season struck me as an appropriate time to consider the advantages of a little simple planning. In other words, the holidays are a time to consider how you might help protect the ones you love in the event of the unexpected.

Do you own a car? Chances are that you do. If so, let me pose two questions:

First, do you carry an emergency kit in your vehicle? Chances are that you don’t. An emergency kit is the simplest, easiest and cheapest way to offer your family an extra measure of protection. Every family should carry this kit in the backseat or trunk in the event of an accident or an unexpected car problem. The kit should include basic medical supplies, bottled water, a few blankets and a medical alert card listing any medication allergies or other conditions affecting you or family members.

Second, do you have car insurance? I certainly hope the answer is yes – in fact, Illinois requires you to carry a minimum of $20,000 in coverage. If you don’t have it, you should take five minutes and call one of the thousands of independent insurance agents in the Chicago area and start making the law work for you. Instead of viewing car insurance as another expense, think about it as protection for you in the event you are involved in an accident. Remember: We call them “accidents” for a reason – nobody has ever planned to be involved in one. A car insurance policy helps protect you and your assets from expensive, and sometimes devastating, surprises.

If you do have car insurance, or if you have only a minimum policy, good, sound planning requires that you seriously consider increasing your coverage to provide protection for you and your family.

Do you have a Will? Unfortunately, the vast majority of Illinoisans don’t. A Will, or Last Will and Testament, is perhaps the most powerful document a person will ever sign. A Will is typically drafted by an attorney at a reasonable expense, and allows you to choose who receives your money and property, including to those – like a helpful next-door neighbor, a friend at church or a favorite charity – that might not be entitled to your money or property if you passed away ...