Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 18, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 18, 2022 

HOW TO CHOOSE A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENTAL (MEDIGAP) POLICY 

Dear Savvy Senior:
I’m planning to enroll in original Medicare in a few 
months and have been told I probably need to get a Medicare 
supplemental policy too. Can you offer any tips on 
selecting one? Almost 65 

Dear Almost: 
If you’re enrolling in original Medicare, getting a supple-


tact information. 
mental policy (also known as Medigap insurance) too is 

 Since all Medigap policies with the same letter must 
a smart idea because it will help pay for things that aren’t 

cover the exact same benefits (it’s required by law), you 
covered by Medicare like copayments, coinsurance and 

should shop for the cheapest policy. 
the Part A deductible. Here are some tips to help you 

 You’ll get the best price if you sign up within six months 
choose an appropriate plan. 

after enrolling in Medicare Part B. During this open-
enrollment period, an insurer cannot refuse to sell you a 
Medigap Plans 

policy or charge you more because of your health. 
In all but three states (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and 

 You also need to be aware of the pricing methods, which 
Wisconsin), Medigap plans, which are sold by private 

will affect your costs. Medigap policies are usually sold 
health insurers, are available to new enrollees in eight 

as either: “community-rated” where everyone in an area 
different standardized plans. These plans are labeled 

is charged the same premium regardless of age; “issuewith 
the letters A, B, D, G, K, L, M and N, with two more, 

age-rated” that is based on your age when you buy the 
C and F, that are only available to those eligible for Medi


policy, but will only increase due to inflation, not age; 
care before 2020. 

and “attained-age-rated,” that starts premiums low but 
Plan G is the most popular policy among new enroll-

increases as you age. Community-rate and issue-ageees 
because it covers the most comprehensive range of 

rated policies are the best options because they will save 
benefits. Monthly premiums for Plan G typically range 

you money in the long run. 
between $100 and $300, depending on your age and the 

 You can buy the plan directly from an insurance com-
state you reside in. If that’s more than you’re willing to 

pany, or you can work with a reputable insurance broker. 
pay, there are also high-deductible plans that have lower 
premiums but impose higher out-of-pocket costs. 

Drug Coverage 
For more information on the different types of plans 

You also need to know that Medigap policies do not covand 
coverage details, including Medigap options in Mas


er prescription drugs, so if you don’t have drug coverage, 
sachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, go to Medicare. 

you’ll need to buy a separate Medicare Part D drug plan 
gov/publications and type in “choosing a medigap poli


too. See Medicare.gov/plan-compare to compare plans. 
cy” in the Keyword box, and download their 2022 guide. 

Also note that Medigap plans do not cover vision, dental 
Or call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask them to mail you a 

care, hearing aids or long-term care. 
copy. 

Alternative Option 
How to Choose 

Instead of getting original Medicare, plus a Medigap 
To pick a Medigap policy that works best for you, con-

policy and a separate Part D drug plan, you could sign 
sider your health, family medical history and your bud-

up for a Medicare Advantage plan (see medicare.gov/ 
get. The differences among plans can be small and rather 

plan-compare) that provides all-in-one coverage. These 
confusing. 

plans, which are sold by insurance companies, are generTo 
help you choose, visit Medicare.gov/medigap-sup


ally available through HMOs and PPOs that require you 
plemental-insurance-plans and type in your ZIP code. 

to get your care within a network of doctors. 
This will give you a list of the plans available in your 
area, their price ranges and the names, and contact in-

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 
formation of companies that sell them. But to get specific 

5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim 
pricing information, you’ll need to contact the carriers 

Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and audirectly 
or call your State Health Insurance Assistance 

thor of “The Savvy Senior” book. 
Program. See ShipHelp.org or call 877-839-2675 for con-


FAMILY MATTERS

 By Marc Garlett 

IF YOU'VE BEEN ASKED TO SERVE AS A TRUSTEE, 
HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW 

If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as trustee for their 
trust either during their life, or upon their death, it’s a big honor—this 
means they consider you among the most honest, reliable, and responsible 
people they know. 

That said, serving as a trustee is not only a great honor, but also a major responsibility, and the role 
is definitely not for everyone. Serving as a trustee entails a broad array of duties, and you are both 
ethically and legally required to properly execute those duties, or you could face liability for not 
doing so. 

In the end, your responsibility as a trustee will vary greatly depending on the size of the estate, the 
type of assets covered by the trust, how many beneficiaries there are, and the trust’s terms. Considering 
this, you should carefully review the specifics of the trust you would be managing before 
making your decision to serve. 

