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THE GOOD LIFE
Mountain Views News Saturday, August 22, 2015
SENIOR HAPPENINGS
UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSIBILITIES
OF AN EXECUTOR
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … August Birthdays*
Bill Nelson, Karlene Englert, Juanita Fernandez, Jeanette Francis, Joseph Kiss,
John Luke, Jacquie Pergola, Maury Whitaker, Pat Miranda, Phyllis Chapman, Jerry
Burnett, Margaret Aroyan, Phyllis Burg, Beverly Clifton, Rosemary Morabito, Susan
Poulsen, Dorothy Quentmeyer, Genevieve Stubbs, Miep Tulleners, Ellie Baudino,
Marcia Bent, Daryls Brechwald, Joan Spears, Ruth Torres, Jane Zamanzadeh and
Harry Enmark.
*To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth
not required.
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ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the
Hart Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre
YMCA San Gabriel Valley Intervale Senior Café: Monday-Friday at
12:00 Noon
(Participants are urged to arrive no later than 11:45 A.M.)
All seniors 60 and up can take part in the lunch program. There is
a suggested donation of $2.00 for those 60 and over and $3.75 for non-senior guests. Daily
reservations are necessary as space is limited. Please call 24 hours in advance...626.355.0256
TECH TALK: TECH TALK WILL RESUME IN SEPTEMBER WHEN OUR STUDENT
VOLUNTEERS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL.
HAWAIIAN AND POLYNESIAN DANCE CLASS: Every Tuesday morning from 10am to 11am.
Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula.
BINGO: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to
join. May be canceled if less than 5 people.
FREE BLOOD PRESSURE TESTING: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 12pm. No appt.
is necessary.
FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION: Wednesday, August 19th from 10:30am to Noon. Attorney Lem
Makupson is available for legal consultation. He specializes in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates,
and Injury. Appointment are required by calling 626-355-7394.
CHAIR YOGA: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45 am, except on the third Monday of
the month. A suggested donation of $5 at one of the classes is requested, but is not required.
BRAIN GAMES - NEW DATE AND TIME!
Thursday, August 20th, 10:30am - 11:30am (Third Thursday of Each Month) Improve your memory
and strengthen your brain with fun, hands-on activities. Each month brings new games and contests
to facilitate brain stimulation. Bring your friends as you engage in friendly competition for prizes.
Activities facilitated by Swati Puri, New Wave Home Care of Pasadena. For more information
contact the Hart Park House office at 626-355-7394.
CASE MANAGEMENT: Meets the 2nd Thursday of the month. Case Management services are
provided by the YWCA and provide assistance in a variety of areas. Appointments are required and
can be scheduled by calling the HPH Office at 626-355-7394.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: Every second Thursday of the month at the Hart Park House. The
free birthday cake is provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club.
GAME DAY: Every Thursday starting at 12:00pm. (Please note the time change.) A regular group
of seniors play poker. Other games available for use.
FREE STRENGTH TRAINING CLASS: Every Friday from 12:45pm to 1:30pm with Lisa
Brandley. The class utilizes light weights for low impact resistance training. All materials for the
class are provided.
SENIOR CLUB: Every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown bag lunch at 11:30am.
Club meeting at noon. Bingo 12:30-3:30pm. Annual Membership is only $10.00.
LUNCH & LEARN PRESENTATION
Thursday, August 20th, 2015 beginning at 12:00pm
Learn about French painter, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. His immersion in the colorful and theatrical
life of Paris in the late 19th century yielded a collection of exciting, elegant and provocative images
of the modern and sometimes decadent life of those times. Tanya Mazzolini from The Kensington
will give a talk on the painter while demonstrating a project in his style of art. If you would like to
have lunch during the talk, please make a lunch reservation with the Senior Lunch Café at 626-355-
0256 or you may bring your own.
THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER (LOS ANGELES)
Date: August 12, 2015 Time: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $28.00 (Does
not include lunch)
Description: The California Science Center in cooperation with the
Israel Antiquities Authority is Proud to present the largest Dead Sea
Scrolls exhibition ever mounted outside of Israel, featuring over 600
ancient artifact on display. We will also see Jerusalem in the IMAX
Theater. Through breathtaking aerial footage, eye-opening personal
stories and remarkable historical perspective, Jerusalem takes views
inside the heart of the ancient city in ways never seen before. Lunch will
be on your own. There is Trimana-Grill, or Market and Coffee Bar at the
Science Center for you to enjoy a meal or light snack during your visit.
Participants should bring money for lunch and souvenirs. Last day to register is Wednesday,
August 5th. Level of Walking: High
EXCURSION REFUND POLICY
Notification of the cancellation must be made at least 3 business days before the excursion.
A refund will only be issued 1) for a medical excuse or 2) if the Department is able to fill the
patrons spot from a waiting list. This refund will be issued in the form of a credit which will be
applied to the patron’s account with the City, less a $11 cancellation fee. The credit will remain
on your account for one year from the date issued and the credit may be used for any program
or service offered by the Community Services Dept.
Dear Savvy Senior,
An old family friend recently asked me to be the
executor of his will when he dies. I feel flattered
that he asked, but I’m not sure what exactly the job
entails. What can you tell me?
Concerned Friend
Dear Concerned,
Serving as the executor of your friend’s estate may
seem like an honor, but it can also be a huge chore.
Here’s what you should know to help you prepare.
Rules and Responsibilities
As the executor of your friend’s will, you’re
essentially responsible for winding up his affairs
after he dies. While this may sound simple enough,
you need to be aware that the job can be tedious,
time consuming and difficult depending on the
complexity of his financial and family situation.
Some of the duties required include:
•• Filing court papers to start the probate process
(this is generally required by law to determine the
will’s validity).
•• Taking an inventory of everything in his estate.
•• Using his estate’s funds to pay bills, including
taxes, funeral costs, etc.
•• Handling details like terminating his credit
cards, and notifying banks and government
agencies like Social Security and the post office of
his death.
•• Preparing and filing his final income tax
returns.
•• Distributing assets to the beneficiaries named
in his will.
Be aware that each state has specific laws and
timetables on an executor’s responsibilities. Your
state or local bar association may have an online
law library that details the rules and requirements.
The American Bar Association website also
offers guidance on how to settle an estate. Go
to americanbar.org and type in “guidelines for
individual executors and trustees” to find it.
Get Organized
If you agree to take on the responsibility as
executor of your friend’s estate, your first step is
to make sure he has an updated will, and find out
where all his important documents and financial
information is located. Being able to quickly put
your hands on deeds, brokerage statements and
insurance policies after he dies will save you a lot
of time and hassle.
If he has a complex estate, you may want to hire
an attorney or tax account to guide you through
the process, with the estate picking up the cost.
If you need help locating a pro, the National
Association of Estate Planners and Councils
(naepc.org) and the National Academy of Elder
Law Attorneys (naela.org) are great resources that
provide directories on their websites to help you
find someone.
Avoid Conflicts
Find out if there are any conflicts between the
beneficiaries of your friend’s estate. If there are
some potential problems, you can make your job as
executor much easier if everyone knows in advance
who’s getting what, and why. So ask your friend to
tell his beneficiaries what they can expect. This
includes the personal items too, because wills often
leave it up to the executor to dole out heirlooms. If
there’s no distribution plan for personal property,
suggest he make one and put it in writing.
Executor Fees
As the executor, you’re entitled to a fee paid by the
estate. In most states executors are entitled to take
a percentage of the estate’s value, which usually
ranges anywhere from 1 to 5 percent depending on
the size of the estate. But, if you’re a beneficiary,
it may make sense for you to forgo the fee. That’s
because fees are taxable, but Uncle Sam in most
states don’t tax inheritances.
