Those Unavoidable Topics
Remember several months ago when I explained how you might maximize your Social Security benefits with a technique called "file and suspend". It looked too good to be true then, and now Congress has said it is, starting in April of next year. So you do still have time to put it in place if you qualify, and if you're already reaping the benefits, they'll last up to 4 more years. To learn the ins and outs, though, I suggest you read my message on that topic and then contact your local Social Security office (I gave you the numbers) to see what your remaining options may be.
To some of you Gen X and Millennial folks, it may seem like all I talk about are senior and elder law issues. But remember, most of you still have parents, maybe even grandparents, and you need to know what to do when they need your help. Lately, I've seen a number of you really scrambling when you lost one of those senior partners and then had no idea what to do about it. That may be more their fault than yours, but you might have helped them create a better road map for you. So what to do? You can work with them on getting a form completed like the one I've attached here, or if you want to go more extensive and commercial, you can head to Amazon for The LastingMatters Organizer. Then you can start a lively discussion about all the important decisions that need to be made. By the way, at least 82% of people surveyed say writing down things for their families is important, but only 28% actually do it.
One of the "things" people should be clear about - that is, if they have any wishes at all - is the disposition of their actual selves. And unlike many post-mortem issues, like parceling out the family photos, this is one that needs to be attended to pretty quickly. There's lots of law on this subject, but let's just hit some high points. You can specify in writing who gets final custody of yourself, but it's probably not best to do it in your will, as that may not get dragged out for a week or two. Instead, one of those documents I mentioned in the last paragraph would be a much better place. If you don't say anything at all, the decisions default to your heirs in order of relationship - your spouse first, then your children, next your parents, then your siblings. If you're going with a funeral home, they know the drill, and while they get paid almost as much as lawyers, having someone else who can just take charge at a moment like that can be worth it (and I'm not being paid to say so). Even if you're not buying into the full array of services, however, the pros can handle "removal" and either arrange for burial or cremation. And if you're choosing the latter, you've also got the option of going straight to the Cremation Society of New Hampshire. One final point here: there's no law requiring embalming, no matter which option you pick, and there's no requirement that you be buried or cremated in any particular receptacle.
OK, let's assume all the final bodily arrangements have been made; then there's where you'll spend eternity (whatever you think that means). Clearly, a little guidance from you on that topic would be helpful, too. I mean, are you envisioning the family mausoleum at Mount Auburn, or under the venerable oak in the backyard that you climbed as a child? The former is easy, but the latter is also a possibility in New Hampshire; that is, unless your town has an ordinance against private burial sites. Better check it out, if that's what you have in mind. Even if that's allowed, though, you're required to notify the local cemetery trustees, and here's an important factor: if there's a burial site on your property - and that includes both bodily remains and urns of ashes - you're required to state that location in the deed when you transfer the property. Better mull that over before you make a final decision, as it could seriously impact the property's marketability, even way down the road. For more on all this, including increasingly popular "green" burials, you might check out nhfuneral.org.
Posted 12/01/2015 - Misc.
statement_of_personal_information.pdf
Download File
To some of you Gen X and Millennial folks, it may seem like all I talk about are senior and elder law issues. But remember, most of you still have parents, maybe even grandparents, and you need to know what to do when they need your help. Lately, I've seen a number of you really scrambling when you lost one of those senior partners and then had no idea what to do about it. That may be more their fault than yours, but you might have helped them create a better road map for you. So what to do? You can work with them on getting a form completed like the one I've attached here, or if you want to go more extensive and commercial, you can head to Amazon for The LastingMatters Organizer. Then you can start a lively discussion about all the important decisions that need to be made. By the way, at least 82% of people surveyed say writing down things for their families is important, but only 28% actually do it.
One of the "things" people should be clear about - that is, if they have any wishes at all - is the disposition of their actual selves. And unlike many post-mortem issues, like parceling out the family photos, this is one that needs to be attended to pretty quickly. There's lots of law on this subject, but let's just hit some high points. You can specify in writing who gets final custody of yourself, but it's probably not best to do it in your will, as that may not get dragged out for a week or two. Instead, one of those documents I mentioned in the last paragraph would be a much better place. If you don't say anything at all, the decisions default to your heirs in order of relationship - your spouse first, then your children, next your parents, then your siblings. If you're going with a funeral home, they know the drill, and while they get paid almost as much as lawyers, having someone else who can just take charge at a moment like that can be worth it (and I'm not being paid to say so). Even if you're not buying into the full array of services, however, the pros can handle "removal" and either arrange for burial or cremation. And if you're choosing the latter, you've also got the option of going straight to the Cremation Society of New Hampshire. One final point here: there's no law requiring embalming, no matter which option you pick, and there's no requirement that you be buried or cremated in any particular receptacle.
OK, let's assume all the final bodily arrangements have been made; then there's where you'll spend eternity (whatever you think that means). Clearly, a little guidance from you on that topic would be helpful, too. I mean, are you envisioning the family mausoleum at Mount Auburn, or under the venerable oak in the backyard that you climbed as a child? The former is easy, but the latter is also a possibility in New Hampshire; that is, unless your town has an ordinance against private burial sites. Better check it out, if that's what you have in mind. Even if that's allowed, though, you're required to notify the local cemetery trustees, and here's an important factor: if there's a burial site on your property - and that includes both bodily remains and urns of ashes - you're required to state that location in the deed when you transfer the property. Better mull that over before you make a final decision, as it could seriously impact the property's marketability, even way down the road. For more on all this, including increasingly popular "green" burials, you might check out nhfuneral.org.
Posted 12/01/2015 - Misc.
statement_of_personal_information.pdf
Download File
