THE REVERE ADVOCATE – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023 Page 17 OBITUARIES Cynthia Recchia O f Revere. Passed away on November 16, at the age of 83. Cynthia was a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, and BEACON | FROM Page 16 bridge). “At this point, however, it makes sense to focus on Tuesday’s Statehouse hearing on rent control bills and other landlord-tenant matters.” “Massachusetts property owners and renters should wake up this morning knowing that their futures are better off,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance which opposes rent control. “Rep. Connolly’s potential ballot question would have done nothing but make life more expensive and miserable for property owners and renters alike. Rent control does not work, it would only stop new housing development, particularly new aff ordable multi-family housing and put a complete halt in maintenance and upkeep.” In the meantime, the focus now turns to Beacon Hill where the Housing Committee held a hearing last week on several pieces of rent control legislation. “This is not an issue about the market,” testifi ed Rep. Sam Montano (D-Jamaica Plain), a sponsor of one of several bills debated at the hearing. “This is not an issue about how we use capitalism. This is an issue about morals. Morally, we need to house people. That’s it. Doesn’t matter. People need homes, they need a warm place to sleep, they need a place to shower, they need a place to feel safe. And we are failing at providing that for people by allowing landlords to try to charge huge increases year to year and constantly displacing people.” “Rent control reduces the supply of housing which drives rents up,” said Amir Shahsavari, vice president of the Small Property Owners Association. “It makes it more diffi - cult for owners to keep up with rising operating costs, it leads to disrepair, and it makes it nearly impossible to remove non-complying tenants, not only to the detriment of owners and their properties, but also to the detriment of the other tenants who depend on us to provide them with safe, maintained living spaces.” will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Cynthia was a graduate of Malden High School and went on to have a successful career as an insurance agent at the family insurance company, Claremont Insurance Company. It was at this company that she met her husband, Alphonse “Fonzo”, who came in as a customer. Their love story began with a date and eventually led to 53 years of marriage. In her free time, Cynthia enjoyed being a member of the Red Hats Society. She took great pride in her home and loved the holidays, especially baking and cooking for her family. Cynthia is survived by her children, Cynthia and husband JefQUOTABLE QUOTES “The MBTA is one of the oldest transit agencies in the country, and while there are a number of contributing factors, it’s clear that years of underinvestment have added to the cost of bringing our system back to a state of good repair.” --- MBTA General Manager Phil Eng following the release of the T’s report noting that it would take $24.5 billion to fi x nearly two-thirds of all MBTA that assets are not in a state of good repair. “This program invests federal funds to make Massachusetts communities safer and stronger. [It] allows towns and cities to identify their most pressing needs and direct funding to address those challenges. The ability of local public safety leaders to guide funds toward priority safety initiatives encourages a holistic approach to improving safety in communities with diverse needs.” ---Gov. Maura Healey announcing nearly $5 million in federal funds awarded to 130 police departments across the state to address their communities’ unmet public safety priorities. “It’s chilling to learn what some of these toys can do. Smart toys can be useful, fun or educational, but Interacting with some of them can create frightening situations for too many families.” ---R.J. Cross, one of the authors of MASSPIRG Education Fund’s report which warns about the dangers of the smart devices surrounding kids including microphones, cameras, connectivity, location trackers, poor security as well as several low-tech threats, including water beads, button batteries and recalled and counterfeit toys for sale. “With over 130,000 signatures, the public’s voice is loud and clear: They stand with educators against high-stakes testing. Our stance against an accountability system solely based on high-stakes testing resonates with the community, highlighting the need for change in how we evaluate student achievement. It’s time to move past a 30-year-old system that narrows frey Graff of Lynnfi eld, MA, and Julia and husband Nicholas Bisconti of Lynnfi eld, MA. She also leaves behind her grandchildren, Zachary Bisconti, Nicholas Bisconti, and Lauren Graff . Cynthia was preceded in death by her husband, Alfonse, her father, Saverio Paventi, her mother, Antoinette Paventi (Giovanni), and her brother, Victor Paventi. A Funeral mass was held Monday, November 20 at Saint Mary of Assumption Parish, Revere. Interment