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• Isn’t identity theft just by strangers? Identity theft of the deceased is a huge problem today. You may think that it is just strangers preying on the families of deceased loved ones. However, it is sometimes those loved ones who perpetrate the fraud. Last week in New Jersey, Jocelyn Russo, [...]...
• Medical Identity Theft Identity theft is a huge problem in this country, not only for the living but for the deceased as well. Thieves steal Social Security numbers and other identity information and then apply for credit in the name of someone else. It can take years [...]...
• Tax ID Theft – a massive problem, especially in Florida Identity Theft Identity theft of the deceased is a problem which we have written about before. It’s one that can be prevented by taking some simple steps. However, the U.S. Treasury Department recently announced a new, lucrative reason to steal and use the identity [...]...
• Twitter – When do the Tweets stop? If a Twitter user dies, here are the steps you must take to remove his or her account or to save a backup of their public Tweets. Contact Twitter at privacy [Email address: privacy #AT# twitter.com - replace #AT# with @ ] or by [...]...

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• New California Law Enhances Veteran Death Benefits Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law SB 469 last weekend.  It’s a bill that will enable family members of qualified veterans to ensure a proper burial for their loved ones.  Spearheaded by state senator Sam Aanestad, it will allow the California Department of Veterans [...]...
• Die While You’re a Google Employee Some companies treat their employees well while they’re alive but provide a few death benefits. However, no other company has a program as rich as Google’s. The benefits for living employees are amazing but those for the deceased’s family are broad and unusual. The [...]...
• Digital Assets – Few Laws Legislate Access to Them after Death If you own digital assets like a Facebook page or a Google email account, what happens to them when you die?  Assuming that your next of kin knows your passwords, he or she can easily delete them.  However, if your passwords are not available, [...]...
• Planning for Incapacity or Death: “A Cranky Old Man” A friend sent me this poem by a “Cranky Old Man”. It has a message that all of us should think about as we care for elderly or incapacitated family members. When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home [...]...

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• Google – What happens to your Gmail account when you die? Google is one of the few ISPs that actually have a published policy on what to do to access a Gmail account when someone dies. http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=14300 Whoever is the lawful representative of the deceased or his or her estate can notify Google about the death via [...]...
• Who Owns Your Digital Assets When You Die Digital assets are making dying even more complicated.    As more and more of our life is portrayed in a digital form, a key question is evolving in the legal community:   “Who Owns Your Digital Assets When You Die?” The  New York Times posted an [...]...
• Digital Assets – Few Laws Legislate Access to Them after Death If you own digital assets like a Facebook page or a Google email account, what happens to them when you die?  Assuming that your next of kin knows your passwords, he or she can easily delete them.  However, if your passwords are not available, [...]...
• PayPal – How can I cancel a deceased’s online account? Only the executor of the estate can close a PayPal account that is held in the name of the deceased.  To do so, the executor must fax the following documentation to 402-537-5732:  1) A cover sheet that says the account holder is deceased and [...]...

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• 2013 Federal Estate Tax American Taxpayers Relief Act. FINALLY!   The first temporary rules  were passed by Congress in 2001.    Twelve years later and two major tax changes in between, it appears we  FINALLY have permanent estate tax rules.   Software companies, estate lawyers and financial planners [...]...
• The Federal Estate Tax Pay attention to the House of Representatives this week! It appears our government is getting ready to decide how to change the current federal estate tax laws over the next couple of weeks. Will the House of Representatives recommend the 2009 $3.5 million federal [...]...
• 2010 Tax Relief Act: Estate Tax Update . 2010 Tax Relief Act:  Federal Estate Tax Provisions On December 16, 2010 Congress passed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.   Section III of the bill is titled “Temporary Estate Tax Relief”. Section III gives instructions on how [...]...
• Estate Tax Update-H.R. 4154 Last week, Senator Pomeroy introduced  H.R. 4154.       The bill is scheduled for discussion and a vote later  this week.     The language in H.R. 4154 is very short and to the point.    This Act may be cited as the “Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and [...]...

