Past 65 Nearly everybody should have a will Write to Carl Riblet, Jr. at Box 40757, Tucson, Ariz., 85717 for information and advice on questions you may have as an elder citizen, with self-addressed, stamped envelope. All questions will be answered, either direct or in this column. By Carl Riblet Jr. Many readers, request information on wills and probate. „ Q. - "I am 69 and my husband is 76. The only things we own are household goods, a car in both our names and a checking ac count in both our names. Do we need a will?" - Mrs. James G. A. Nearly everybody should have a will. Q. - "Being partners in everything we own, what is the easiest way to convert joint tenancy to one? People say that we should do this or that and get the name of the deceased off the papers. Do we have to get a lawyer to set everything straight?" - Mr. and Mrs. R.L.B. A. -- Absolutely and positively - yes! Q. - My wife and I are oldsters between 80 and 90. The value of our estate is $175,000 held in joint tenancy. What is the federal estate tax minimum? Is probate required? Would filing an appraisal be required? - R.G.H. v \ A. - Mr. and Mrs. R.G.H. need advice from a local lawyer. The federal estate tax minimum goes up every year with inflation; $161,000 in 1980. \ Q. - I am a widow of 71, living on Social Security. I own a home and a small bank account. I have three daughters, all malted. When 1 die will™ my possessions have to be probated? Can my home be given free to my daughters? - Agnes M.E. A. - Probate may be necessary. On the matter of giving her home to the daughters, Agnes should be careful. Children sometimes love their parents less after gifts are made. Little children are not the only humans to suffer abuse. The elderly all too often are abused by their adult children after they get the house and other property in anticipation of death. Q. - "My mother did not keep her will up to date. She changed banks and account numbers, so her will was void. Her great grandson got everything. Can you tell others how to avoid making such a mistake?" -- Alice H. A. - A will should be kept up to date, year by year. Q. - "I am 80 and have two children. I made my last will in South Dakota. Now I live in Minnesota with my daughter. Has moving from one state to another made any difference in the execution of my will?" '-- Louise G. A. - Most probably. Q. - My will sets up a trust for my wife upon my demise and then, after her demise it is to be turned over to a scholarship fund. The will is at the lawyer's office in New York State. I moved to North Carolina 10 years ago. I wonder if my will is valid here." -- George B.M. A. -- It may not be. To make certain, George should see a lawyer. Q. -- "We moved to California after making a will in Illinois. We now want to void that will. The lawyer in Illinois sent what looks like a copy of our will to us. We are past 65. I wrote the law firm that we want the will voided but got no an swer. What should we do?" - Robert and Estelle B. A. - Everybody should make certain that after death his or her estate will be distributed as intended. That is best done with a will that is valid in the state of residence. A local lawyer should be consulted in every case of preparing and checking a will. There are expensive lawyers and lawyers who are reasonable in their fee arrangements. The charge for drawing a simple will and-or advising on a previously drawn will is usually quite modest. Elders who need help with new wills or advice on wills already drawn - especially if drawn in another state - and who cannot afford a substantial fee, could go to a legal clinic where fees are small, or to the local Legal Aid office which does not charge those who are qualified. Elders should see a lawyer and not mess around with such an important document as a will. Just imagine the countless numbers of deceased parents turning over in their graves as their heirs fight for shares they may or may not be entitled to. v. ' Qfy Q. - "My father in a nursing home mislaid his false teeth in the shower room and only got them back after the nurse matched them to his mouth after first trying two other dentures on him that were also found there. He had to try them each. Is there some way he could mark his denture with his name?" -- Ruthie J. A. - My dentist suggested that Ruthie, while holding the denture with her thumb in the middle, take an emery board and rough up a small area in the back of the QPEII EVENINGS TN. N IttellBIIKY Hom« (Furnishings WHY WAIT WHEN YOU CAN SAVE NOW!!! 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A. -- I was an organ pumper, too, in the olden days. It was hard work but a happy job for which I was paid 25 cents on Sunday and 15 cents for choir practice. This is how it worked: the boy was stationed behind the wall in back of the church organ. An indicator on the wall showed when there was sufficient air to make the organ work and bring forth the music. The boy pumped a lever and watched the indicator. When the air was down he had to pump furiously to catch up. If his attention wandered as he counted his marbles or eyed the minister's daughter, the air would fizzle and the music gasp and die. The lackadaisacal pumper would get Hail Columbia from the organist, the choir and the preacher, and a poked-out tongue from the preacher's daughter. There once was a national organ pumper's society which may now be defunct. There probably still remain a relatively few churches that require pumpers for antique organs. Q. - "Since the death of my husband I have a lot of