Michigan Irish Music Festival Returns to Top Off Summer. Page 10. AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017 A MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER Welcome to the August – September issue of PLUS. I hope your summer is going well! It won’t be too much longer and the kids will be going back to n n school. We’ll be slowing down a little and getting ready for our Fall routines. 3 LEGALEASE • 9 LAKESHORE I’m just guessing but I’ll bet some WHY YOU NEED A FAMILY • of you are eagerly awaiting the WILL IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING YOUR return to your favorite TV series. A REVOCABLE LIVING STUDENT BACK- Getting a little tired of reruns and the lack of fresh TV entertainment. TRUST TO-SCHOOL Personally I’m not much of a TV Jonathan J. David Heather Artushin viewer. I do like to watch the local and national news while making 4 n GOOD SPORTS • 10 n THE THREE dinner but after that I’d rather watch a movie or some offering TURNING BIG REDS STAGES OF FUN - on Netfl ix. Just recently I had the INTO LEADERS OFF MICHIGAN IRISH opportunity to purchase my all- THE FIELD MUSIC FESTIVAL time favorite TV sitcom. The sitcom Tom Kendra Marla Miller I’m referring to debuted in 1975 and ran for eight straight seasons. Back in the 80’s I worked as the n n 5 HOME SWEET 12 GOOD FOOD manager of the Grand Theatre in HOME • MARKET UP • BOUNTY OF THE Grand Haven. I would race home every night so I could be home by 11:30 pm, OR MARKET DOWN? SEASON turn the TV to WZZM and tune in to what I think is the best TV show of my generation…Barney Miller. Dale P. Zahn Alexander Schulte It has been over 40 years since Barney Miller premiered on national television. The series is available in syndication on a variety of stations but I never tune n YOUR MONEY n ROCKETOONS. 5 13 in. Getting the box set of all eight seasons has been a really big treat for MATTERS • 4 COM. FOR KIDS. me. Not having seen the show in over 30 years has made me appreciate the STRATEGIES FOR FOR SCHOOLS. FOR show that much more. All of the characters worked and played off each other YOUR 401K FREE! incredibly well. Even thought the setting is the 1970’s in New York City the only thing dated is the precinct décor, the haircuts, and the clothing, the Tom Kendra Tim Wheeler themes and the quirky subjects of each episode are still relevant today. Unfortunately a number of the actors that made the show so popular are no n PTO, DMO’S, n GOOD READS 6 13 longer with us. We are still fortunate to have Hal Linden (Barney Miller), FOMO AND PWDS Laura J. Kraly Ron Glass (Ron Harris), Max Gail (“Wojo” Wojciehowicz), and Gregory Sierra Laura Holmes (Chano Amenguale) with us. I would like to say to all of the cast, thank you for 14 n A PRIMER ON some of the greatest TV ever created. 7 n THE ANDASTE STROKES: SIGNS, Watching Barney Miller again has caused me to think about things in my Peter Manting CAUSES AND history that I haven’t thought about in years. The show seems fresh after so TREATMENT many years. It has made me smile and laugh right out loud. After all a little laughter is always a PLUS. 8 n WHY YOUR “DIET” Christopher M. ISN’T WORKING! Goshgarian, MD Laurie Semlow 8 n PLUS MOVIE MINUTES Mark Williamson Publisher Jordan Peterson Cover photo by Dr. Tim Reilly 2 West Michigan PLUSinside | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2017 LEGALEASE Why You Need a Will in Addition to a Revocable Living Trust August | September 2017 ISSUE No. 14 West Michigan PLUS is a publication By Jonathan J. David of Orshal Road Productions, LLC If you fail to leave a will and you have a probate estate, living trust. then upon the completion of probate those probated PUBLISHER/EDITOR Dear Jonathan: I named my daughter as my agent assets will not end up in your trust but instead will pass Mark Williamson on my fi nancial durable power of attorney and as to those individuals directed by state law and not by you. 231-766-3038 my patient advocate under my health care power Consequently, it is always a good idea and it is standard [email protected] of attorney. We had a recent falling out and I no practice to prepare a will in conjunction with a revocable longer want her to act in those capacities. How do DESIGNER living trust. Jay Newmarch I get her off? CRE8 Design, LLC, Kalamazoo Dear Jonathan: I recently updated my estate Jonathan Says: If your current fi nancial and health [email protected] planning, which