Need advice
Posted by Lolapmilano@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 13 comments
I’m a single genx with an 80 year old boomer mother. We have no other family members. I am very worried about what will happen to mom and my pets (2 dogs and a cat). My mom just had a stroke yesterday and I got spooked by the thought that if something happens to me now there is no one to take care of my pets or my mom. Is there a trust or something I should set up? I don’t even know what to google. Feeling crazy overwhelmed. TIA for any suggestions.
MundaneHuckleberry58@reddit
Yes, I included what to do with any assets, money & pets in a trust. I had it done pretty reasonably at a law clinic at the law school in my state. It’s supervised by real, experienced attorneys but you work with law students, kept cost of it way down.
Busy_Log_7128@reddit
TIA=transient ischemic attack which happens to be a precursor to a stroke.
Lolapmilano@reddit (OP)
TIA= Thanks in advance ☺️
Busy_Log_7128@reddit
The irony caught me off guard in my old EMT mind.
Lolapmilano@reddit (OP)
Man I bet you have some stories to tell…..
Busy_Log_7128@reddit
You are going to experience some of the hardships. 😢
Sea_Machine4580@reddit
You can not only will your pets to a friend, you can include money for the maintenance of the pet for its life in your will. Talk to your friend(s) before you do this of course!
Coldfinger42@reddit
Absolutely see an estate attorney and get your will and a living trust drafted. I didn't understand the benefits or details of a trust. But last year after a stage 4 cancer diagnosis you bet the first thing I did was find a reputable lawyer and got to work on it. I'm a single mom of a 19yo and an 11yo at the time as well as a mortgage and the idea of my estate going to probate and my kids having no access for months or even years truly freaked me out. It cost me $4500 for the whole thing but it was totally worth it.
GardenDivaESQ@reddit
You need to have a friend be your medical power of attorney and get a will. Whether you need a trust or not the attorney can tell you. If you own real estate you probably do.
createusernameagain@reddit
House mate just went through this struggle, I convinced her to see an Estate Attorney since she has quite a bit in house equity and various retirement funds but no one to take care of it should something happen to her. She chose a good friend she's known a long time in the same boat as her (10 yrs younger) to have POA etc and I did throw in she should look at making it an irrevocable trust (will). Even in a large city like Seattle it cost her a total of $1300 and everything is filed in the courts too so there is no scrambling at the last minute.
As for her cat, she also has a trust set up for it and another friend will take care of it with funds to feed and vet care for its lifetime. This is another friend of hers that was fostering the kitty so kitty knows her and is already bonded which is a relief that I totally understand.
Estate Attorneys ask a lot of questions you never thought of and what the laws are regarding taxes etc, something you won't find online or from an attorney that doesn't specialize in that. Hope your Mom is able to recover fully from her stroke.
Dogstar_9@reddit
I'm not aware of a state that allows pets to be beneficiaries of trusts. Unfortunately, pets are considered personal property.
If you have a friend who is younger than you and would be willing to take care of your pets if they outlive you, you could devise them your pets in your will, and also devise them some money to assist in their care.
Honest_Road17@reddit
A trust is a great idea in general if you have an estate of a certain value. It saves any beneficiary from having to take your will through probate, which can take several months. In California the cutoff for probate is under around $180k. If you don't have that kind of value in real property and cash, a will will suffice. Setting up a trust costs around $5k, we just did that with my mom. Word of advice, do it sooner rather than later while mom is still with the program enough to sign papers.
It's probably a good time to start picking out people in your social circle to help re home the pets. Maybe a donation to a local no kill shelter or rescue could help provide for your pets as specified in your will.
RedditSkippy@reddit
Probably a good idea to speak with an estate attorney. Yes, it will cost you money, but not a ton. We did wills, POAs, healthcare proxies, and living wills 15 years ago and it wasn’t as much as you would think.