Ohh, our hearts! We struggle to even think about it, but having peace of mind if something happens to a loved one is SO important! That’s why Bernie Lewis Home Loans offers Bernie’s Green Box service — an incredibly practical way to alleviate the stress when it’s needed most.
We caught up with Mark Lewis, Managing Director of Bernie Lewis, for a heart-felt chat about how the Green Box concept came about and how it could change everything for you and your family…
“When I was around 19 years old, Dad sat me down and showed me a green cash tin. It looked pretty ordinary, but it was the key to something so vital and I had no idea at the time how important it would be one day down the track. On the surface, it just looked like a stack of papers — a whole range of documents and notes. As Dad walked me through it, he said that if anything ever happened to Mum and him, that this box would contain all the answers — it would have everything I needed,” Mark recalls.
Bernie’s orignal Green Box.
“Being young and feeling pretty bullet proof, I didn’t think too much about it at the time and I just shrugged it off when Dad would continually drum it into me over the years that followed. That was, until the day in 2005 when both of my parents tragically lost their lives in an aircraft crash in New Zealand.
“In a time of immense grief, that inconspicuous green box held all the answers to saving my family and I an enormous amount of heartache and hassle. It held the documents and information to give me access to all of my parents’ accounts and all the vital information to settle their estate in record time. It was the greatest comfort and peace of mind that they could have given to me when they were no longer physically there,” Mark says.
Mark Lewis with his wife Tania and their children.
“I realised how much of a difference this made to my life and have since regularly presented to corporates, community groups, social clubs, sporting clubs, and from time to time, organised presentations for general public to attend to learn how to assemble their own green box for their loved ones. This incredibly practical and thoughtful bit of planning by Dad is something I wanted to share with others and we’re so proud to now offer this service as part of our offerings at Bernie Lewis,” Mark says.
To find out more about how Bernie Lewis Home Loans can help you and your family with life-changing services, get in touch for a chat today.