Aged Sage Communique March 2023
Estate Planning Resolutions
by Steve Miller, Esq.
- As we start a new year, it’s a great time to take stock of your Estate Plan. An Estate Plan is a legally-binding plan created with the help of an attorney for what will happen to your belongings, property, and remaining financial assets after you pass away. Die without one and those decisions are made instead by a state Judge in probate court.
- So how do you get started on an Estate Plan? If you already have one, are you completely finished? Why is right now the best time to make one? Here are 4 Estate Planning Resolutions for the new year:
- 1) Set a Solid Foundation - Every living adult should have an Estate Plan in place. It is simply a matter of wanting to make those major life decisions for yourself, and taking a proactive approach to doing so. Protect your loved ones and your legacy by creating an Estate Plan if you have not already.
- 2) Put Your Trust in a Trust - A Trust is a fund that is managed by an independent third party to be passed along when you die to whoever you choose. Unlike things left behind in a Will, any assets placed in a Trust become immediately available to your loved ones without entering probate. There are dozens of different kinds of trusts designed for all kinds of purposes, including protecting loved ones with special needs or health issues, charities, and your own taxes.
- 3) Look Beyond the Obvious - There’s more to Estate Planning than just passing along property. One of the most important and least discussed elements is its ability to establish guardianship. If you have minor-aged children, you can select a guardian for them in your Estate Plan who will raise them in the event of an emergency. You can even establish a guardian for yourself later in life to plan for potential healthcare solutions.
- 4) Keep It Updated - Your Estate Plan is a reflection of your life, so it should change as your life does too. If you’ve recently gotten divorced, you have to manually remove your ex-spouse from your Estate Plan. The same applies to recently getting married, welcoming a new child into your family, changing careers, or even moving to a new state.
- Get the Help You Need
- The hardest thing about Estate Planning is just taking the time to make the first step. This year, focus on getting your Estate Plan in order and protecting those you love the most!
Miller Law Firm PC specializes in elder law, estate planning, trust estate planning and other legal services. Our focus is to help our clients protect their loved ones and their own legacies by planning for the future in a number of different ways.For more information or a consultation, contact: Steve Miller at (855) 936-3886 • millerlaw-pc.com
Lazy Lady Star Gazing
the easy & fun way to do it!
When snow falls in the evening, there’s nothing better then watching as it gently falls to the ground, covering the landscape in a blanket of clean, white fluff. But since we’re not getting any snow this year, enjoy a different type of evening viewing by firing up the SkyView app.
This fun, little app will bring the constellations into view in a way you never imagined when you were studying them in elementary school. Download the free app, hold your phone up to the sky and the constellations are drawn out on the screen. It also highlights various planets and moons. You will be amazed at how many constellations there are and how fascinating the night sky can be. You may also wonder who had all that time to stare at the sky and connect the stars together into such intricate designs. As the app claims, “SkyView brings space bodies to you free of charge.” Happy Gazing!
.jpg)
BOOM BOOM BOOMERS! Adventure Boomers
Story 2 of 6
Sandy likes to be active, so we love to catch up with each other by traveling together. One vacation, we drove from PA to Texas, across to Florida and back up the east coast. We liked Charleston so much we drove down to spend Thanksgiving there...long drive, but great meal.
So, 25+ years later things are still the same. It’s no surprise she lives in a new development near Denver in a chic ranch home with a smart and sexy boyfriend. I was out to visit for a week and we caught up with each other as we zoomed all over Colorado in her electric car.
By Friday, her boyfriend was claiming abandonment. We stayed home and took him out to eat. Truth be told, we were exhausted and needed to recharge for our final day together in downtown Denver.
I don’t have a lot of photos of all our adventures. I do have a head full of fun, laughter and exciting memories.
Adventure Boomers* like to travel (even alone), can hit the road without an agenda, carefree, don’t like to be tied down, enjoy being active and seeing new vistas, care about health and a healthy lifestyle and appreciate nature and a good view.
*Baby boomers are those born between 1944 and 1964. According to the “Seniors Real Estate Specialist® Council”, there are 6 major types. While no one falls entirely into one of these categories, the similarities are interesting to explore.
Housing Update Lebanon County
Some interesting statistics about the housing market in the last quarter of 2022. (sourced from the Multi-List Service)
We are still in a healthy, though low inventory, housing market. According to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®, there are several key factors that make this market different from the 2008 housing crash, including: a strong labor market, fewer risky (sub-prime) loans, underbuilding and housing shortages, low delinquency rates and super low foreclosure rates.