Personal affairs review
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Food for Thought
Judge of Probate Richard Dean
We have made it to a new year. With that, I hope and pray your 2025 has begun well and you have a fantastic coming year.
If you read “The Coosa County News” regularly, you most likely are aware the Coosa County Ambulance Fee went into effect January 1. The $15 fee was approved by the voters in the primary election held March 5, 2024.
The fee applies to automobiles, pickup trucks, motorcycles, and utility trailers. Commercial trucks and trailers (as defined in Alabama Code §32-6-49.3) and watercraft are exempted. The Code defines a Commercial Motor Vehicle as any motor vehicle designed or used to transport passengers or property if the vehicle: Has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds or such lesser rating as determined by federal regulation; Is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver; or, Is transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in accordance with federal or state law.
The annual fee will apply only to the annual renewal or to new registrations. After the annual registration or new registration is accomplished, the fee will not apply to replacement decals or license plates purchased to replace lost or stolen decals or plates. Therefore, you will only pay the fee on each vehicle once per calendar year.
The entire $15 fee collected by the Coosa County Probate Licensing Office will be distributed to the Coosa County Commission as required by law. The Commission must apply all funds generated by the ambulance fee directly to the Coosa County Ambulance Service operations. The funds cannot be used for any other purpose.
The funds will also be audited regularly by the Alabama Department of Public Examiners to ensure those funds were properly distributed to the Commission and expended by the Commission as directed by Act 2023-151.
Enough about the ambulance fee, now on to personal affairs. We all tend to procrastinate and put off reviewing our personal affairs. The start of a new year is a perfect time to conduct a comprehensive personal affairs review and make sure you have everything up to date and in order.
Following are a few questions to ask yourself. Do I have a will? Did anything happen in 2024 creating a need for me to update my will, life insurance policy beneficiaries, or investment beneficiaries? Who has, or might need, access to my bank accounts if I am incapacitated? Do I need to establish or update a power of attorney? Do I have a living will, and are the people designated to make decisions on my behalf still capable of making those decisions?
While you are thinking about these questions, check the expiration on your driver’s license. As a side note, you may renew driver license up to six months before the expiration date. You may also renew the driver license at any licensing office in the state, not only at the offices in your county. Also, check your automobile tags to verify the month you need to renew them. Make notes of these expirations on your calendar.
In addition to reviewing documents and items, you need to have duplicate copies of important documents and make emergency listings of those important documents and other items. These listings should be readily available and accessible in more than one place and should inform a survivor where to find the original documents as applicable. People too often stick these items in a desk or in a box in a closet or under the bed. These areas are great ideas for extra copies. However, better places for the original documents are in a home safe that is anchored to the floor or in a bank safe deposit box.
Emergency listings are needed in case of an emergency such as natural disaster, illness, or death. Emergency listings should be in more than one place that is accessible to you and/or your family members. This is especially true in the event of your death or if you lost your home to natural disaster or fire. These emergency listings apply not only to important documents, but other items as well. Following are a few things to think about when making your emergency listings.
Do you have all your insurance (Health, Life, Auto, Homeowners, etc.) policy numbers and type policies listed? What about a listing of credit card numbers with phone numbers to call for replacement cards if needed?
What is your driver license number? What is your Social Security Number? When are automobile tags due? Do you have a listing of your vehicle identification numbers? Do you have a listing of medications you will need immediately or must take daily? That is a lot to remember, but this only scratches the surface.
Do you have a listing of your financial institutions (all banks, credit unions, investments) and the accounts by type? Do you have an up-to-date Will, Advance Directive/Living Will (in case you are unable to make medical decisions)? What about prenuptial/marriage agreements, birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, military separation documents (DD-214), Medicare cards, death certificates you may need of close family members, passports, employee benefit documents, check books, investments, bonds, retirement accounts, tax documents, deeds, trusts, and sources of all income.
If you are like me, there is no way you can remember all this information. Even if you could remember, what happens if you are incapacitated? Can someone else find or access these items in an emergency?
Are the insurance policies you listed paid-up policies or must you continue paying the premiums?
Have you provided a Power of Attorney (PoA) to anyone? If so, is it still needed or should you revoke it and accomplish a new PoA?
Review all bank accounts. Are you the only person on the account? If not, should the other person on the account continue to have access? If you are incapacitated, does someone have access to obtain emergency funds for you or pay your debts? Do you have deceased persons listed on any accounts? If so, consider removing them in case someone steals their identity.
Are you entitled to military benefits of any kind? What agency needs to be notified in case of your death? Make a note to whoever might oversee your affairs to check with the local Veterans Affairs representative to determine any benefits to which you are entitled or if your surviving spouse might be eligible for benefits.
Do you have investments or retirement accounts? In the event of your death, do you want those accounts to become a part of your estate, or should you take action to allow them to pass outside of your estate? Do you have a Transfer on Death (TOD) Beneficiary listed? If so, is that information accurate or should it be changed?
If you have property deeds, do the deeds have survivability clauses to pass the property to someone upon your passing? If so, that property will pass to the survivor the moment you depart this life. Is it someone you want to receive the property or have circumstances changed since you acquired the deed?
Do you have a Guardian and/or Conservator? If not, is your health getting to the point where it might be wise for you to appoint someone? Do you need assistance making medical decisions as they relate to your person? Is the checkbook getting a little too difficult for you to keep updated and manage? These are things to think and make decisions about while you are able.
List and copy as needed your important documents so either you or someone else acting on your behalf has access to them. Place them in safe places. Plan so you can have influence over your estate. Act now to make sure you or your survivors have the information necessary in the event of an emergency or death.
People often come into the probate office looking for a copy of a will or looking for information on a deceased relative. In many probate cases, people often have no clue where to look for bank accounts or if a deceased person has life insurance policies. This lack of information makes it difficult for the survivors and often results in institutions sending funds to the state’s unclaimed property division because the survivor didn’t know about the funds.
You need to thoroughly analyze your affairs. The information above is aimed to provide food for thought and not to advise. If you have legal questions, contact an attorney. If you have questions regarding investments, contact a fund manager. Until next month: Plan so you or your survivor will have your personal emergency information available should a crisis arise; Stay safe; Take care; God Bless!