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• Donate your body to science and someone may profit from your death! Many people leave directions on how they would like their body to be disposed of.  Before making a final decision, they may consider burial or cremation.  Another option they may think about is the possibility of donating their body to medical science. There are many medical schools [...]...
• Cadavers: Where do they come from? Anyone watching Brothers and Sisters last Sunday saw Justin Walker getting ready to cut open a cadaver as part of his medical school training. Where did that cadaver come from? How did it get to a medical school? A brief history of cadavers Medical [...]...
• Planning a Pet’s Funeral Many people complain about funeral costs when they are deciding what to do about dear deceased granddad or mom; they think costs are too high and ask for cheaper options. But when it comes to a beloved pet, no one complains about what it [...]...
• It’s Donate Life Month This is Donate Life Month. It’s a good time to think about how you can help others. Just pledge to donate your organs, tissues and corneas to others when you die; by doing so, you may save up to eight lives and enhance the [...]...

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• CLASS Act – A national long-term care insurance progran What is CLASS Act? The Community Living Services and Supports (CLASS) Act is a new national, voluntary long-term care insurance program; it was tucked into the Affordable Care Act passed by the United States Congress in 2010. It is federally administered but consumer financed. [...]...
• Facebook.com/healthcare.gov and Long Term Care The Health and Human Service Department has announced the launch of HealthCare.gov on Facebook. If you visit healthcare.gov, you will find several tools that can help consumers make educated choices about their medical care. One of the tools is titled “Nursing Home Compare”.     It [...]...
• Long Term Health Care–”..Number 1 issue…over the next decade.”" David Pitt of the Associated Press submitted an eye opening article for the San Jose Mercury News today–4/2/09.  It was a very clear warning about how the long term care costs will negatively impact the lives of most every retired American over the next [...]...
• End-of-life care: We must find ways to improve it In the 1900’s, death often took place in someone’s home with loved ones nearby. Now, as more people are living longer and lifestyles have changed, death often occurs in a hospital overseen by trained staff. The resulting increase in the cost of dying has [...]...

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• What does the health care bill mean for you? Yes, the proposed health care reform bill is 2,000 pages long.   Yes, Nancy Pelosi expects Congress to vote on this bill this weekend. If you’ve been wondering what’s in it for you, this article in the Wall Street Journal turns the bill into language mere mortals can [...]...
• Planning for Incapacity or Death: “A Cranky Old Man” A friend sent me this poem by a “Cranky Old Man”. It has a message that all of us should think about as we care for elderly or incapacitated family members. When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home [...]...
• Zombie Bank Account – Will Bill Payments Stop After You Die? Do you have a list of all of your automatic payments? If you receive paper bills and then write checks to cover them, there’s no problem. When you die, your heirs can just notify those companies who are sending the bills that you are [...]...
• Long term care insurance: If you’re a woman, be prepared to pay more! Over ten million people have purchased long term care insurance, primarily to cover healthcare expenses that may occur in old age or during catastrophic illness. Up until now, this insurance usually treated men and women equally.  Policy price depended on health status and age, [...]...

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• Is planning your own funeral a good idea? You may not know when you’re going to die, but you know for sure it will happen. A little advance planning of your own funeral — or that of a loved one — can make that traumatic time when you die a little easier [...]...
• Have you planed your funeral in advance so your wishes can be followed? Some famous people have had unusual wishes but, because others knew what they wanted, they were carried out. Hunter S. Thompson, an American journalist who died in 2005, wanted to be cremated and then shot out of a canon. A 150 foot high canon [...]...
• Planning a Pet’s Funeral Many people complain about funeral costs when they are deciding what to do about dear deceased granddad or mom; they think costs are too high and ask for cheaper options. But when it comes to a beloved pet, no one complains about what it [...]...
• Bio Cremation – a new, green form of cremation This week the California legislature is voting on a bill that will make bio cremation another legal way to dispose of human remains; it will provide an eco-friendlier alternative to the current choices – burial or cremation. What makes bio cremation via resomation different?  [...]...

