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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 9, 2025 Page 19 BEACON | FROM PAGE 18 tion has made progress to expand the number of childcare seats, increase educator wages and stabilize childcare business. ---Gov. Maura Healey celebrating a recent national ranking of Massachusetts as the best state for working moms, beating out larger states like Florida and California and neighboring states like Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. “It was an honor to be part of today’s Healthy Youth Summit, standing alongside leaders who are committed to building safer, stronger communities. As a kid from Boston, I know fi rsthand the challenges young people face and how important it is to have people in your corner. Through the work of Boston Athletic Academy and events like this, I’m proud to help create opportunities for kids to build resilience, trust and confi dence. Whether it’s on a team, in the classroom, or in life, every young person deserves a support system. I’m honored to represent the Red Sox and be part of the effort to set them up for success.” --- Manny Delcarmen, former Boston Red Sox player, on the Healey Administration hosting the fi rst-ever Healthy Youth Summit, a one-day conference aimed to equip local high school students with practical tools for healthy relationships with their peers, family members and the broader community. 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 BEACON | SEE PAGE 21 Sa n r Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller How to Choose a Volunteer Vacation Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about volunteer vacation programs? I’m a healthy, 60-year-old, single woman, and am interested in doing some solo traveling, but would like to tie it with something meaningful. Purposeful Traveler Dear Traveler, If you’re looking to do more on LLC’S TO AVOID THE MASS ESTATE TAX M any people who own real estate in Massachusetts yet establish residency in New Hampshire or Florida, for example, will place their Massachusetts real estate in a Limited Liability Company (LLC). If the LLC membership interest is held directly by an individual or by a living Trust for the benefi t of that individual, whether it be revocable or irrevocable, the New Hampshire or Florida resident, as the case may be, no longer will own real estate in Massachusetts that will be subject to the Massachusetts estate tax. That person will now own an intangible membership interest in an LLC similar to owning common stock in General Motors. As a Florida or New Hampshire resident, such common stock in General Motors would of course not be subject to the Massachusetts estate tax as this person is no longer a Massachusetts resident. If the Massachusetts real estate is rental real estate, if the LLC holding title is a single member LLC, no separate income tax return needs to be fi led for the LLC. The rental income and expenses can be reported on page 1 of Schedule E, Rental Income or Loss, as part of your Form 1040. If there are two or more members of the LLC, then Form 1065, Partnership Income Tax Return would have to be fi led for the LLC. The LLC would then issue a Schedule K-1 to each member of the LLC in order that the net rental income of the LLC be refl ected on page 2 of Schedule E. Keep in mind that if you plan on selling your home in Massachusetts, in order to take advantage of the $250,000 capital gains tax exclusion for a single person ($500,000 for a married couple fi ling a joint return) with respect to the sale of your principal residence, if you transfer your home into an LLC, you have 3 years to sell your home to take advantage of this capital gains tax exclusion. The reason is you have to own your home and live in your home for at least 2 out of the immediate 5 years prior to the date of sale. Once you transfer your home to the LLC, you won’t technically own it. The LLC will own the home. Another reason to place the Massachusetts real estate for a non-Mass resident into an LLC and then have a Trust own the LLC membership interest, would be to avoid having to probate your estate in the county where the real estate is located. If the LLC membership interest is placed into a revocable or irrevocable Trust, the terms of the Trust would dictate the ultimate disposition of the real estate. No probate proceedings would be necessary. Furthermore, if the LLC interest was placed into an irrevocable trust and more than fi ve years have gone by, the real estate would be protected against any possible future Medicaid lien and would not be considered a countable asset for Medicaid eligibility in the fi rst place. Joseph D. Ca taldo is an esta te planning/elder law a ttorney,Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a masters degree in taxation. your next vacation than relax in the sun or go sightseeing, volunteer vacations – also known as voluntourism – which combine travel and volunteer work, are a great alternative for solo travelers and have become increasingly popular among older adults. Volunteer Vacations There are many organizations today that off er short-term volunteer vacation projects in the U.S. and abroad, lasting anywhere from a few days to a few months. Common program themes include teaching English, working with children and teens, building and repairing homes and schools, and assisting with community or environmental projects. In addition, volunteer vacations also give travelers the opportunity to experience the culture more fully and connect with the local people – much diff erent than your runof-the-mill sightseeing vacation. Most volunteer vacation groups accept singles, couples and families and you don’t need to speak a foreign language. Costs usually range from around $1,000 to $3,000 per week, not including transportation to the country your site is in. Fees typically cover pre-trip orientation information, room and board, onsite training, ground transportation once you get there, the services of a project leader, and a contribution to the local community that covers material and services related to the project. And, if the organization running your trip is a nonprofi t, the cost of your trip, including airfare, is probably tax-deductible. Where to Look While there are many organizations that off er volunteer vacations, here are some good options to look into. • Global Volunteers (globalvolunteers.org): A pioneer in global travel, this group tackles hunger, poverty and educational needs. It off ers a variety of one, two and three-week service programs in 12 countries, including the U.S. • Earthwatch Institute (earthwatch.org): With an emphasis in environmental conservation and research, they offer dozens of one and two-week expeditions in countries all over the world. • Conservation VIP (conservationvip.org): Provides environmental conservation volunteer projects to seven destinations abroad and three in the U.S. • Biosphere Expeditions (biosphere-expeditions.org): Offers wildlife conservation expeditions in six countries. • Habitat for Humanity (habitat.org): Offers international house-building trips through its Global Village Program in 16 countries. • Natucate (natucate.com): With a focus on nature and species conservation, they offer one-to-12week trips in 32 diff erent countries. • American Hiking Society (americanhiking.org): Targeting hikers and backpackers they off er weekend and week-long volunteer vacations in the U.S. that focus on building and maintaining trails. • International Volunteer HQ (volunteerhq.org): Off ers a wide variety of one-to-24-week volunteer service projects in dozens of countries. How to Choose With so many diff erent volunteer vacations to choose from, selecting one can be diffi cult. To help you decide, you need to think specifi cally about what you want. For example: Where you want to go and for how long? What types of work are you interested in doing? What kind of living situation and accommodations do you want? Do you want to volunteer alone or with a group? Do you want a rural or urban placement? Also consider your age and health. Are you up to the task, or do you have any special needs that will need to be met? Once you fi gure out what you want and spot a few volunteer vacations that interest you, ask the organization to send you information that describes the accommodations, the fees and what they cover including their refund policy, the work schedule and work details, and anything else you have questions about. Also, get a list of previous volunteers and call them. 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. nior ior

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