Page 5 - Senior Times South Central Michigan - October 2017 - 24-10

Senior Times - October 2017
Page 5
and joint ownership, will come to the beneficiary within a short period of time from the institutions that hold those assets.
How long does it take for things to be settled? That really depends on what the will or trust provides, as well as the types of assets that are involved. Estates and trusts can sometimes be settled within a few months, but in more complicated situations, it could take years. And there are certainly estate plans, usually involving trusts, where the rights of beneficiaries can be delayed well into the future.
Are there tax consequences?
While there are all sorts of taxes involved in the process of estate and trust settlement, generally speaking, inheritances are
not taxable to the person who receives
the inheritance.
What about sentimental items? There is probably more mischief in the distribution of small items of insignificant value than with respect to any other part of the estate settlement process. People sometimes
have an inclination to show up at the
home of the deceased individual and help themselves, sometimes even before the funeral is over. This is a concern that the person in charge should be very attentive
to. If personal items are distributed from
the home, it should only be done with the participation of everyone who has an interest in those items, and only in accordance with the terms of the estate plan.
There is probably more mischief in the distribution of small items of insignificant value than with respect to any other part of the estate settlement process.
What if stuff is missing? After people die, if it appears that things have been wrongly removed from the estate, either
while the person was still living or shortly after they died, you’re probably going to end up in court. This kind of thing goes on, and these types of cases are not uncommon.
What about things that were understood, but may not be written down in formal documents? It is not uncommon for people to believe that
the way an estate plan was written is different than what the decedent really intended. If it can be shown that there was another meaning to the document, or that everyone understood there was a different intention, courts can sometimes provide a fix. Likewise, if the decedent wrote things out but did so in a way that does not meet the technical requirements of a will or trust, courts can sometimes give legal effect to those instruments as well.
What if things were changed when the person who died was sick? Cases of undue influence, or cases where someone signed something when they were incompetent and unable to understand, are common. These cases can be brought to court and, if proven, the changes that were made by a vulnerable or incompetent person will be set aside.
Do I need a lawyer? While the person in charge of settling an estate will usually retain an attorney to help with
the process, in most cases, the people
who inherit property don’t need lawyers
to get the information or the property
they are entitled to. That said, there are certainly many cases in which people
have legitimate concerns about what they are getting, whether all of the assets have been accounted for, and whether the documents being relied upon are valid.
In those cases, it is often better to have a lawyer help get answers to those questions before accepting any part of the inheritance, so that they aren’t prevented from raising their concerns later.
Inheritance is as much a part of death
as graveyards and coffins. When someone close to you dies, you will have feelings
of grief and loss, but it is perfectly normal for you to also have questions about the estate plan and what you should expect.
In many families, those issues will be handled with transparency and cooperation. But in a significant percentage of
cases, legitimate concerns may exist,
and obtaining legal advice may be the
only way to make sure that things are
being done right.
CITY
Hastings Woodland
Union City
Albion Battle Creek Battle Creek Battle Creek Marshall Tekonsha
Jackson Michigan Center Spring Arbor
LOCATION
COA Building Eagles Club
FACILITATOR
Mary Cook Joyce Dennie
PHONE DAYS
(269) 948-4856 M-F (269) 367-4041 M,W,F
TIME
10am-2pm 10:30am-1pm
SENIOR DINING CENTERS
BARRY COUNTY
Delton
Faith United Methodist
Elayne Nottingham
(269) 623-5400
M,W,T
10:30am-1pm
Nashville
Main St. Banqets
Jenny Burlison
(269) 852-9182
M-F
10:30am-1pm
Meals provided by Barry County Commission on Aging. A program sponsored by Barry County United Way.
BRANCH COUNTY
Coldwater
Branch County CAA Office
Tamara Wittbrodt
(517) 278-8249
M-F
9am-1pm
Lunch Served at 12pm
Union City Fire Station Rusty Hampton (517) 741-7212 M,T,TH,F 10:30am-12pm
Lunch served at 12pm
Meals provided by Community Action Food and Nutritional Services. Funding sources AAA 3C, Branch County United Way, USDA and private donations.
CALHOUN COUNTY
Albion
Albion Senior Dining Center
Cynthia Rose
(866) 200-8877 ext 350
M,T,W,F
10:30am-1pm
Lunch served at 12pm
Clarence Dining Center
Cherryhill Manor Senior Center Springview Towers Dining Center Northside Senior Dining Center Heritage Commons
Tekonsha Community Hall
Sharon Rice Constance Siegel Caroline Oberlin Deboraha Sallee
Senior Health Partners
(866) 200-8877 (866) 200-8877 (866) 200-8877 (866) 200-8877 (269) 558-6150
(866) 200-8877
ext 350 ext 350 ext 350 ext 350
ext 350
M,T,W
M,W,F
M,W,F
T,W,Th
T, Th
T
10:30am-1pm 10:30am-1pm 10:30am-1pm 10:30am-1pm 12-1pm
10am
Lunch served at 11:45am Lunch served at 11:30am Lunch served at 11:30am Lunch served at 11:30am Can have a hot or cold meal Whole Person Wellness too
Lunch served at 12pm Lunch served at 12pm Lunch served at 12pm
Battle Creek
Bedford Manor Dining Center
Burdell Wells
(866) 200-8877 ext 350
M,W,F
10:30am-1pm
Lunch served at 11:30am
Battle Creek
Lakeview 900 Dining Center
Karl Hoard
(866) 200-8877 ext 350
M,W,F
10:30am-1pm
Lunch served at 11:30am
Battle Creek
Westbrook Place Dining Center
Michelle Dove
(866) 200-8877 ext 350
M,W,F
10:30am-1pm
Lunch served at 11:30am
Homer
Homer Presbyterian Church
Senior Health Partners
(866) 200-8877 ext 350
T
10:30am
Whole Person Wellness too
Marshall
Marshall House Dining Center
Bablynn Squires
(866) 200-8877 ext 350
M,W,F
10:30am-1pm
Lunch served at 12pm
Meals provided by Senior Services. Funding by Calhoun County Senior Services, AAA 3B, USDA and private donations.
JACKSON COUNTY
Jackson
Crouch Senior Center
Michelle Rose
(517) 788-4364
M,T,W,Th,F
8am-4pm
Lunch served at 12pm
Park Forest
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church Spring Arbor Senior Center
Lynn Walker Nikki Soli Bev Greene
(517) 787-9750 (517) 764-2950 (517) 750-1010
M,T,W,Th,F M,W,F M,T,W,Th,F
10am-1pm 10am-2pm 8:30am-2:30pm
Jackson
Word of Light
Nancy Behling
(517) 782-7755
M,T,W,Th,F
10am-1:30pm
Lunch served at 12pm
Norvell
Norvell/Township Hall
Gail Jamieson
(517) 536-4370
M,W,F
10am-1pm
Lunch served at 12pm