For more information on the duties of an executor,
get a copy of the book “The Executor’s Guide:
Settling A Loved One’s Estate or Trust” for $32 at
nolo.com or call 800-728-3555.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O.
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
KATIE Tse..........This and That
HOSE DRINKERS
UPCOMING EXCURSIONS:
How are your New Year’s
resolutions going? I set my
sights small, and resolved to
drink less creamy and sugary
coffee at work. Instead, I mix
an aspartame-laden “Crystal
Light” knock off with water in a two-liter bottle
and sip it throughout the day. Sure, it’s artificial
and possibly carcinogenic, but at least it’s gotta be
better than sugar with coffee --I mean coffee with
sugar.
So, I was filling my water bottle from the sink
in the break room the other day when the boss
burst through the door. “What are you doing?”
she asked. Aghast, I
sheepishly looked up
from the faucet. “Uh,
getting water?”
“No, no, no!” she
said, shaking her
head. “Come on,”
she motioned toward
her office, “Use the
‘Arrowhead’ in there.”
I could feel water
overflowing from my
bottle into the sink, and
nodded, “Okay, maybe
next time.” I figured,
why waste a perfectly
good batch of flavored
water? Luckily, some
small crisis distracted
my boss and I was able
to retreat to my office
with my substandard
“faucet water” drink.
For a while I
wondered if I was
the only tap water-
drinking employee until last week, when the topic
of tap vs. bottled water came up during lunch.
“I was a hose drinker as a kid!” one of the senior
workers joked with the boss. This prompted a
number of us closet hose drinkers to “come out”
and admit our tacky-”tap” habits.
“Yeah,” one of my coworkers chimed in,
“Nothing tastes better than cold water from the
hose after playing outside all day!” A number of
us reminisced about our own tap water childhood
memories.
I don’t know about you, but I never understood
the purpose of bottled water. Talk about the
antithesis of “green” living! Think about all the
plastic used to store bottled water. Then consider
the fuel needed to transport it from place to place.
THEN consider the fact the most bottled water is
drawn from municipal sources, not the babbling
brooks of the Sierras, Andes, or any other pristine
locale.
The waste that goes into producing regular
bottled water is bad enough, but then they’ve got
to go and make even smaller bottles of water!
What? You or your
kid can’t commit to a
12 oz. bottle, so you go
for the tiny 6 oz.? Yes,
midget water bottles
are cute, but really, can
cute be justified at the
cost of jeopardizing the
environment?
I understand that
there are situations
that demand bottled
water. Anytime you’re
traveling in the third
world or a developing
nation, by all means,
stock up on Dasani or
whatever brand you
like. During a vacation
to Michigan, we stayed
at a relative’s house
that was situated in
the middle of a corn
field. The water had an
orange tint, and smelled
like burning sulfur. I
don’t recall whether or not I actually showered in
it, but that was one time I was very grateful for a
bottle of Arrowhead!
So, if you’re traveling, take advantage of our
wonderful advances in bottled water. But if you’re
torn between filling up at the kitchen sink or
paying $1 for a bottle of Dasani, I hope you choose
the sink. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper. And remember
--what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
SENIOR CINEMA AT THE HART PARK HOUSE SENIOR CENTER
August 5th - Whiplash (2014) - Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is an
ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in pursuit of rising to the top of his
elite east coast music conservatory. Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an instructor
known for his terrifying teaching methods, discovers Andrew and transfers the
aspiring drummer into the top jazz ensemble, forever changing the young man’s
life But Andrew’s passion to achieve perfection quickly
spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher pushes
him to the brink of his ability and his sanity. Winner of
3 Academy Awards, Start time: 1:00pm (run time 107
minutes)
August 19th – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) - An American romantic
comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, based on Truman
capote’s novel, this is the story of a young woman in New York City who
meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building. He is with
an older woman who is very wealthy, but he wants to be a writer. She is
working as an expensive escort and searching for a rich, older man to marry.
This movie won two Academy Awards. Start time: 1:00pm (run time 115
minutes)
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com
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