Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 10, 2016

THE GOOD LIFE

9

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 10, 2016 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

LOCATING LOST LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES


Dear Savvy Senior,

When my mom passed away we thought she had a life 
insurance policy, but we have no idea how to track it 
down. Do you know of any resources that might help?

Searching Susan

 

Dear Susan,

 Lost or forgotten life insurance policies are very 
common in the U.S. It’s estimated that more than 
$7 billion in benefits from unclaimed life insurance 
policies are waiting to be claimed by their rightful 
beneficiaries. 

 While unfortunately, there isn’t a national database 
for tracking down these policies, there are a number of 
strategies and a few new resources that can help your 
search. Here are several to get you started.

 Search her records: Check your mom’s financial 
records or storage areas where she kept her important 
papers for a policy, records of premium payments, or 
bills from an insurer. Also contact her employer or 
former employer benefits administrator, insurance 
agents, financial planner, accountant, attorney or other 
adviser and ask if they know about a life insurance 
policy. Also check safe-deposit boxes, monitor the 
mail for premium invoices or whole-life dividend 
notices, and review old income-tax returns, looking 
for interest income from, and interest expenses paid, 
to life insurance companies.

 Contact the insurer: If you suspect that a particular 
insurer underwrote the policy, contact that carrier’s 
claim office and ask. The more information you 
have, like your mom’s date of birth and death, Social 
Security number and address, the easier it will be to 
track down. Contact information of some big insurers 
include: Prudential 800-778-2255; MetLife Metlife.
com/policyfinder; AIG 800-888-2452; Nationwide 
800-848-6331; John Hancock JohnHancock.com 
– click on “Contact Us” then on “Account Search 
Request.” 

 Get state help: Nineteen state insurance 
departments have a policy locator service program 
that can help you locate lost life insurance, and many 
other states offer resources that can help you with your 
search. To find direct access to these resources visit the 
American Council of Life Insurers website at ACLI.
com/consumers – click on “Missing Policy Tips.” 

 Search unclaimed property: If your mom died 
more than a few years ago, benefits may have already 
been turned over to the unclaimed property office 
of the state where the policy was purchased. Go 
to MissingMoney.com, a website of the National 
Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, 
to search records from 40 states, Puerto Rico and 
the District of Columbia. The pull-down menu 
under Links connects you to a map and addresses for 
unclaimed property agencies. Or, to find links to each 
state’s unclaimed-property division use Unclaimed.
org.

 If your mom’s name or a potential benefactor’s 
name produces a hit, you’ll need to prove your claim. 
Required documentation, which can vary by state, is 
detailed in claim forms, and a death certificate might 
be necessary. If you need a copy of your mom’s death 
certificate, contact the vital records office in the state 
where she died, or go to VitalChek.com.

 Search fee-based services: There are several 
businesses that offer policy locator services for a fee. 
The MIB Group, for example, which is a data-sharing 
service for life and health insurance companies, offers 
a policy locator service at PolicyLocator.com for $75. 
But it only tracks applications for individual policies 
made since 1996. 

 You can also get assistance at Policy Inspector 
(PolicyInspector.com) for $99, and L-LIFE 
(LostLifeIns.com) for $108.50, who will do the 
searching for you.

 

 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.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …December Birthdays*

Pat Karamitros, Joan Hufnagel, Mary Alice Cervera, Carol Horejsi, Shirley Anhalt, 
Mignon Grijalva, Helen Reese, Levon Yapoujian, Toni Buckner, Lottie Bugl, Pat 
McGuire, Sheila Wohler, Nan Murphy, Eleanor Hensel, Sylvia Curl, Elizabeth Levie, 
Gayle Licher, Cindy Barran, and Melissa Stute. 

* To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 
YEAR of birth not required but you must be over 60.

...................................................................

ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the Hart 
Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 

 

 YWCA San Gabriel Valley - Intervale Senior Cafe 

Seniors 60 years of age and up can participate in the YWCA Intervale daily lunch program held at the 
Hart Park House Senior Center. Meals are served Monday through Friday at 12:00 pm and participants 
are encouraged to arrive by 11:45 am. Meals are a suggested donation of $3.00 for seniors 60 and over 
or $5.00 for non-senior guests. Daily reservations are necessary, space is limited. Please reserve your 
lunch by calling 626-355-0256.

Tech Talk: Will resume in the fall. 

Hawaiian and Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10:00 - 11:00am. Join instructor 
Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula. 

Bingo: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00 pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to join. 
May be cancelled if less than 5 people. 

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11:00am - 12:00 pm. No appt. necessary. 

Chair Yoga: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 - 11:45am. A suggested donation of $5 at one of the 
classes is requested, but is not required. 

Case Management: Meets the second 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 12:00 pm. (Please note the time change.) A regular group of 
seniors play poker. Other games available for use. 

 Free Strength Training Class: Every Friday from 12:45 - 1:30 pm 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. 

