Posted on 10/17/2020 4:44:55 PM PDT by Buttons12
An old acquaintance, in her eighties and totally lucid, asked me who to leave her estate to. She has no living descendants, nobody she knows (or prefers, anyway) that she wants to make an heir. She asked for suggestions.
I don't want the honor. She has a fairly nice house, and a small vacation cottage, both paid for. An old car, probably some life insurance, and a lot of mementos.
Any suggestions? Aside from "me, me!" I mean something like a charity, or some creative idea.
If my two children were no longer on this earth and I had to find another heir. I think I would find a half dozen decent families and bless them each with 1 sixth of my estate
Start the charity now. While living
There are charitable organizations that help all animals and others that specialize in narrower types of animals such as horses, birds, dogs and cats, farm animals etc.
The SPCA does a good and compassionate job with a wide spectrum of animals.
Another charitable organization I admire is “Best Friends” in Utah. They offer food, shelter and medical care for animals for life if they cannot be re-homed. They are fighting with other like-minded groups to end the practice of killing unwanted animals at public shelters. This outfit attracts volunteers from all over the country to come and work with the animals. Some come every year.
The Bureau of Land Management runs programs to look after the welfare or huge herds of wild horses (called Mustangs) and burros that roam public and sometimes private lands in the west. They are a part of the heritage of the American west. There often is is insufficient food to prevent starvation. Charities exist to assist to help with these wild herds.
These various organizations are not to be confused with extremist organizations like PETA that often espouse outlandish views. The good ones are dedicated to helping mitigate problems caused by people , such as those who buy animals they cannot responsibly care for. Or ore unsuitable for captivity. People, not the animals, are responsible for their sad predicament. They believe we have some obligation to help them.
Any pro-life crisis pregnancy center.
ECAC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and education services for children. And they are an exceptional children's charity.
Of the nearly 90 students at ECAC, most are full time students who attend all day, and more than half of the students at are children of military families. Through the center's 11 years in operation they've made a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of families. And dozens of their current and former students were enrolled after being diagnosed as nonverbal (for life), and ECAC therapists had most of them speaking within a few months.
They have plans to expand, nearly doubling their current size and student capacity. And those plans ended up being put on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis.
You can contact the center for more information. If you decide to support them I know from experience that they can show you were every dollar was spent.
Good grief! Today’s children have to be “led around” the Maypole? What are their mother’s afraid of? They might get lost walking in a circle?
I’m still laughing at your post.
Salvation Army with heirs or without heirs.
Church gets 10% of whatever is left.
She’s got you. Tell her you would love to have it and how much it would mean to your family and how you will use it for family gatherings and to to help educate your prodigy.
St. Jude. We have a provision in our wills to leave a percentage of our estate to them.
Samaritan’s Purse.
Best charity there is IMHO.
in here,it’s the same & easy.
I started already giving very good items to trusted friends with good families,slowly emptying out the house.
Have people lined up to even take my pasture pets when that time comes.
and while I still have intellect but am truly unable to keep up with demands of the real estate taxes/TX style,off the wall already inspite of homestead,location and age-will sell the property,good percentage of sale goes to respected charities and my church and simply move on to elder priced apartment life.
Bank acct ? LOL.
and I never lived beyond my means the same.
First of all, with the help of a good attorney, she should put all of her assets into a trust. This will make things a lot easier for whoever she decides will get it, and cut down a lot of opportunities for third parties to try and weasel some of it for themselves.
Of course, this is a winner take all scenario. If she wishes to subdivide it among several things, she will need an executor to do that work.
These are our will:
St. Jude Children’s Hospitals
Childcare
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (elephant and wild animal refuge)
I have some veteran’s groups I got from here at FR but I do not recall the names (many are scams)
Maypoles? You tryin’ to raise some little commies?
This sounds right—the going back to ask leading questions.
She must herself care about something. Whether animals or education or the arts or some cause or something.
Lending an ear and helping her puzzle through it sounds like what she could use.
Most rich people tap the Clinton Foundation as the primary beneficiary. Just saying...
Your list is all that should be considered. They are the absolute best, period..................
A bit for Free Republic?
Churches-Salvation Army, etc.
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