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Dying Without a Will May 26, 2023 By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi, 2023  Survey Says! According to a 2022 survey by caring.com , 67% of Americans do not have a will even after the COVID-19 pandemic increased everyone's awareness that no one's tomorrow is guaranteed. Of those surveyed who did not have a will, 40% of them cited "not having gotten around to it" as the reason they did not have an estate plan in place. Dying without a will means you lost control over: Who act as your Personal Representative (that is the term we use in Wisconsin, other states use the title of Executor); Where your minor children and or pets will live and be cared for; and  What will happen to your assets. Estate planning, the process of writing documents that say who is in charge and what happens if you are alive but too sick to act (powers of attorney) or if you die (will or trust), boils down to one simple word, control.  When you set aside the time to make th...

Estate Planning Meets Garage Sale Season May 19, 2023 By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi Summer is nearly upon us as Memorial Day slides into the 10-day forecast on our phones.  For those in the midwest we are (almost) certain we can move the snowblower to the back of the garage and put away our winter boots.  This is also a perfect time of year for a dose of Swedish Death Cleaning and the infamous garage sale.  As I tell my husband, "we are either going to move or die -- eventually it all has to go!"  Here are a few tips on how to embrace garage sale season for a low-energy yet high yield event that will keep your clutter under control: Thoughtful Displays -- do not just toss items on a table or blanket on the grass, set them up as though they were in your home.  For example, decorate the artifical Christmas tree with ornaments and lights, or set up the never-used tent along with dishware suitable for camping.  Show the buyer an item's potential with a thought...

What I've Been Reading -- Dead Lines: Slices of Life from the Obit Beat by George Hesselberg By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi May 12, 2023 Milling around the Madison Camper & RV Show a few months ago I stopped at the vendor stand for the Wisconsin Historical Society Press .  While my husband dived into the depths of solar panels at the booth across the way, I perused the books for sale by WHS Press. My eyes landed on a title, Dead Lines: Slices of Life from the Obit Beat , by George Hesselberg .  "Perfect!" I thought, quickly adding it to the pile I would be taking home with me.  Dead Lines is a collection of Hesselberg's news / feature obituaries from his forty-plus years writing for the Wisconsin State Journal.  The passages range from profiling prominent Madisonians to local legends to an infamous Sicilian miniature donkey named Mo, who resided on a farm at the intersection of Highways CC and D, just south of Madison.  Hesselberg provides a rich array of loc...