Remember, you don’t have to take the job. That said, depending on who nominated you, declining 
to serve may not be an easy or practical option. On the other hand, you might enjoy the opportunity 
to serve, so long as you understand what’s expected of you. 

Here I’ll give you a brief overview of what serving as a trustee typically entails. For help in making 
your decision, it may be beneficial in having an estate planning lawyer review the trust first, so he 
or she can detail exactly what that specific trust would require of you. And as we’ll discuss more 
below, if you do accept, a qualified lawyer can also help you carry out your responsibilities, so you 
won’t have to handle things all by yourself. 

A Trustee’s Primary Duties

Although every trust is different, serving as trustee comes with a few core requirements. These 
duties primarily involve accounting for, managing, and distributing the trust’s assets to its named 
beneficiaries, as a fiduciary.
As a fiduciary, you have the power to act on behalf of the trust’s creator and beneficiaries, always 
putting their interests above your own. In fact, you have a legal obligation to act in a trustworthy 
and honest manner, while providing the highest standard of care in executing your duties.
This means you are legally required to properly manage the trust and its assets in the best interest 
of all the named beneficiaries. And if you fail to abide by your duties as a fiduciary, you could face 
legal liability. 

But regardless of the trust or the assets it holds, some of your key responsibilities as trustee include: 

Identifying and protecting the trust assetsDetermining what the trust requires in terms of management and distribution of the assetsHiring and overseeing an accounting firm to file income and estate taxes for the trustCommunicating regularly with beneficiariesBringing in the right investment management team to manage the trust assetsBeing scrupulously honest, highly organized, and keeping detailed records of all transactionsClosing the trust and distributing the assets when the trust terms specify 

Experience NOT Required 

It’s important to point out that being a trustee does NOT require you to be an expert in law, finance, 
taxes, or any other field related to trust administration. In fact, trustees are not only allowed 
to seek outside support from professionals in these areas, but they’re also highly encouraged to do 
so, and the trust estate will pay for you to hire the support you need.
So even though serving as a trustee may seem like a daunting proposition, you won’t have to 
handle the job alone. And you are also often able to be paid to serve as trustee of a trust should 
you choose to accept the role. 

That said, many trustees, particularly close family members, often choose to forgo any payment 
beyond what’s required to cover the trust expenses, if that’s possible. The way you are compensated 
as a trustee will depend on your personal circumstances, your relationship with the trust creator 
and beneficiaries, as well as the nature of the assets in the trust. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help 

Because serving as a trustee involves such serious responsibility, you should meet with a qualified 
lawyer for help deciding whether or not to accept the role. He or she should offer you a 
clear, unbiased assessment of what’s required of you based on the specific trust’s terms, assets, and 
beneficiaries. 

And if you do choose to serve, it’s even more important that you have someone who can assist 
you with the trust’s administration. A qualified lawyer will guide you step-by-step throughout the 
process, ensuring you properly fulfill all of the trust creator’s wishes without exposing the beneficiaries—
or yourself—to any unnecessary risks. entire 

Best, 


Marc Garlett, Esq.
Cali Law Family Legacy Matterswww.caliLaw.com 
626.355.4000 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …June Birthdays* 

Joanne Thrane, Nellie Haynes, Dorothy McKay, Diane Hatfield, Georgette 

Dunlay, Elizabeth Shul, Donna Doss, Mary Carney, Carol Handley, Marilyn 

McKernan, Pat Fujiwara, John Shier, Beth Smith-Kellock, Ann Disbrow, 

Joan Ellison, Anne Montgomery, Trini Ornelas, Martha Spriggs, Pat Starkey, 

Kathleen Coyne, Suzanne Decker, Jacque Persing, Jeanne Peterson and Grace Sanders 

To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 

YEAR of birth not required 

THE HART PARK HOUSE SENIOR CENTER IS OPEN!!!! 
SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB Every Saturday from 11:30am-3:30 pm in the 
Hart Park House Senior Center. Join us as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and pay 
BINGO. Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951. 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME Wednesday, 5/18 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. 

PAINT PALS 

Tuesday, 5/10 & 5/24, 10:30 am—Hart Park House If you enjoy painting, sketching, 
water color, or making some other form of artistic creation please join our new 
program, PAINT PALS!!! Bring a project that you are working on to the HPH and 
enjoy some quality art time with other artists looking to paint with a new pal. 

TEA AND TALK SENIOR BOOK CLUB Tuesday, 5/25— 9:00 am Staff has 
launched a new book club series, 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! 