SENIOR EXCURSION - 

Proposed 2017 Trips

January The Broad Museum (Sold Out)

February St. Sophia’s Cathedral

March Walt Disney Concert Hall

April Tanaka Farm Strawberry Tour

May The Getty Villa

June Guided Dogs of America and The Wildlife Learning Center

July Gardens of the World

August Gondola Getaway

September Riley’s at Oak Glen

November Japanese American National Museum

December Mission Inn

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 medical excuse or 2) if the Department is able to fill the patron’s 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 $13 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 
Library & Community Services Dept.


KATIE Tse..........This and That

HOLIDAY LUNCH

On Thursday, December 15th, join us for the Annual Holiday Lunch. 
The lunch will feature special dessert, and a raffle with a variety of prizes. 
Also returning this year, students from Bethany Christian School will 
be singing Christmas Carols. Bring your holiday spirit and join us for 
the special day! Lunch reservations MUST be made with the Senior 
Lunch Café by calling 626-355-0256.

FROM REYKJAVIK WITH LOVE

It’s been a 
while since 
I’ve stolen 
--”written” a 
story from my 
mom’s friend, Florence. You may 
remember Florence from past 
article involving unusual pets, 
and just plain unusual situations 
in general. Yes, Florence is always 
good for material when I’m out 
of ideas. Florence retired from 
teaching last year and has filled 
her new found freedom with trips 
to several exotic destinations so 
far, most recently Iceland. 

 After a dinner with Florence 
and some other friends, my 
mom relayed some of Florence’s 
adventures to me. Mostly it 
was about the unusual Icelandic 
cuisine. There was something 
about rotten shark marinated 
in shark urine. “Wait,” I told 
Mom, “How do you collect shark 
urine? Doesn’t it just dissipate 
into the water?” My mom 
thought a moment, “I’m not 
sure.” “Maybe they catheterize 
the sharks before they butcher 
them,” I mused. Imagine being 
the guy with that job! “No, it 
must have been something else,” 
Mom remarked. “They put the 
dead shark in a pit to marinate, 
so maybe all the people take 
turns peeing on it,” she recalled, 
“Maybe that’s how it’s done.” 
“Well what did Florence say?” I 
asked. “It was hard to catch it 
all, there were a lot of us there,” 
she replied. I knew I had to 
call Florence and get the story 
straight from the source. 

 Florence corrected me on 
the whole rotten shark issue, 
but before we get to that, let’s 
consider Iceland’s “survival 
food,” as Florence describes 
it. Iceland is an island and it’s 
expensive to have foods shipped 
in. Therefore, a hamburger 
will be much more expensive 
than say, a bowl of fish stew. 
Iceland has about 2-3 months of 
“summer” during which crops 
can be grown. The rest of the year 
is dismally dark, cold, and wet. 
Hothouse vegetables are pretty 
much the only plants that can 
be harvested in these conditions. 
Other than that, the native diet 
consists of animals raised on, 
or caught near, the island, such 
as sheep and fish. “Survival 
food” is what Icelanders can eat 
cheaply throughout the year. So 
while we may think of shark as 
being an endangered species, as 
in shark fin soup, it is actually a 
commonplace meal in Iceland.

 The shark is prepared by 
burying it in a pit to ferment for 
a few months and then hanging 
it to dry to complete the process. 
Therefore the shark is more 
accurately “fermented” than 
rotten, although it has a strong 
odor of ammonia. The purpose 
of this convoluted method is to 
rid the flesh of an acid which 
renders it inedible when freshly 
caught. It reminded me of the 
Nordic dish Lutefisk, which 
takes fish on a long journey from 
the ocean to the table, involving 
lye at some point. 

 Any mention of fermented 
shark would be incomplete 
without a chaser of “Black 
Death,” a schnapps made from 
potatoes and caraway. Other 
popular snacks are dried fish 
jerky, which is typically slathered 
with butter. There is also sheep’s 
head, complete with the eyeball 
and other parts. There’s a 
hilarious video online of two 
guys eating it as a dare. The 
guy eating the eyeball chewed 
it for a good three minutes 
before working up the courage 
to swallow it. There’s also ram’s 
testicles, minke whale, and fish 
stew. Minke whale is common 
in that part of the world and 
is not on the endangered list. 
Hot dogs with lamb are very 
popular, and are reported to be 
some of the best in the world, 
very snappy. Iceland also has a 
lovely selection of breads. But 
I think the most horrifying dish 
Florence told me about were the 
puffins!

 I do feel guilty about eating 
lamb, chicken, beef, and most 
other meats, but there’s just 
something about eating puffins 
that I can’t wrap my mind 
around. They’re just too cute, and 
I’ve always been a “bird person.” 
I will always appreciate Florence 
for her wealth of stories, but I can 
never look at her the same way 
again now...

GINGERBREAD JAMBOREE!

Thursday, December 22nd, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Show off your creative side by building a gingerbread house for the holidays. Come build your own 
gingerbread house on December 22 at the Hart Park House. All supplies will be provided. This is 
a great way to get into the holiday spirit! Reservation required. Please call the Hart Park House 
626-355-7394.


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