Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, April 22, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, April 22, 2023 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


ASSISTED LIVING OR NURSING HOME?

There are many myths about Assisted Living being like 
Nursing Homes. This is not true at all. Nursing facilities 
are for those with chronic health issues who require care 
around the clock from medical professionals. 

In Assisted Living, one will get the support as needed, 
such as getting help with showering, grooming, and 
dressing. Again, these services are based on the seniors 
needs.

There are many reasons in working with us. At Safe Path 
for Seniors, we will assess the senior and depending on their care needs and budget, make recommendations. 
For example, we may suggest that the right fit is a Board and Care Home (normally a 6-bedroom house) as 
opposed to an Assisted Living Community or a Memory Support Facility. You will work with an experienced 
agent who 

knows the industry well and will give you recommendations. The good news is that there is no cost for this 
service.

If you have any questions about placing a loved one, visit www.safepathforseniors.com or call Steve at 
626-999-6913


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …APRIL Birthdays*

Howard Rubin, Anita Hardy, Hattie Harris, Wendy Senou, Mary Harley, 
Bette White, Doris Behrens, Freda Bernard, Beth Copti, Terri Cummings, 
Marilyn Diaz, Virginia Elliott, Elma Flores, Betty Jo Gregg, Stuart Tolchin, 
Barbara Lampman, Betty Mackie, Elizabeth Rassmusen, Maria Reyes, 
Marian DeMars, Anne Schryver, Chrisine Bachwansky, Colleen McKernan, 
Sandy Swanson, Hank Landsberg, Ken Anhalt, Shannon Vandevelde * To add your name 
to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth 
not required v

SENIOR CLUB Every Saturday at Noon Hart Park House

Open to all seniors 50+ Fun - Games - And More! Call Mark at 626-355-3951 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME

1st & 3rd Wednesdays 11:00 am— 12:30 pm Hart Park House

The object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from their hand onto one or 
more trains, emanating from a central hub or “station”. Call Lawren with questions 
that you may have.

TEA AND TALK BOOK CLUB

Wednesday, 4/12 and 4/26 9:00 am Hart Park House

Tea and Talk, which meets twice a month to discuss the fun, suspense, intrigue, 
love and so much more that each selection will have in store!

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE

 BEGINNERS - Every Thursday 10-11:00 am

 INTERMEDIATE Every Friday 10-11:00 am

Bring a lei, your flower skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the Park is back 
and waiting for you to join in on all the fun! Memorial Park Covered Pavilion.

CHAIR YOGA

Every Monday and Wednesday 10-10:45 am

Please join us for some gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation 
with Paul. Classes are ongoing and held in the Memorial Park Covered 
Pavilion or the Hart Park House. 

SPRINGO BINGO 

Thursday, 4/20 Hart Park House 1:00 pm-2:30 pm $5

Fee includes bingo games, light lunch, & prizes! Please call 626-264-8876 or visit 
HPH to pre-register. "Must pre-register to participate" Active Adults 55+

HOW TO PREPARE A WILL 

Dear Savvy Senior,

I would like to make my last will and testament and 
would like to know if I can do it myself, or do I need 
to hire a lawyer?

Don’t Have Much

 

Dear Don’t,

Very good question! Almost everyone needs a 
will, but only around one-third of American 
have actually prepared one. Having a last will 
and testament is important because it ensures 
your money and property will be distributed 
to the people you want to receive it after your 
death.

 

If you die without a will (a.k.a. dying “intestate”), 
your estate will be settled in accordance 
with state law. Details vary by state, but assets 
typically are distributed using a hierarchy of 
survivors i.e., first to a spouse, then to children, 
then your siblings, and so on.

 

You also need to be aware that certain accounts 
take precedence over a will. If you jointly own 
a home or a bank account, for example, the 
house, and the funds in the account, will go to 
the joint holder, even if your will directs otherwise. 
Similarly, retirement accounts and life 
insurance policies are distributed to the beneficiaries 
you designate, so it is important to keep 
them up to date too.

 

Do You Need a Lawyer?