FIBER FRIENDS Tuesday, 5/17 —10:00 am If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, 
embroidery, needlepoint, bunka, huck, tatting or cross stitch then we have a group 
for you! Bring your current project, a nonalcoholic beverage, then sit and chat with 
likeminded fiber friends. We meet in the Hart Park House 

BINGO Monday 5/16 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm Come on down to enjoy this time with 
friends. We are trying a new spin on BINGO fun so please bring your good luck 
charms and BINGO markers! 

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.. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE Every Friday, 10-10:45 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 Pavilion. 

SENIOR CINEMA WEDNESDAY, 5/25 1:00 PM 
MERMAIDS 1hr 50min An unconventional single mother relocates with her two 
daughters to a small Massachusetts town in 1963, where a number of events and relationships 
both challenge and strengthen their familial bonds. 

SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB 

Every Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Hart Park House Senior Center. Join us 
as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and play BINGO. 

Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS TODAY ARE 
FATHERS! 

There is much talk today about what’s wrong with our society. That list 

is pretty long, but the most important cause of problems in our culture 
today is the lack of fathers. So many children grow up without a father in the home. How 
tragic.
I was fortunate enough to know my father. My father passed away a little over 12 years 
ago. I re-member many things he taught me or at least tried to teach me. One of the most 
significant things was when I became a teenager, he said, “Son, just because you get a girl 
pregnant doesn’t mean you’re a father.” 
I didn’t quite understand what he was talking about at the time. Years later, I understood 
what he was talking about.
My father taught me a lot, and most of the things had to do with money. He was very 
close to his money. Often, he would tell me, “Son, don’t pay somebody to do something 
you can do yourself.” 
I understand that, but I also understand that, at times, it backfired on him. There were 
times when he was trying to fix something and made such a mess that he had to hire 
somebody to fix it, which cost him about three times as much as if we would’ve hired the 
person in the first place. He never talked too much about that, but I noticed it several 
times and probably more times than I noticed.
About a year before he died, he gave me his ring. He told me this ring was worth thousands 
of dol-lars and wanted me to have it. I was rather happy, but I’m the kind of person 
that does not like to wear money out in public.
After my father passed away, I took the ring and had it appraised. If this ring is worth 
thousands of dollars, I was not going to wear it; I would rather have the money and put 
it in the bank. 
After appraising the ring, the person said that at most, it was worth $100. That was far 
short of my father’s evaluation. Why he believed it was worth thousands of dollars is 
beyond me. Maybe he was just trying to impress me. I still wear that ring and think of 
my father.
My parents would come down to Florida as snowbirds every year and stayed not far 
from where I lived. For the last week of my father’s life, I was with him, and most of the 
time, he was in a coma state. He was in bed and unresponsive.
Then, much to everybody’s surprise, he woke up one day as though nothing was wrong 
with him. He had energy, got up and dressed, and friends came to visit him.
One of the things my father did was talk to me, “Son, I don’t want to stay here in Florida. 
I want to get ready and go back to Pennsylvania. Can you drive me back tomorrow?”
We had a long discussion about this, and I cheerfully said, “Oh, dad, of course, I’d be 
happy to drive you home tomorrow.” 
One of his friends overheard our conversation. Towards the end of the day, he took me 
out to the garage and had a rather straightforward conversation with me.
“Do you know how serious your father is? Do you know that he could never last that 
trip home?”
He then proceeded to tell me that as a son, I needed to be more considerate of my father’s 
health. I should never jeopardize his health, and I should never agree take him home. 
That was too danger-ous, according to my father’s friend.
When he was done ranting about all this and quieted down, I explained what was going 
on. 
“I know how sick my father is,” I said as seriously as possible. “I know that my father 
will not last more than a couple of days, and I do not want my last conversation with my 
father to be a vicious argument. Whatever he wants now, I am willing to go along with.” 
My father’s friend looked at me and said, “I’m so sorry. I never thought of it like that.” 
Pausing for a few moments, he said, “You are absolutely right to make your father happy 
in the last moments of his life. You are a good son.” 
We conversed for a few more moments, and then he went in to say goodbye to my father 
and went home. 
The rest of that night, my father and I talked about how we would travel back home 
to Pennsylva-nia tomorrow. Whatever he said, I enthusiastically agreed, and we had a 
wonderful conversation. 
The next day my father went back into that coma, and the following day he passed away.
I was so glad I had that conversation with my father before he passed away. A good son is 
a result of a good father. Although my father was not perfect, I learned a lot of life lessons 
from him and I’m only now beginning to appreciate all that he taught me.
Thinking about this I was reminded of a very special verse of Scripture. “The father of 
the right-eous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires [gives birth] a wise son will be glad 
in him” (Proverbs 23:24).
My goal in life is to be a reflection of my father to my children and grandchildren and 
all the peo-ple around me. 

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. 

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