followed at Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. We extend our deepest condolences to Cynthia’s family and friends during this diffi cult time. May her memory live on in the hearts of those who loved her. learning and fails to address diverse student needs.” ---Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page on the collection of more than 130,000 signatures which, if certifi ed, will place a question on the 2024 ballot ending the controversial graduation requirement tied to the MCAS exam. HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions. During the week of November 13-17, the House met for a total of 14 hours and fi ve minutes while the Senate met for a total of 23 hours and 29 minutes. Mon. Nov. 13 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Senate 11:19 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Tues. Nov. 14 No House session Senate 11:08 a.m. to 8:11 p.m Wed. Mon. 15 House 11:03 a.m. to 12:42 a.m. (Thursday morning) Senate 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (Thursday morning) Thurs. Nov. 16 No House session No Senate session Fri. Nov. 17 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019. How an Incentive Trust Can Influence Your Heirs Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about creating an incentive trust? I have an adult son and daughter that are both fi nancially inept. Before I die, I want to put some type of requirements in place that they will need to follow in order to receive their portion of my estate. Frustrated Father Dear Frustrated, If you want to infl uence your heirs even after you’re gone, an incentive trust is definitely an option to consider, but be careful how you construct it because it can cause unintended, unfair consequences. Here’s how it works, along with some tips to help you create one. Incentive Trusts Basics An incentive trust is an estateplanning tool designed to help encourage your heirs in a direction you desire when you’re no longer around. With an incentive trust, some or all of your assets are passed to your trust when you die rather than directly to your heirs. Your trustee is empowered to distribute funds from the trust only if and when your benefi ciaries do whatever it is you have specifi ed in the trust. For example, an incentive trust might encourage a benefi ciary to graduate from college, enter a particular profession, get married or even have children. They could also reward benefi ciaries who do charitable work or supplement the incomes of those who choose low paying, yet meaningful careers like teaching or social work. Or they could penalize benefi ciaries who don’t work by cutting off or decreasing distributions or placing restrictions on heirs with addictions by requiring that payments go directly to rehab centers. But be aware that these types of trusts can also have drawbacks. A poorly constructed incentive trust can have a high risk of unintended consequences. For example, if your trust provides a financial incentive for your children to be employed full-time, but one of them gets sick or seriously injured in a car accident and can’t work, they would be punished unfairly. You also need to know that incentive trusts aren’t cheap. You can expect to pay an attorney $2,500 to $5,000 to draft one. There are also legal limits on what you can do with an incentive trust. While state laws vary, incentive trusts that encourage a benefi ciary to join or leave a particular religion, or leave a spouse or not marry at all, can be challenged in court and possibly struck down. How to Create One To create a solid incentive trust that accomplishes what you envision, you need to hire an estate-planning attorney who will include precise instructions that clearly spells out your wishes. You’ll also want to include language granting your trustee the right to use his or her discretion and that the trustee’s decisions should be fi nal and binding. This allows your trustee to make common sense rulings, which will reduce or eliminate the chances of unintended and unfair consequences. It also makes it very diffi cult for benefi ciaries to successfully challenge the trust or trustee in court. When a trust grants fi nal decision-making authority to its trustee, it becomes almost impossible for benefi ciaries to successfully argue that this trustee is not correctly implementing the trust’s terms. The key is to select a trustee who’s smart enough to interpret your intent and has sufficient backbone to stand up to benefi - ciaries when necessary. You also need to select a successor trustee too if your fi rst choice can no longer serve. Fees paid to a trustee vary widely depending on the state’s fee schedules, the size and complexity of the trust, and conditions laid out in the trust. To fi nd an experienced attorney in your area to help you create an incentive trust, see the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (naela.org) and the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (actec.org). 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.
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