Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 31, 2020 DREAM | FROM PAGE 5 Sen. Lewis, Rep. Donato are longtime supporters Sen. Lewis, who, along with Mayor Christenson and State Rep. Paul Donato, D-Malden, Medford, have been at the forefront of the recovery center mission from day one, made perhaps the most telling statement of the evening avvya yavvy eniioor iorn or vv niori io by Jim Miller What Happens if You Die Without a Will? Dear Savvy Senior, What happens to a person’s possessions if they die without a will? I’m almost 60 years old and have never gotten around to making one, but the coronavirus crisis has made it a priority. Will-less Willie Dear Willie, The coronavirus crisis has lit a fi re under many Americans when it comes to getting their aff airs in older. Currently, fewer than half of American adults have prepared a will or living trust. If you die without a will, the state you reside in will determine what happens to your assets. Every state has intestacy laws in place that parcel out property and assets to a deceased person’s closest living relatives when there’s no will or trust in place. But these laws vary from state-to-state. Here is a general breakdown of what can happen to a person’s assets, depending on whom they leave behind. Married with children: When a married person with children dies without a will, all property, investments and fi nancial accounts that are “jointly owned” automatically goes to the surviving co-owner without going through probate, which is the legal process that distributes a deceased person’s assets. But for all other separately owned property or individual fi nancial accounts, the laws of most states award one-third to one-half to the surviving spouse, while the rest goes to the children. Married with no children or grandchildren: Some states award the entire estate to the surviving spouse, or everything up to a certain amount (for example the fi rst $100,000). But many other states award only one-third to one-half of the decedent’s separately owned assets to the surviving spouse, with the remainder generally going to the deceased person’s parents, or if the parents are dead, to brothers and sisters. Jointly owned property, investments, fi nancial accounts, or community property automatically goes to the surviving coowner. Single with children: All state laws provide that the entire estate goes to the children, in equal shares. If an adult child of the decedent has died, then that child’s children (the decedent’s grandchildren) split their parent’s share. Single with no children or grandchildren: In this situation, most state laws favor the deceased person’s parents. If both parents are deceased, many states divide the property among the brothers and sisters, or if they are not living, their children (your nieces and nephews). If there are none of them, it goes to the next of kin, and if there is no living family, the state takes it. Make a Will To ensure your assets go to those you want to receive them, you need to create a will or trust. If you have a simple estate and an uncomplicated family situation, there are do-it-yourself resources that can help you create all these documents for very little money. Some top-rated options include the Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2020 downloadable software (available at nolo.com) that costs $90 and works with Windows and Macs and is valid in every state except Louisiana; LegalZoom (legalzoom.com), which off ers basic wills for $89 or $99 if you’d like assistance from an independent attorney; and Trust & Will (trustandwill. com) which charges $89 for a basic will. If, however, you want or need assistance or if you have a complicated financial situation, blended family or have considerable assets, you should hire an attorney. An experienced attorney can make sure you cover all your bases, which can help avoid family confusion and squabbles after you’re gone. Costs will vary depending on where you live, but you can expect to pay anywhere between $200 and $1,000 for a will. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (naela.org) and the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (actec.org) websites are good resources that have directories to help you fi nd someone in your area. 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. on Tuesday. “I want to commend this tremendous partnership between MOA and its leader Paul Hammersley and John McGahan and the Gavin Foundation and the tireless eff ort that have made Paul’s dream possible,” Sen. Lewis said. “It is not an overstatement to say the establishment of the Bridge Recovery Center in Malden is going to save lives … When I look back on my years in public service, I will regard my support to see this project to fruition as one of my proudest moments.” “It has taken so much work from so many people to make this happen,” said Hammersley, pointing to Sen. Lewis, Rep. Donato and Mayor Christenson and the members of the Malden City Council as continued, strong supporters. “I can’t say enough about how much eff ort Senator Lewis and Rep. Donato and Rep. [Steve] Ultrino have done to support this project at the state level and help us get the funding we needed. It is simply amazing, and we will always be so grateful.” Hammersley also recalled the years of eff ort and commitment his longtime friend, the late Domenic DiSario, contributed to the crusade that led to the realization of the Bridge Recovery Center. DiSario, one of the founding members of MOA, passed away this past year. “MOA would not be where it is today without all the hard work and dedication of Domenic, who left us way too soon this past year,” Hammersley said. “He [DiSario] was a dear friend and the recovery center was every bit as much his dream as it was mine.” The Bridge Recovery Center will operate in Malden, but at no cost to the city. The operations are entirely funded by a $400,000 renewal annual grant from the state Dept. of Public Health. It will have seven employees, a director, Keriann Caccavaro, an assistant director and seven recovery technicians. Hammersley noted that all employees, from the top down, will all be those who are in recovery, to go along with the stated mission of being a peer-to-peer recovery center. Eight-year lease was signed in April In April, in the midst of ~ LEGAL NOTICE ~ NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Malden Community Preservation Committee Notice is hereby given that the City of Malden Community Preservation Committee will hold a public hearing on August 12, 2020, at 6:00PM Eastern Time (US and Canada), via remote hearing, at which members of the public are invited to attend to participate and provide comments on community preservation project ideas for the next funding cycle, in the areas of affordable housing, open space/recreation, and historical preservation that would benefit the City of Malden, as well as participate and provide comments on the following project applications presently under consideration by the Community Preservation Committee: Kierstead Park Linden Ice Skating Rink Oak Grove Community Building Patchell Park The hearing will be hosted by the City of Malden on Zoom and will be accessible to members of the public who are invited to attend and provide comments via the following link and/or telephone: Internet Link: https://zoom.us/j/94466446931?pwd=bi92UHRJaExCN25BTUVzZlFOOHJ LQT09 Password: 224173 Or iPhone one-tap: US: +13126266799,,94466446931#,,,,0#,,224173# or +19294362866,, 94466446931#,,,,0#,,224173# Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 436 2866 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 Webinar ID: 944 6644 6931 Password: 224173 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/au5hzW3l3 For further information, please contact the City of Malden Community Preservation Committee via email at maldencpc@cityofmalden.org. July 24, 31 & August 7, 2020 the pandemic’s early stages, Hammersley signed an eightyear lease for the 239 Commercial St. location, noting the assistance of Rep. Donato with that essential part of the process. Donato also attended the meeting where the lease-signing took place. “He [Donato] helped greatly to get all the parties together.” As for the present day, work is now underway with a buildout at the site to make sure it conforms with the state funding guidelines. That buildout was made possible by a generous, $72,000 grant from the Adelaide Bayrd Foundation. “Once again, we got some much-needed help from a generous benefactor; we thank the Bayrd Foundation Board and its chairman, Hank Kezer, for their generosity,” Hammersley said. Like a proud papa, Hammersley will be beaming when the doors fi nally swing open for the Bridge Recovery Center. “There will probably be some tears as well, but they will be happy tears. This has been a long time coming,” he said.
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