Estate, Pre-Planning, and Sympathy Guide
2
This ESTATE, PRE-PLANNING, &
SYMPATHY GUIDE edition is brought
to you by the following busnesses:
BRAHAM GILMER
MONUMENT CO
(320) 543-2650; 1100 6th
St, Howard Lake, MN 55349;
brahammonument.com
CHILSON FUNERAL
HOME
(320) 485-4447; 200 Fairlawn
Ave W, Winsted, MN 55395;
chilsonfuneralhome.com
CEDAR CREST ESTATES
LLC
(320) 327-6577; 1401 Main
St W, Silver Lake, MN 55381;
cedarcrestmn.com
DARWIN MONUMENT
(320) 693-5902; 960 North
1st Street, Darwin, MN 55324;
darwinmonument.com
ECUMEN HOME CARE &
HOSPICE
(320) 693-7367; 218 North
Holcombe, Litchfield, MN
55355; ecumenhomecare.org
FARM BUREAU
FINANCIAL SERVICES
- JEFF ALBERS
(320) 864-3168; 2112 E.
10th St., Glencoe MN 55336;
jeff[email protected]
Monday, Feb. 29, 2016
Plan your Estate Carefully
D
GERARD E STIFTER LLC
(320) 485-2191; 109 2nd St S,
Winsted, MN 55395
JOHNSON FUNERAL
HOME
(320) 275-3381; 611 2nd St,
Dassel, MN 55325;
johnsonfh.funeralplan2.com
eveloping an estate plan can be the most important aspect of your end-of-life
planning process. A solid estate plan can help eliminate the chance for family
fights when it comes to dispersing your property, money and possessions.
experience in estate planning. It is important that you trust your attorney 100
percent, as you will be divulging highly
sensitive information to properly structure
your estate plan.
Financial burdens
MARESH FUNERAL
HOME
(320) 327-2417; 105 Main
St W, Silver Lake, MN 55381;
mareshfuneralhome.com
One of the first steps your attorney will
walk you through in building your estate
plan is assembling a list of your current
assets and liabilities.
Doing so will help calculate your net
worth and determine if you already have
a taxable estate, as well as indicating if
your loved ones will find difficulty paying
the estate tax and other debts after your
death.
NATIONAL CREMATION
SOCIETY
(763) 458-5223; 6605 Nicollet
Ave S, Richfield, MN, 55423;
thatsmywish.com
Choosing an executor
ST. MARY’S CARE
CENTER
(320) 485-2151; 551 4th
St N, Winsted, MN 55395;
stmaryscarecenter.org
SWANSON-PETERSON
FUNERAL HOME
(320) 286-2534; 655 Broadway
Ave. S., Cokato, MN 55321;
(320) 543-3401, 1224 6th St.,
Howard Lake, MN 55349
You’ll need to consider many things
when creating an estate plan, including
deciding what will be given to which beneficiary, and how to properly plan for expenses like funeral costs.
it’s time to choose a credible attorney to
guide you through the process. Reach out
to family members or friends who may
have recently developed their estate plans
and find referrals for accredited, reputable
attorneys.
Finding an attorney
Different legal professionals have varyOnce you have decided to seriously ing specialties, so find one with extensive
pursue putting together an estate plan,
Picking a Final
Resting Place
Financial Elder Abuse
I
t is a shocking yet very real crime affecting the elderly
population. Imagine receiving a letter from a creditor
stating that you have neglected to pay your bill for months.
You call your power of attorney — most likely a family
member — to ask why the bills
haven’t been paid and you get
no response. A little more digging reveals that your savings
have whittled down to nothing.
This is an example of financial elder abuse, and it happens
more often than you may realize.
Many people choose burials;
others cremation. Either way, you
should be comfortable with your
final resting place.
Consider your family’s needs and preference
because, after all, they are the ones who will be
visiting your gravesite or, likely, possess your
urn. Don’t think of the decision as unsettling
or even scary, but rather as necessary to help
your family members choose your final resting
place.
Staggering statistics
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention estimate that over 500,000 elderly
Americans suffer from financial elder abuse annually. The
CDC reports that this number
is likely higher because of
the large segment of the elder
population who cannot report
financial abuse because they
either don’t know about it or
choose not to out of fear.
This number is apt to continue to increase, says the
CDC, as those 65 and older
will make up 20 percent of the
population by 2050.
Burial
perience significantly higher
levels of psychological distress
than older individuals who
have not experienced abuse.
Financial abuse can come at
the hands of many different individuals, including workers at
care facilities, friends and con
artists. But the most alarming
aspect of financial elder abuse
is that the majority of crimes
Real dilemma
In 2009, elderly Americans are perpetrated by a family
lost an estimated $2.9 billion member.
to financial exploitation, ac- What to do
cording to the CDC.
The key for an elderly perAmericans suffering from son to avoiding financial abuse
elder abuse also can often ex-
is maintaining open, honest
communications with those
around you. Ask to see regular statements of your finances,
even if you have put a family
member or friend in charge of
tracking them.
Also, it never hurts to have
more than one set of eyeballs
on your money. Asking two
people close to you to maintain
your finances will help create
a checks and balances system,
and also will increase the likelihood of any potentially devious behavior being reported to
you.
The burial process comes with plenty of issues to consider, the first being convenience.
Families choosing burials may do to ensure
they can visit the body for years to come. Nature also is an important part of the cemetery
experience, so finding one with beautiful landscaping or expansive forestry can help provide also pay attention to any local, state and federal
a peaceful, natural environment for family regulations that may govern the distribution of
members and friends to visit.
your ashes.
Cremation
The cremation choice is popular because of
its convenience and the opportunity for family
members to display a decorative urn holding
the ashes of their loved one.
If an urn isn’t your top option, you could always plan a special day that includes the spreading of your ashes across the ocean, mountaintop or river.
When planning such an event, consider who
in your family will be able to attend and if a