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• Medical Identity Theft Identity theft is a huge problem in this country, not only for the living but for the deceased as well. Thieves steal Social Security numbers and other identity information and then apply for credit in the name of someone else. It can take years [...]...
• Isn’t identity theft just by strangers? Identity theft of the deceased is a huge problem today. You may think that it is just strangers preying on the families of deceased loved ones. However, it is sometimes those loved ones who perpetrate the fraud. Last week in New Jersey, Jocelyn Russo, [...]...
• Social Security numbers – will online access be cut off? Last week, Representative Sam Johnson of Texas introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that, if passed, will limit access to Social Security numbers available online. The act, entitled “Keeping IDsSafe Act of 2011″ (KIDS Act), is intended to end online access to [...]...
• Comcast – Can a deceased’s email account be accessed? According to a Comcast representative, anyone who knows the last 4 digits of the deceased’s Social Security number, their account number or the amount of their most recent payment can cancel a deceased’s account. However, accessing that account will be more difficult.  If you want access [...]...

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• End Of Life Counseling Stays in Health Care Reform Bill End of Life counseling just won’t die.   In the proposed health care legislation today, the bill would allow doctors to bill Medicare for spending time with their patients discussing end of life choices. The full text of the proposed health care reform bill can [...]...
• Let’s talk about dying! Today is National Health Care Directives Day.   A day to talk about death.    A day to talk about Living Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney forms, referred to as advance health care directives. Why is it important to talk about dying and health care directives.  [...]...
• National Healthcare Decisions Day – April 16, 2011 National, state and local organizations have joined together to ensure that all adults have the opportunity to communicate and document their healthcare decisions. Too often, someone’s wishes are not known and steps are taken during a critical medical situation that he or she would [...]...
• Long term care insurance: If you’re a woman, be prepared to pay more! Over ten million people have purchased long term care insurance, primarily to cover healthcare expenses that may occur in old age or during catastrophic illness. Up until now, this insurance usually treated men and women equally.  Policy price depended on health status and age, [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Digital Assets – Few Laws Legislate Access to Them after Death If you own digital assets like a Facebook page or a Google email account, what happens to them when you die?  Assuming that your next of kin knows your passwords, he or she can easily delete them.  However, if your passwords are not available, [...]...
• Social Security numbers – will online access be cut off? Last week, Representative Sam Johnson of Texas introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that, if passed, will limit access to Social Security numbers available online. The act, entitled “Keeping IDsSafe Act of 2011″ (KIDS Act), is intended to end online access to [...]...
• Who Owns Your Digital Assets When You Die Digital assets are making dying even more complicated.    As more and more of our life is portrayed in a digital form, a key question is evolving in the legal community:   “Who Owns Your Digital Assets When You Die?” The  New York Times posted an [...]...
• Have you collected the Social Security benefits to which you may be entitled? You worked hard your whole life and paid money into the Social Security program evey month. So did your spouse. And now that you are both retired, you are relaxing, enjoying life and collecting a benefit check every month. But Social Security benefits are [...]...

