Bulletin Board

Get Rid of Stuff You No Longer Want While Helping Those in Need

You can hire Honest Junk to pick up household furnishings such as furniture, mattresses, lamps, kitchenware, artwork, etc. Much of it will go to the Chicago Furniture Bank warehouse to be available for free to those individuals moving into unfurnished spaces but who don’t have the funds to purchase furnishings. Chicago Furniture Bank furnishes an average of 17 homes a day from a 100,000-foot warehouse. With a minimum removal fee of $125, the actual cost will be calculated based on the cubic footage of the combined items, according to the following:  

Pickups over 350 cubic feet: $1.80 per cubic foot

Pickups under 350 cubic feet: $2.30 per cubic foot

Also note that an additional fee of $250 will be charged for piano pickups due to the additional labor involved.

Many of us may have our favorite local charity thrift shops where we can donate unneeded items. However, it’s good to know about this unique-to-Chicago option for getting rid of stuff while helping those in need by providing free furniture and household goods.

Traveling Abroad? Do you have a valid U.S. passport?

Maybe you haven’t thought about needing a U.S. passport for awhile. But the fact is that, if you have an existing passport, you had better check its expiration date just in case you find you are going to need it.

It makes sense to keep your passport current to give yourself the greatest option to travel outside the U.S. It’s worth maintaining it even if you have no plans, in case an unexpected opportunity or an emergency should arise. Be aware also that if your passport is due to expire within the next six months, it may be rejected by some countries which require a minimum number of months to be considered valid.

Before you read further, take note that, if you plan to obtain or renew a passport you can expect, under current conditions, the process to take ten to thirteen weeks, whether you apply in person or by mail. For an extra $60 you can get it in six to nine weeks. This timeline applies both to passports and passport cards. The passport card cannot be used for international air travel and is a cheaper alternative to the passport book. It is limited to travel by land or sea between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and nineteen Caribbean countries. Some people request either a passport or a passport card or both, depending on their travel needs. There is a separate fee for each.

Be sure to consider the total time it will take to receive your passport and/or card when you are booking travel.

Passports are processed in four service categories: 

Routine (ten to thirteen weeks) Apply at an acceptance facility or renew by mail. Call (877) 487-2778 to locate an acceptance facility.

Expedited (seven to nine weeks)  You can expedite at an acceptance facility or expedite a renewal by mail.

Urgent (Non-emergency) Most passport agencies offer appointments for this service, which must be scheduled within fourteen days of your travel date. You must call (877) 487-2778 to make an appointment and provide proof of travel.

Life-or-Death Emergency All passport agencies offer limited appointments for this service. You need a passport to travel within 72 hours. You must provide proof of the qualifying life-or-death emergency and proof of travel.

The  best way to learn what you need to do is to go online to travel.state.gov, where you will find what is required in the way of documentation requirements, timing, and fees. Explicit instructions are provided for several options: New application vs. renewal, passport card, fee information, mailing address, office locations, as well as the number to call for information and assistance: (877) 487–2778.

In addition to passports and passport cards, there are other international travel programs that expedite airport security and entry into foreign countries, including TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. These programs are offered by the Department of Homeland Security as part of the Trusted Traveler Network.

Use the tool on the Trusted Traveler Website http.dhs.gov to apply. Some major credit cards even will reimburse fees for these programs.

Travel Tip: Make two copies of all your travel documents in case of emergency and leave one with a trusted friend or relative. Also be aware that there are private courier services and businesses that charge fees to help you get your passport faster than you can yourself, but these can be quite costly ($150 to $1,000). You can find them on the internet under passport expeditors.

ALERT!

Beginning in 2024, thirty European countries will require U.S. travelers to apply for authorization to enter through a new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). Although its website—ETIAS.com—is live, you will not be able to apply online until sometime early next year. A nominal fee of 7 euros is expected. 

Leaving Assets to Family, Causes, and Others

Lately, there seems to be a lot of attention being focused on end-of-life considerations, including estate planning. Not everyone is willing or able to make time out of their busy lives to give estate planning a thought, putting it off until such time as they think it needs to be attended to. Nor is it a matter of age. Even younger adults should consider what should happen to their assets when they die.

Beneficiaries most often are family members, but what if you wish to leave assets to friends, or employees, or favorite charities? You want to be sure that you name an executor whom you trust to carry out your wishes. 

Of course, we never know just when we might die. It simply makes sense to make plans before the need arises. Dying intestate leaves a mess for survivors to sort out. Why not include an estate plan among your important documents while you are able?

You don’t necessarily need to discuss disposition of your assets with an attorney if you’re not inclined to spend the time and expense. There are respected online services available, including: 

www.legalzoom.com ($89-$249+)

www.doyourownwill.com (free)

www.willmaker.com ($99-$209)

www.freewill.com (No charge but you must include a charitable contribution among your bequests.)

An attorney or any of the internet programs listed above will advise you as to how to safeguard your intentions and protect your bequests. In addition to selecting an executor to administer and settle your estate, you should identify those to whom you wish to delegate your medical and legal powers of attorney if you become unable to manage your own healthcare and finances. There can be a lot of work and responsibility connected with serving in these roles, so be sure that whomever you ask understands what will be required.

While you’re planning your will, you may wish to consider creating an ethical will, also known as a legacy letter. This is a document that can help express why you care about certain issues. It also can be a memento to pass down the lessons you have learned in life. In it, you can document your favorite things, share your goals with your family, and consider your hopes for the future. An ethical will can be used to explain to your loved ones the intentions behind the designations in your estate plan, minimizing any confusion or hurt feelings about your choices.

Attorneys need not be involved in this self-created document. For My Free Ethical Will tool kit, contact plannedgiving@CompassionAndChoices.org

Not too Soon to Think about Burial/Cremation Choices

None of us is enthusiastic about considering what to do with our remains or the remains of a loved one when death descends upon us, as inevitably it will.

The choices used to be pretty simple—burial or cremation. But in recent years death has become a huge enterprise, with corporations such as Dignity and the Neptune Society, two name only two, acquiring local, family-owned funeral homes and expanding options across the country. 

Here are some websites to check to determine the choices you wish to make among the many possibilities:

1. Dignity Memorial (https://www.dignitymemorial.com.) The Dignity Memorial brand name identifies a network of licensed funeral, cremation, and cemetery providers with 1,900 affiliates across the country, including 40 in the Chicago area. They offer a free cemetery guide you can download from their website.

2. The Neptune Society (neptunesociety.com), also offering a free guide, is the largest U.S. provider of affordable cremation services, with more than 60 locations nationwide. Their services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their website will refer you to a local provider. The website and guide answer questions about cremation and the disposition of remains.

3. legacy.com assists with preparing an obituary and publishing it. They also provide a directory of funeral services, as well as guides to cremation options and funeral planning. Obituaries published on the site remain permanently, always available by search. They also feature photos and obituaries of prominent individuals from around the U.S. and beyond.

4. lightenarrangements.com provides a unique and unconventional approach to memorial planning, customizing celebrations of life for loved ones, including optional virtual and livestream ceremonies.

There are some unconventional alternatives for what to do with cremated remains besides placing them in an urn or other container and burying them. One such option is planting remains in a forest under a chosen tree (see www.betterplaceforests.com). Another is dissolving remains in water (alkaline hydrolysis), which you can research on Google, along with a variety of other lesser-known choices for the disposal of human bodily remains.

Remember that it is a good idea to decide what your preferences are before you no longer can make such decisions and include them in your advance directives for your family or others you have named to deal with your estate, so they can follow your directives without experiencing last-minute pressure at a difficult moment.