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1. George Washington 2. Scooter 3. 1950s 4. Joe DiMaggio 5. International Business Machines 6. J. M. Barrie 7. Hollywood Boulevard 8. Dorothy Sayers 9. Ricotta (a byproduct of making mozzarella) 10. Nadia Comăneci 11. It stands for the name of the fi rst computer (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) 12. Wolverine 13. Violin 14. “Woman” 15. Shampooing customers’ hair twice 16. Strawberries 17. Mars 18. Moxie 19. Canada and USA (Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) 20. Tonto on The Lone Ranger series Page 16 Savvy Seniory Senior BY JIM MILLER CREDITOR CLAIMS AGAINST THE PROBATE ESTATE How to Find and Claim Your Family’s Forgotten Assets Dear Savvy Senior, A while back I read an article about some online tools that can help people search for lost or forgotten money left behind by their deceased relatives, but I’ve misplaced it. Can you help me with this? My mom, who passed away in January, was always bad about keeping up with her money, so I’m wondering if there was anything she left behind. Searching Son Dear Searching, Forgotten or lost money is actually very common in the United States. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, there are literally billions of dollars in unclaimed funds sitting in state treasuries and other agencies just waiting to be found. These unclaimed funds are from accounts that are inactive or whose owners, or their heirs, cannot be located. Unclaimed funds can include things like lost or forgotten saving or checking accounts, stocks, utility security deposits, tax refunds, life insurance policy proceeds, un-cashed dividend checks, matured savings bonds and much more. This typically happens because of a change of address (the owner moved), a name change (the owner got married or divorced), or the owner dies, and the estate was unaware of the money or the heirs could not be located. By law, companies and fi nancial institutions that can’t fi nd the owner or their next of kin within two to fi ve years must turn the property over to the state where it’s held indefi nitely. Where to Search About 10 percent of all Americans have some unclaimed money out there waiting to be found, so it’s very possible your mother had some too. To start your search, go to Unclaimed.org, which has links to all state programs that will let you do a state benefi ts search online for free. Or you can do a multi-state search in 39 states at MissingMoney.com. Be sure to check every state in which your mother lived, worked or did business. Also, make sure to check under your mom’s maiden name, and if she had a frequently misspelled name, search those misspellings too. Using her fi rst initial and her last name is also encouraged to make sure everything comes up. Every state can tell you immediately if your mom has some unclaimed money, as well as how to go about collecting it. Look Here Too In addition to state treasuries, here are some other resources that can help you look for unclaimed money that may have been overlooked. Forgotten retirement benefi ts: To search for lost or forgotten 401(k) funds your mom may have left behind with an old employer, use the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefi ts at UnclaimedRetirementBenefi ts.com. Or to search for lost pension benefi ts, use the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation trusteed plan search tool at PBGC.gov/search-trusteed-plans. Lost life insurance: To track down a lost or forgotten life insurance policy, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, an insurance regulatory support organization, off ers a free policy locator service at https://eapps.naic.org/ life-policy-locator. Unredeemed savings bonds: It’s very common for people to lose track of U.S. saving bonds because they are often given to children as gifts, then forgotten before the bonds reach maturity. To fi nd out if your mom had any, the U.S. Department of the Treasury provides an online search tool at TreasuryHunt.gov for fi nding matured, uncashed savings bonds over 30 years old and no longer earning interest. Federal tax refunds: Each year thousands of refund checks totaling millions of dollars are returned to the IRS by the post offi ce. To look for lost Federal tax refund checks go to IRS.gov/refunds or call 800-829-1954. 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 y and author of “The Savvy Senior”r book. gna ingredient? 10. On July 18, 1976, who scored the first-ever perfect 10 at the Olympics? 1. On July 15, 1948, General of the Armies of the United States John J. Pershing died; who previously had that title? 2. What vehicle is also the name of a pie? 3. In what decade was Brasilia built: 1780s, 1890s, or 1950s? 4. On July 16, 1941, what player created a record by hitting safely for the 56th consecutive baseball game? 5. What does IBM stand for? 6. What author crated Neverland? 7. July 17 is National Ice Cream Day; reportedly, in 1906 the Hot Fudge Sundae was invented at C.C. Brown’s on what famous street? 8. What author created the detective Lord Peter Wimsey? 9. What lasagna ingredient is a byproduct of making another lasa11. What is the importance of ENIAC? 12. What animal is also called a glutton and is a nickname for the State of Michigan? 13. What instrument does a concertmaster play? 14. On July 19, 1848, as advertised in the Seneca County Courier, the Seneca Falls Convention began “to discuss the social, civil and religious condition and rights of” what? 15. Due to a heatwave, Castenaso, Italy, imG enerally, a creditor of a Massachusetts decedent has one year from the date of death to fi le a claim against the decedent’s estate. In years past, the time period within which to fi le a claim commenced when the Personal Representative was actually appointed by the Probate Court. Under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code (MUPC), which was effective on March 31, 2012, creditors now have one year from the date of death to fi le a claim against the estate. The purpose of the one year from the date of death provision is to promote the quick settlement of estates by allowing the Personal Representative of the estate to pay claims and to make distributions after one year from the date of death without the risk of being held accountable to a creditor. It is not enough for the creditor to simply provide notice of the claim to the Personal Representative, or even to just fi le a Notice of Claim in the probate court. MUPC Section 3-803(a) provides that, before the oneyear period expires, the creditor must bring an action against the Personal Representative in the appropriate court, serve the Personal Representative with process by in hand delivery, and fi le a posed a fine for barbers and hairdressers doing what? 16. What is the fi rst fruit to ripen in spring? 17. On July 20, 1976, the Viking I landed on what planet that is also the name of a candy bar? 18. What word meaning pep is also the name of the offi cial soft drink of Maine? 19. The first world peace park is in what two countries? 20. On July 21, 1979, Jay Silverheels became the first Native American with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; what well-known TV character did he play? Notice of Claim with the Probate Court setting forth the creditor’s information and the amount of the claim. It often occurs that there is no estate to be probated or, even if there is a probate estate, the proceedings do not commence until after one year from the date of death. In this case, the creditor is out of luck and any subsequent claim would be barred. If a creditor is aware of the decedent’s death and the probate process has not commenced, the creditor has the right to petition the Probate Court in order to seek the appointment of a suitable Personal Representative. In this situation, the creditor would be aware that probate assets do indeed exist and that the dollar amount of the claim justifi es the expenses to be incurred. The MUPC puts the onus on the creditor to learn of the decedent’s death and to take action accordingly before the statute expires. It should not be too diffi cult for the creditor to follow-up when no payments on the debt have been made. Furthermore, with today’s easy access to the internet, a quick google search of the debtor’s name and address would provide the date of death of the decedent. It is important for Personal Representatives to be aware of this one-year statute before fi nal estate distributions are made. ANSWERS THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022 “YOUR FINANCIAL FOCUS” Joseph D. Cataldo

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