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• The Federal Estate Tax Pay attention to the House of Representatives this week! It appears our government is getting ready to decide how to change the current federal estate tax laws over the next couple of weeks. Will the House of Representatives recommend the 2009 $3.5 million federal [...]...
• Estate Tax: Senate Bill 722 The 2010 Congressional Budget Resolution recommends a personal estate tax exemption allowance of $3.5 million. The value of estates above that would be taxed at 45%. However, the language in the Budget Resolution does not provide for the “portability” of the $3.5 million allowance [...]...
• 2010 Tax Relief Act: Estate Tax Update . 2010 Tax Relief Act:  Federal Estate Tax Provisions On December 16, 2010 Congress passed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.   Section III of the bill is titled “Temporary Estate Tax Relief”. Section III gives instructions on how [...]...
• Estate Tax Update-H.R. 4154 Last week, Senator Pomeroy introduced  H.R. 4154.       The bill is scheduled for discussion and a vote later  this week.     The language in H.R. 4154 is very short and to the point.    This Act may be cited as the “Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Social Security numbers – will online access be cut off? Last week, Representative Sam Johnson of Texas introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that, if passed, will limit access to Social Security numbers available online. The act, entitled “Keeping IDsSafe Act of 2011″ (KIDS Act), is intended to end online access to [...]...
• Die While You’re a Google Employee Some companies treat their employees well while they’re alive but provide a few death benefits. However, no other company has a program as rich as Google’s. The benefits for living employees are amazing but those for the deceased’s family are broad and unusual. The [...]...
• Don’t Pay an Inheritance Tax on Your Own Money! If you live in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey or Pennsylvania beware. These states tax your inheritance, no matter what the amount is. Barry and Susan Brown of Philadelphia, PA learned this the hard way. Because they were getting older, they decided [...]...
• Does a loan live on after death? Although the person is dead, the loan may live on for years…or until it’s paid off. In some instances, death cancels the loan but this is rare. In some states, the next of kin doesn’t just inherit the estate. He inherits the debt as [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Die While You’re a Google Employee Some companies treat their employees well while they’re alive but provide a few death benefits. However, no other company has a program as rich as Google’s. The benefits for living employees are amazing but those for the deceased’s family are broad and unusual. The [...]...
• Turn into a Tree after You Die! By 2025, it is estimated that more than 50% of all the people who die in the United States will be cremated. Gerard Moline, a Catalan artist and product designer, has come up with a very creative solution for what to do with the [...]...
• How about a QR barcode for a love one’s tombstone? Traditionally, the deceased have been buried in a grave which is marked by a lifeless granite tombstone. The tombstone conveys just basic information – the name of the person and his or her years of life. Sometimes it also includes a short phrase about [...]...
• Is planning your own funeral a good idea? You may not know when you’re going to die, but you know for sure it will happen. A little advance planning of your own funeral — or that of a loved one — can make that traumatic time when you die a little easier [...]...

