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Senior Times - February 2026 Page 23Call for a free initial consultation*.*Except Asset Protection Planning(269) 968-1101Offices in Battle Creek & Kalamazoowww.wallinglawoffice.comHelping seniors for over two decades.MICHAEL B. WALLING, PLCMICHAEL B. WALLINGElder Law Attorney Author of \Wills%u2022 Trusts%u2022 Powers of AttorneyLady Bird Deeds%u2022 Nursing Home PlanningDon't Lose Everything YouHave To the Nursing HomeI can help you save up to 100% of your assets.Michael B. Walling, J.D., LL.M.Let me help you properly draft and fund a trust before you or your spouse enter a nursing home; it could save you over $50,000!Let us help you piece together the puzzle after sudden illness or injury. Let us help you piece together the puzzle after sudden illness or injury. For referrals call us at 269.365.6366879 E Michigan Ave, Marshall, MI 49068www.MedilodgeofMarshall.comFor referrals call us at 269.365.6366879 E Michigan Ave, Marshall, MI 49068Recover . Rejuvenate . Revitalize . Return Home .for life insurance, now you can add beneficiaries to your checking and savings accounts (called payable on death (POD) or transfer on death (TOD accounts)), IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other retirement accounts. You can even leave your home with a form of beneficiary by using a lady bird deed (above). Just know that anything that passes by beneficiary will pass outside your Will or Trust. Meaning, your Will or Trust does not control the asset (for example, checking account, IRA, home, etc) unless you specifically state it in your Will or Trust that you want your Will or Trust to control that asset. Also, beneficiary designations do not give you a lot of control of how the asset is to be distributed. You cannot say, %u201c50% at my death and 10% per year thereafter%u201d or something like that. It is just going to go to the listed beneficiary in the percentage you choose. I would suggest that you see an attorney who specializes in estate planning. He or she can assess your situation and your goals and come up with a good plan for you. Michael B. Walling is an Elder Law attorney with an advanced Master of Laws degree. He manages the Elder Law Center and the law firm of Michael B. Walling, PLC. Mr. Walling is also a part-time Professor at Western Michigan University. Please send any questions you would like addressed to: Walling Law Office, 4625 Beckley Road, Bldg 400, Battle Creek, MI, 49015. This column is intended for general information purposes only and should not be considered as legal advice to any particular person.AVOID PROBATEQUESTION: What has to go to probate? Do all of my assets have to go to probate? I want to avoid probate because I heard your assets can be tied up for years and the court takes all of the money. ANSWER: I think you have heard stories from a long time ago. It used to be that way. It was the attorneys, not the court, who took a lot of the money haha. That has pretty much changed. Now, attorneys can only charge a reasonable fee for the time they spend on the case. They cannot charge a percentage of the estate anymore like they used to. The courts are much less involved in most estates now also. Probate is still expensive because it is a court action. Which means you will most likely have to hire an attorney to assist you. There are several ways to avoid probate. Here are a few of those:1. Trust %u2013 Have a Trust made up for you. The assets that you put in Trust will not go through probate. A Trust also allows you to delay distribution of your assets after you pass away. For instance, you can leave money for your children or grand children when they turn 30, 35 or even 50! Or you can leave them money for college or a vacation to Europe. 2. Lady Bird Deed %u2013 A lady bird deed is used to transfer your home, or other real estate, to your loved ones when you pass away. 3. Beneficiary Designations %u2013 You can name beneficiaries on almost everything now. Once it was only Michael Walling, Special to Senior TimesATTORNEY Ask theCereal City Concert Band's\ By: Heather Lane-FowlerThe Cereal City Concert Band presents %u201cEchoes of Winter%u201d evoking contrasting moods of the winter season. Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 1, 3pm, at the Pennfield Performing Arts Center, 8299 Pennfield Rd, in Battle Creek. Now in its 39th season, CCCB is led by conductor Dr. Doris Doyon.The opening piece from 1922 is Franz Von Suppe%u2019s Light Calvary Overture, one of the real %u201cwar horses%u201d of concert band literature and is followed by Acrostic Song by David Del Tredici, based on Alice in Wonderland, and Gustav Holst%u2019s Second Suite in F, based on English folk songs.The second half of the program opens with The March from %u201c1941,%u201d one of John Williams%u2019 most requested titles. Halcyon Hearts by Katahj Copley; Jitterbug! by Robert Buckley; and a motion picture medley of The Wizard of Oz arranged by James Barnes round out the evening with a tuba solo on If I Only Had A Brain!Tickets are at the door: $10 for Adults and $5 for Students, Seniors 65+ and Veterans. Advance ticket sales are available on Eventbrite. There will also be a 50/50 raffle. For more information about the band, please visit www.cerealcityconcertband.org or email cccb@cerealcityconcertband.org.