Not necessarily. Creating a will with a do-it-
yourself software program may be acceptable 
in some cases, particularly if you have a simple, 
straightforward estate and an uncomplicated 
family situation. Otherwise, it’s best to seek 
professional advice. An experienced lawyer can 
make sure you cover all your bases, which can 
help avoid family confusion and squabbles after 
you’re gone.

 

If you need help finding someone the National 
Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA.org), 
the National Association of Estate Planners & 
Councils (NAEPC.org) and the American College 
of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC.org) 
websites are good resources that have online directories 
to help you search.

 

Costs will vary depending on your location 
and the complexity of your situation, but you 
can expect to pay somewhere between $200 
and $1,000 or more to get your will made. To 
help you save, shop around and get price quotes 
from several different firms. And before you 
meet with an attorney, make a detailed list of 
your assets and accounts to help make your 
visit more efficient.

 

If money is tight, check with your state’s bar association 
(see FindLegalHelp.org) to find low-
cost legal help in your area. Or call the Eldercare 
Locater at 800-677-1116 for a referral.

 

If you are interested in a do-it-yourself will, 
some top options to consider are Nolo’s Quicken 
WillMaker & Trust (Nolo.com, $99) and 
Trust & Will (TrustandWill.com, $159). Or, if 
that’s more than you’re willing to pay, you can 
make your will for free at FreeWill.com or DoYourOwnWill.
com.

 

It’s also recommended that if you do create 
your own will, have a lawyer review it to make 
sure it covers all the important bases.

 

Where to Store it?

Once your will is written, the best place to keep 
it is either in a fireproof safe or file cabinet at 
home, in a safe deposit box in your bank or online 
at sites like Everplans.com. But make sure 
your executor knows where it is and has access 
to it. Or, if a professional prepares your will, 
keep the original document at your lawyer’s office. 
Also, be sure to update your will if your 
family or financial circumstances change, or if 
you move to another state.

 

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.


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


THE PRINCESS HATH SPOKEN

In December of last year, 
our second great-grandchild 
entered our family. 
Our first great-grandchild was a boy, and 
this one is a girl.

Like all our children, grandchildren and 
great-grandson, this great-granddaughter 
was a blessing to our family. If only 
children would stay young for the rest of 
their life! I have learned that the thing is 
to enjoy them while they are young.

Being retired, we have more time to 
spend with our grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. I’m sure this is one of the 
great blessings that our Heavenly Father 
bestows upon us.

Because the mother of this great-grandchild, 
our granddaughter, is a working 
nurse, she went back to work following 
her maternity leave. That being the case, 
the grandma (mother) and great-grandma 
daycare operation kicked in.

These relationships get confusing, and 
I try to keep them separated. Still, the 
grandmother, our daughter, is also a 
working nurse and therefore does not 
have that much time for the daycare 
operation.

The great-grandmother, which is the Matriarch-
Hierarchy, has more time for the 
daycare operation. That means the great-
granddaughter is in our home quite often 
during the week.

I was pretty pleased with this arrangement 
and was glad to have a little great-granddaughter 
in our home as much as possible. 
Of course, you can never have too many 
of these little great-granddaughters.

After a few weeks I began to understand 
life as it is; I assumed things, but not always 
understanding, how they came into 
being.

At our family gathering, the new great-
granddaughter was there and we were 
having our family dinner. Then something 
began to happen that at first, I did 
not quite understand, but later began to 
comprehend the whole issue in a different 
light.

The little great-granddaughter was sleeping 
in her bassinet in one of our bedrooms. 
We were chatting around the table, 
and then suddenly, we heard it.

Waa, Waa, Waa, Waa, Waa.

Being a man, I didn’t quite understand 
what that noise was about. All of the ladies 
around the table got up and marched 
back to the bedroom with the little baby 
crying.

In a few moments, they all came out, and 
one was holding the baby while the rest 
were following. They all gathered in the 
living room, and I watched as they passed 
the baby around, and everybody had a 
chance to hold her.

It wasn’t long before that little Princess 
stopped crying. And if I saw that right, 
if not smiling, at least she was snickering. 
At first, I did not quite understand 
what that was all about. That was just the 
beginning.

Whenever The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage babysat the great-grandbaby, I 
noticed a similar routine.