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• AOL – Will you be online forever? AOL makes it easy for you to keep, access or cancel the account of a loved one.  Any member of the deceased’s family can call AOL member services at 800-827-6364.  You will be asked for some information about the deceased and your relation to [...]...
• Do your frequent flier miles live on after you’re gone? The New York Times recently did research to find out and the answer was far from consistent. Only two airlines contacted have a specific, written policy that allows your miles to be transferred to a surviving family member – American and US Air. On [...]...
• Stieg Larsson died with no will Stieg Larsson, the man who wrote the milenium trilogy including the novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, died suddenly in 2004 at the age of 50. At the time of his death, he was not yet famous and he was living modestly with [...]...
• Do You Have a Succession Plan for Your Small Business? You probably have a will and/or a trust that covers what you want done with your personal assets when you die. But do you have a formal succession plan for your small business? According to the Small Business Administration, about 90% of businesses are [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Does a loan live on after death? Although the person is dead, the loan may live on for years…or until it’s paid off. In some instances, death cancels the loan but this is rare. In some states, the next of kin doesn’t just inherit the estate. He inherits the debt as [...]...
• Do you want to live or die in New Jersey? Several years ago after my dad died in New Jersey, my brother and I were shocked when we realized how much money we were going to have to pay to the state in inheritance and estate taxes. The percentage was huge, especially compared to [...]...
• Do You Have a Succession Plan for Your Small Business? You probably have a will and/or a trust that covers what you want done with your personal assets when you die. But do you have a formal succession plan for your small business? According to the Small Business Administration, about 90% of businesses are [...]...
• AOL – Will you be online forever? AOL makes it easy for you to keep, access or cancel the account of a loved one.  Any member of the deceased’s family can call AOL member services at 800-827-6364.  You will be asked for some information about the deceased and your relation to [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Long term care insurance: If you’re a woman, be prepared to pay more! Over ten million people have purchased long term care insurance, primarily to cover healthcare expenses that may occur in old age or during catastrophic illness. Up until now, this insurance usually treated men and women equally.  Policy price depended on health status and age, [...]...
• Let’s talk about dying! Today is National Health Care Directives Day.   A day to talk about death.    A day to talk about Living Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney forms, referred to as advance health care directives. Why is it important to talk about dying and health care directives.  [...]...
• CLASS Act – A national long-term care insurance progran What is CLASS Act? The Community Living Services and Supports (CLASS) Act is a new national, voluntary long-term care insurance program; it was tucked into the Affordable Care Act passed by the United States Congress in 2010. It is federally administered but consumer financed. [...]...
• End-of-life care: We must find ways to improve it In the 1900’s, death often took place in someone’s home with loved ones nearby. Now, as more people are living longer and lifestyles have changed, death often occurs in a hospital overseen by trained staff. The resulting increase in the cost of dying has [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Planning a Pet’s Funeral Many people complain about funeral costs when they are deciding what to do about dear deceased granddad or mom; they think costs are too high and ask for cheaper options. But when it comes to a beloved pet, no one complains about what it [...]...
• Have you planed your funeral in advance so your wishes can be followed? Some famous people have had unusual wishes but, because others knew what they wanted, they were carried out. Hunter S. Thompson, an American journalist who died in 2005, wanted to be cremated and then shot out of a canon. A 150 foot high canon [...]...
• Turn into a Tree after You Die! By 2025, it is estimated that more than 50% of all the people who die in the United States will be cremated. Gerard Moline, a Catalan artist and product designer, has come up with a very creative solution for what to do with the [...]...
• Planning for Incapacity or Death: “A Cranky Old Man” A friend sent me this poem by a “Cranky Old Man”. It has a message that all of us should think about as we care for elderly or incapacitated family members. When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Medical Identity Theft Identity theft is a huge problem in this country, not only for the living but for the deceased as well. Thieves steal Social Security numbers and other identity information and then apply for credit in the name of someone else. It can take years [...]...
• Tax ID Theft – a massive problem, especially in Florida Identity Theft Identity theft of the deceased is a problem which we have written about before. It’s one that can be prevented by taking some simple steps. However, the U.S. Treasury Department recently announced a new, lucrative reason to steal and use the identity [...]...
• Don’t Pay an Inheritance Tax on Your Own Money! If you live in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey or Pennsylvania beware. These states tax your inheritance, no matter what the amount is. Barry and Susan Brown of Philadelphia, PA learned this the hard way. Because they were getting older, they decided [...]...
• Zombie Bank Account – Will Bill Payments Stop After You Die? Do you have a list of all of your automatic payments? If you receive paper bills and then write checks to cover them, there’s no problem. When you die, your heirs can just notify those companies who are sending the bills that you are [...]...

Related posts and pages:

• Do your frequent flier miles live on after you’re gone? The New York Times recently did research to find out and the answer was far from consistent. Only two airlines contacted have a specific, written policy that allows your miles to be transferred to a surviving family member – American and US Air. On [...]...
• Do you want to live or die in New Jersey? Several years ago after my dad died in New Jersey, my brother and I were shocked when we realized how much money we were going to have to pay to the state in inheritance and estate taxes. The percentage was huge, especially compared to [...]...
• Digital Assets – Few Laws Legislate Access to Them after Death If you own digital assets like a Facebook page or a Google email account, what happens to them when you die?  Assuming that your next of kin knows your passwords, he or she can easily delete them.  However, if your passwords are not available, [...]...
• Is planning your own funeral a good idea? You may not know when you’re going to die, but you know for sure it will happen. A little advance planning of your own funeral — or that of a loved one — can make that traumatic time when you die a little easier [...]...