Our Featured Topic section provides helpful articles on finance, eldercare, retirement, pre-funeral planning, legal issues and so much more. All articles posted with permission from authors.

Online Memorials | Eldercare | Pet Provisioning
Pre-Funeral Planning

AN ONLINE MEMORIAL:  THE FUTURE OF REMEMBRANCE
By Ian McIntosh, Bsc

Headstones corrode, statues are weathered and plaques tarnish.  Memorials in some shape or form have been around for centuries, but none have been able to stand the test of time, until now.  This is thanks to a new type of memorial, the online memorial.  Online memorial websites such as www.remembered-forever.org allow the user to create their own personal mini-website without the need for technical knowledge.  The mini-website can contain photo’s, videos, life stories, audio clips and a timelines.  As well as these features, friends and family of the deceased can post their own tributes and messages of condolence, and even light an online candle in remembrance.  
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Eldercare

ELDER RAGE: IF I ONLY KNEW THEN--WHAT I KNOW NOW!
By Jacqueline Marcell, Author, “Elder Rage”

For eleven years I begged my obstinate elderly father to allow a caregiver to help him with my ailing mother, but after 55 years of loving her, he adamantly insisted on taking care of her himself. Every caregiver I hired to help him sighed in exasperation, "Jacqueline, I just can't work with your father--his temper is impossible to handle. I don't think you'll be able to get him to accept help until he's on his knees himself."  
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Pet Provisioning

BELOVED PETS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN ESTATE PLAN
By Jonathan Goldberg, J.D., CPA

Most individuals look at estate planning as a way to ensure that their wishes regarding the dispersal of their assets will occur in an organized manner and will not be subject to probate.  However, most individuals only consider assets to include such things as homes, investment portfolios and material items such as jewelry or family heirlooms.

Yet many people should also consider adding another important asset to their estate plan - the family pet.  In Michigan, it is legal to add pets to an estate plan, and many people are starting to amend their current estate plans to make sure their favorite pet is taken care of when they pass away. 
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The following question was taken from the Q & A column from Bloom Asset Management and Bloom, Bloom & Associates for the week of 07/30/06.

Q. Is there anything I can do to ensure my pet is taken care of properly in the event I pass away?

A. Under Michigan’s Estates and Protected Individuals Code, it is now legal to establish a trust for one’s pet. A trust would provide (upon one’s death) to set aside assets for the care and related costs of a pet, such as feeding, grooming and providing veterinary services.

In addition, you can also designate who should care for your pet after death. It is important to make sure that the person you choose to take care of the pet is someone who is both willing and able to properly care for it.

For more information regarding establishing a trust for a pet, or other estate planning questions, you can contact the staff of Bloom, Bloom & Associates at 248-932-5200 or visit them online at www.bloomlawfirm.com.

Pre-Funeral Planning

PRE-PLANNING FUNERAL IS ULTIMATE ACT OF LOVE
By Rick Bloom, Bloom Asset Management

I was reading an article the other day about a woman taken advantage of in regard to planning her husband’s funeral.  It is not surprising that many Americans are taken advantage of when it comes to planning funerals. 

Most people don’t plan their funerals, so it is left to their loved ones, who are very vulnerable at that time.  Because so many people are being taken advantage of, it is important that more of us plan ahead and make decisions with clear minds.  One benefit of pre-planning a funeral is the fact that it gives you an opportunity to be cost-sensitive.  After the loss of a loved one, it is difficult for people to think dollars and cents; however, costs do matter. 
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