But They Sure Are Worth It
Recent studies showed that over 65% of Americans have a household pet. And if you’re one of them, there are a few things you need to know about keeping your animals safe.
Read on for our top 5 important lessons for having a healthy pet during the summer.
When the pandemic struck, my oldest child was in a public high school. His school shut down after spring break and offered all online classes. Quite frankly, the whole experience was a disaster. All of the teachers were new to online schooling, and the classes had to be put together quickly. This learning environment was chaotic and confusing. Plus, the governor told all schools that children’s grades couldn’t be any lower than the grades they were receiving in person, so kids like my son, who were already receiving good grades, lost motivation. As the pandemic stretched into early summer, we made bold decisions about his education. There are several reasons why the pandemic affected our school choice.
Our goal is to give our child the best education for the circumstances, which required a different way of thinking for us.
Our son is a social kid, and we knew he’d struggle with social distancing in school and being with a smaller cohort of kids because the school was going to stagger which kids go to school on which days.
Frankly, with all we’re learning about COVID-19, we just didn’t feel the environment at school would be safe no matter how many precautions are taken. The virus thrives indoors with many people, and that’s the environment for schools. I know many schools are taking precautions, but for us, that’s not enough.
Our son’s school did offer a completely online option, and at first, we were interested in pursuing this. However, we learned that teachers will be in class teaching their classes with the students in person, and the online students will watch the class and try to participate that way.
I can’t imagine sitting through an entire school day online, every day. That means our son would be sitting in front of the computer for roughly 35 to 40 hours a week. Then, he’d get off the computer and do his homework. Quite frankly, doing this sounds exhausting.
We ultimately decided to enroll our son in a completely online school. The teachers at this school only teach online, so they’re very familiar with this type of educational delivery. Just to make sure this option is right for him, we enrolled him in summer school.
The teachers are attentive, calling him to ask if he has questions and encouraging students to text them if they have issues. Students do most of the work independently, but they are required to go to one class a week per class. (The teacher only offers one class per week.)
Using this system, our child can do his work in flexible, safe, comfortable environment. He still engages with the teacher and other students during the online class, but he’s not required to sit at a computer for hours every day.
As you can see, there are several reasons why the pandemic affected our school choice. We’re still hopeful that the pandemic will no longer impact the 2021-2022 school year and that our son can go back to his public school then. But for now, we think we’ve made the best decision giving the unique circumstances we are all facing this upcoming academic year.
When you have a dog, you get used to finding dog hair everywhere. With some breeds, the hair even travels with you. But what you shouldn’t get used to is finding dandruff in your dog’s coat.
Every dog has its day, sure. But, if your dog has seen many days, is he ready for his senior years?
As our beloved family pet grows older, their needs change. They are more likely to experience health problems, and their food and exercise needs aren’t what they were.
What are the best gifts for a recovering alcoholic? If you have a mother recovering from an addiction, you can surprise her with a beautiful, heartfelt gift.
Sometimes it’s not always an easy task to find the perfect gift.
As you get ready to prepare a will and perhaps a trust, it’s important to know what type of assets can children inherit? The simple answer is that if the children or grandchildren you want to leave money to are minors, there is little they can inherit outright at that age. However, when they reach the age of majority, they are free to inherit everything you leave to them. The questions then become, how early do you want them to receive the money once they reach majority and how much control do you want the custodian to have over their financial decisions.
Children can inherit whatever assets you would like to leave them after they reach the age of majority. In general, if the child is still a minor, you can determine three ways they receive your assets.
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
The simplest (and cheapest) option is to just set up a will for your child. You assign a custodian to raise your children. However, the will must go through probate, and the court, not the custodian, will have control of the money until the children reach majority, which is 18 or 21 depending on the state you live in. Then, the children are free to use the money as they see fit.
When you set this up, all of your assets go into the revocable living trust, and you can use the money and assets as you like when you’re alive. When you die, the revocable living trust seamlessly changes hands to the designated trustee. You can give very clear terms for your trustee such as stipulating a child who is an alcoholic, drug addict or gambler will not receive the money. Likewise, you could say that the child can have $15K a year from the trust. Or you can say that the money must be used for college.
Then, the trustee just executes your terms.
The last option is to set up an irrevocable trust. If you chose this option, make sure you’re certain because an irrevocable trust is permanent. If you put $500K in an irrevocable trust for your grandson, you can’t change your mind later because you no longer want him to have the money. What is done is done. However, like a revocable living trust, you can have a say in when the minor child will receive the money and how.
There are some benefits to this type of trust because it can lower your estate tax burden, and it can lower your assets if you need, for instance, nursing home care.
If you’re wondering what type of assets can children inherit, the simple answer is not much while they’re minors. However, you can set up one of the three options above for your minor children. Once they reach majority (for wills) or the age that you designate (for trusts), they can start receiving their inheritance. While there are benefits to each of the three types, there are also drawbacks, so consider carefully which one to set up for both yourself and your minor children or grandchildren.
Did you know that around two-thirds of adults are afraid of going to the dentist?
For many people, this fear stems from bad experiences that happened as a child. If you want to encourage your children to maintain their oral health through adulthood, helping them have positive experiences at the dentist is crucial.
Every parent feels the strain of having too much to do and too little time for it all. Packing healthy lunches for your child is just one more task on the to-do list. Let’s be honest, there are only so many times your child will eat peanut butter and jelly before they rebel.
Did you know that one out of four adults in the US said they didn’t learn about finances growing up? Consider teaching your kids the importance of budgeting and saving. They will be better equipped, going off on their own after graduation.
Looking for ways to spice up your family game night? If so, you may want to go back to the tried-and-true well of card games.
Whether you’re on the road or at home, card games remain a great family diversion. You have many options to choose from, from the classic Uno to new entrants such as Exploding Kittens. The only real question is: how much free time do you have?