The great-grandmother got the great-
grandbaby settled down, fed her, then 
quietly take her back, and put her in the 
bassinet in the bedroom. She fell asleep, 
and the great-grandmother tiptoed out of 
the bedroom and went to the kitchen to 
resume her work.

Then came that familiar sound from the 
bedroom. Waa, Waa, Waa, Waa, Waa.

Before the second “Waa” got out, the 
great-grandmother turned her back 
on the kitchen and scooted back 
into the bedroom to bow before the 
great-granddaughter.

As she brought the little baby out, the 
baby looked at me and gave me one of her 
snickers. I am not sure, but I think she 
winked at me. Just do not let this get back 
to the great-grandmother.

So the great-grandmother cared for the 
baby, rocked it, and did everything babies 
need at that stage of life.

She finally went to sleep, and The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage took the 
baby back to its bassinet to sleep for a 
little while

.

When she came back, I was tempted, but 
I did not yield to that temptation, to ask 
her what all that crying was about. I was 
tempted, but I did not yield to that temptation, 
to tell her what I thought was going 
on.

It did not take long for the little Princess 
to do it all over again.

Waa, Waa, Waa, Waa, Waa.

Again, the great-grandmother dropped 
what she was doing and went back, got 
the baby out of the bassinet, brought her 
out, and fixed up a bottle for her lunch. 
So all the time, the little baby was smiling 
and giggling and then looking at me and 
winked; it seemed that way, at least from 
my perspective.

What I saw was the little Princess taking 
charge of her environment. How someone 
that young could know how to manipulate 
her environment is well beyond 
me. I should take a few notes from her.

Then I began thinking that perhaps this 
was the little Princess preparing to be a 
wife and mother, with the emphasis on 
the wife. If that is true, she has a great 
start at that.

I wonder what it is going to be like when 
this little Princess graduates to a teenager. 
Those are going to be the days, and I’m 
looking forward to them.

As I was pondering this situation I could 
not help but think of what that wise old 
man, Solomon, said in, Proverbs 22:6, 
“Train up a child in the way he should 
go: and when he is old, he will not depart 
from it.”

That wise old man understood that what 
a child becomes is a result of training. 
Too often the child dominates the training 
chair which predicts what happens 
when that child is old.

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL 
with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-
mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website 
www.jamessnyderministries.com.

FAMILY MATTERS

3 SIMPLE MISTAKES THAT CAN DERAIL YOUR 

ESTATE PLAN


If you’re tempted to use 
a DIY estate planning 
service or have already 
created a plan you aren’t 
100% confident in, be sure 
to read how these three 
simple mistakes can derail 
your estate plan and leave 
your family with an expensive mess.

We regularly meet with clients who ask us to review an 
estate plan they created online or with an attorney who 
isn’t experienced with estate planning. You see, these clients 
usually think they found a faster and cheaper solution 
to estate planning, but once the plan is signed and done, 
they’re often left wondering whether this “cheap” plan 
will actually accomplish their goals, or if it will leave their 
family with a big mess instead. And what I see time and 
again when I review these estate plans are poorly designed 
plans with simple but devastating mistakes. 

While it might seem simple enough to put together a trust 
online or have your tax attorney prepare your will, it can 
be very difficult to create an estate plan that works without 
the proper training and experience. What might seem 
like minor details to the inexperienced eye can often have 
major effects on your plan’s final outcome. 

More often than not, clients who meet with us to review 
a DIY plan find that instead of saving money on their estate 
plan, they’ve actually cost themselves much more by 
buying a mistake-ridden plan. And if these mistakes aren’t 
caught by you while you’re alive and well, your loved ones 
will be paying the price to resolve them after you’re gone.

Here are the three biggest mistakes I see when reviewing 
DIY and low-cost estate plans:

1. Leaving Assets Outright to Loved Ones 

One of the simplest mistakes you can make in estate planning 
is distributing your assets directly to your beneficiaries 
upon your death. This can be a bad idea for several 
reasons:

 The assets have no protection from your beneficiaries’ 
creditors once they leave your estate

 The money can be squandered and used however 
the beneficiary wants

 If the beneficiary is a minor, a court will decide 
who manages the assets and how they’ll be used

Instead of gifting your assets directly to your beneficiaries, 
it may be better to distribute your assets into a trust 
for them. When creating a trust, you can choose who will 
manage your assets for your beneficiaries while also sheltering 
those assets from your beneficiaries’ creditors or 
their own poor money-management skills.