time to be alone and I don't like it. I would like to organize something that could be named "Widows of the World." WOW. The club could attract people of both sexes who had lost loved ones. They could receive W-WWN Z - rAUfc 1 - PLAlNDfcA&j&n - WC4AMS8MAV, MAKVMW. IMP help in facing the problems advises that almost anybody prescription filled In that come with widowhood and would not feel so all alone and helpless. Such a club would give a person the will to go on to live happily and not keep it all to themselves. If anybody knows of such a club please let me know. Otherwise, maybe you can help me organize it." -- Hazel V. A. -1 like the idea of WOW just fine. It could be a sort of pen-pal club for widows and widowers. Perhaps some readers of "Past 65" will help Hazel. Q. - "I know how the retired army nurse named Elizabeth, who is now a widow, feels about a poinr tless life. I, too, found it dull. A Solution was given me that put me in touch with all kinds of males all over the world, every shape, size and color, with every kind of interest. This activity permits me to talk with other women's husbands without creating trouble. That solution is amateur radio. To start, you don't need to be a radio expert. Look up somebody in your town who is an amateur radio operator. He will be glad to help you join the fun, especially if you are a woman, because the men are very admiring of any woman who is on the air with her amateur radio broadcasting set. Other amateurs can tell you of classes being held and how to get going. I pitch in with my radio set on emergency nets in violent weather and I have had almost 1,100 conversations with radio amateurs all over the world. Mostly men. Never a dull moment." - Mary J.K. A. - By amateur radio broadcasting, Mary does not mean Citizens Band radio. That is something different. Pace Engineering in Tucson can start a ham radio station for as little as $750 that will reach out to virtually every place in the world -- England, India, South Africa, Australia. Perhaps even Afghanistan. All the Amateur has to do is buy the set, plug it in and start broadcasting after getting a license from the federal government. For in formation write to Pace Engineering, 1720 West Wetmore, Tucson, Ariz. 85705. Pace says it is a fact that amateur operators can talk via the air waves with somebody's wife or husband, as the case may be, without creating embarrassing problems. Q. - My wife and 1 want to take our first trip to Europe. We worry about running into medical problems in a foreign country. Are American medications available in Europe? -- Robert S. A. - Not all prescription drugs used in the U.S. are available overseas. Robert and his wife should take with them all medications they may need on the trip. They should ask their doctor to tell them how they can get a Belgium, Sweden, France, or wherever, if they loce their medication. The doctor should gi\e them a typewritten copy ef the prescription because tBe local pharmacist is probably the only one in the world who can read the doctor's hand writing. There is a booklet entitled "Tips For Tlte Mature Traveler" that can be obtained free by writing to Grand Circle Travel 555 Madison Avenue, New York 10022. : Q. - "Can you tell me whit I will get in Social Security payments when I get my first check next January? "I will be 62 then." ~ Pauline C- A. - That information can come only from the SS itself. If Pauline will telephone the SS at Portland* she will receive accurate answers to her questions. SS number is toll free - 1-800-452-1654. Write to Carl Riblet, Jr. at Box 40757, Tucson, Ariz. 85717 for information and advice on questions you may have as a senior citizen, with self-addressed, stamped envelope. All questions will be answered, either in this column or direct. Name Bellringers For Mental Health Mrs. David Grimes of McHenry Shores, Mrs. Joanne Weisenberger of McCullom Lake, Mrs. Alyce Kowal of Lakemoor and Mrs. Donald Gregg of Holiday Hills were named Mental Health chairpersons for the May, 1980, Bellringer campaign, announced Maralyn Zeman, president of the Mental Health Association in Illinois. The We prepare Federal and State INCOME TAX RETURNS Our customers receive: •The maximum refunds allowable •Expert advice to lower tax liability •Personalized service at competitive rates •24 hour service •Planning information to minimize next year's taxes A fotal charge of $10.00 for both State & Federal Short forms (1040A-IL 1040) Our office is open from 9 AM to 9 PM daily. For your convenience, we suggest scheduling an appointment. Please bring your returns with the preaddressed labels. HOULIHAN ASSOC. INC 3318 W. Elm St. McHenry, Illinois 3S5-7S99 3t5-7999 Bellringer drive will be carried on in areas where the association is not a United Way participant. As chairpersons, the ladies will recruit volunteers to go house to house in their communities during May. Anyone interested in becoming a Bellringer volunteer may contact them. The Mental Health association in Illinois is strictly a volunteer association with members dedicated to informing the public about mental illness and mental health while working on behalf of the mentally ill and their families. As citizen advocates, the association works to see that government funds are spent effectively. Members would like to see a greater em phasis in state mental health dollars go to community mental health services. Every day there are 200,000 more people in the world to feed than the day before. 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