included a new will, as well as care durable power of attorneys name an alternate a revocable living trust. I decided to go with the agent and patient advocate to act in the event your WRITERS trust because I want to make sure that my estate daughter is unwilling or unable to act for you, then Orshal Road Productions, LLC is not probated at my death. I recently read that if you could ask her to resign as your agent and patient Laura Holmes Michelle Martin, M.A. all of your assets avoid probate, you don’t need to advocate which would allow the alternate agent and Jordan Peterson Jay A. Newmarch have a will because the will only controls assets patient advocate named to step into her shoes as your Peter Manting Teresa Taylor Williams you have to probate. Is this true? If so, why did my agent and patient advocate. Tom Kendra Riley Williamson attorney insist on me preparing a will along with my trust? In order to make this work, your daughter will need Mel Sportell Chef Alexander Schulte to resign in writing as your agent under the durable Dale Zahn Mercy Health Jonathan Says: The article you read is correct in that a power of attorney and as your patient advocate under Tim Wheeler David LeMieux will only controls the disposition of assets that are known the health care durable power of attorney. Once that is Laurie Semlow Jonathon J. David as “probate assets.” Probate assets are assets titled in done, that will elevate your alternate agent and patient Laura Kraly Brenda Durga a decedent’s sole name and which are not payable or advocate to your primary agent and patient advocate. Mark Williamson Heather Artushin transferred at death to a benefi ciary or subject to any When it comes time for your alternate agent and/or other type of benefi ciary designation. If there are no patient advocate to act on your behalf, he or she will probate assets in a decedent’s estate, there will be no 3692 Orshal Road need to present your daughter’s resignation to the third estate to probate making a last will and testament in that Whitehall, MI 49461 party he or she is dealing with as evidence that he or she case unnecessary. (However, even though there are no B: 231-766-3038 is authorized to act on your behalf. assets to probate, a will might be important for other E: [email protected] reasons though such as the naming of a guardian and If you have not named an alternate agent and/or patient conservator of minor children.) advocate in your current documents, then those Orshal Road Productions, LLC was established in 2011 documents will no longer be viable if your daughter Even though a will is unnecessary if there is no estate as a Marketing/Publishing company specializing in resigns because there is no one else to act in her place. to probate, your attorney was correct in having you niche publications. Consequently, you will be required to prepare new prepare one because there is no guarantee that at the documents. To advertise in future issues of West Michigan PLUS time of your death there will be no probate estate. In contact Mark Williamson. Contact information is listed other words, even if you have successfully retitled all of Also, if your fi nancial and health care durable power of above. your assets to your trust so that if you died today there attorneys are more than a few years old, you might be would be no estate to probate, there is no guarantee that better served to prepare new documents anyway. The West Michigan PLUS is on-line and downloadable that will be the case fi ve or ten years down the road. newer the document is, the more readily acceptable it to your favorite device at: http://orshalrdproductions. is to third parties. In addition, with new documents you Over that span of time, you might acquire new assets com/. would no longer need your daughter to resign because which you title just in your name, and in that event, she would not be named in the new documents as your SUBSCRIBE to West Michigan PLUS and you will those assets will need to be probated when you die. If agent and patient advocate. Further, in addition to being receive an email when the latest issue is available for that happens, you will want to have a will in place to able to name a new agent and patient advocate to act for download or pick up at your favorite local retailer. West direct those assets to your trust upon the completion you, you can name as many backups as you want which Michigan PLUS is published bi-monthly.