Setting up a trust to hold your assets is especially important 
if you have minor children. Minors cannot own money 
on their own, which means they can’t receive any assets 
from you directly on your death. Instead, a court will need 
to appoint a trustee or conservator to manage the assets 
you leave for your children. There’s a high chance the person 
the court appoints will not be the person you would 
have chosen yourself. And if the court appoints a professional 
trustee, your assets will be reduced by expensive 
trust administration fees.

A court-appointed trustee will distribute the assets to your 
children outright when they reach the age of 18, putting 
the assets at risk. Few young adults have the maturity or 
knowledge to manage a large sum of money responsibly 
so it can grow and support them over time. Even if your 
adult child is responsible or has guidance from someone 
you trust, those assets are still susceptible to any lawsuits, 
divorces, and unforeseen financial or legal troubles your 
child may experience in the future. 

Instead of leaving assets outright to a minor or young 
adult, leaving your assets in a trust, established for the 
child’s benefit, allows you to choose the person who will 
manage the assets you leave for them, helps the assets grow 
through careful financial management, and protects the 
assets from your child’s lack of experience and future risk.

2. Not Creating a Lifetime Asset Protection Trust

Creating a trust to hold your assets can provide years of 
asset protection for your loved ones, but that protection 
only exists so long as the assets are held in the name of the 
trust. The second big mistake I see are trusts that direct 
the assets to be taken out of the trust’s protection and given 
to your child or beneficiary at a specific age. You might 
not see the problem with this scenario at first, but even if 
your child or beneficiary is mature enough to manage a 
sum of money, doing this still leaves those assets susceptible 
to future legal and financial risks.

Instead, everyone should consider creating a Lifetime Asset 
Protection Trust to hold their beneficiaries’ assets indefinitely. 
This gives the assets lifelong protection while 
still providing financial support to your beneficiaries.

Unfortunately, most lawyers do not understand how to use 
trusts to establish this kind of protection for the inheritance 
you are leaving behind, and some may even try to 
dissuade you from using a trust at all unless you have a 
very large estate. Even if you are leaving behind a small 
number of assets, protecting those assets and helping 
them grow can make a huge difference in the future well-
being of your loved ones. 

3. Forgetting to Update Beneficiary Designations

This final mistake is so simple yet so easily forgotten 
when creating a DIY plan or using an inexperienced estate 
planner: forgetting to update your insurance policies and 
retirement beneficiary designations so they complement 
your estate plan. While your will and trust are important 
parts of your estate plan, it can be just as vital to update 
your insurance policies and retirement accounts to pay 
out to your trust instead of directly to your beneficiaries. 

Leaving the names of your beneficiaries on your insurance 
and retirement accounts instead of the name of your trust 
ensures the largest assets you own won’t be a part of the 
plan you just created. Instead, the assets will be distributed 
directly to the beneficiaries listed on the account, to 
do with however they want, even if you had other plans 
for protecting the funds under your trust. We’ve even seen 
cases where the beneficiaries named on a life insurance or 
retirement account are so outdated that the person named 
on the account isn’t even a part of the client’s life anymore!

Estate Planning That Works

In order to make sure your estate plan truly works the 
way you intend it to, it’s essential that all of your assets are 
reviewed to make sure any accounts you have reflect the 
name of your trust or other estate plan method. 

If you're thinking about using a DIY estate planning service 
or had an estate plan created by an attorney in a different 
practice area, it’s crucial to check your plan for these 
three simple but potentially major mistakes. Otherwise, 
your estate plan might end up causing more problems 
than it solves, leaving your family in court and conflict 
long after you’re gone.

Don’t let a simple estate planning mistake derail your 
plans for your family. Make the extra effort now to ensure 
your plan doesn’t leave anything to chance. Your loved 
ones will thank you 
for it!

To your health, 
wealth, and family 
legacy,


Marc Garlett, Esq.

Cali Law Family Legacy Matters

www.caliLaw.com

626.355.4000

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