Safety Tips Concerning Young Children

The following are key reminders to discuss with your children.

1. Teach your child to never accept cand or gifts from a stranger.

2. Adults should not be asking kids for help: with directions, finding a lost animal, to mail a letter, etc.

3. Explain the importance of reporting any strange person or incident with both a trusted adult and the police.

4. Explain "yell and tell." Children should yell if anyone tries to touch them. The should then tell a trusted adult or the police.

5. Teach your child to memorize their address or phone number, and never share that information with a stranger.

6. Talk to them about "good strangers", like police officers, firemen, and teachers.

7. Point out your "meeting place", should your family get separated somewhere. When in a store, always meet at the cash registers.

8. Familiarize your children with the homes in the neighborhood they can go to for help.

9. Teach them to go back inside the school if anyone other than expected shows up to give them a ride, this may include a neighbor or family member. Most abducted children are taken by family members or acquaintances.

10. Children should not wear clothing with their name on it, for example, sports jerseys.

11. Explain to your child that adults may lie and even try to trick them to go with them, such as "your mom is in the hospital, come with me."

12. Explain to your child if they dial "911", they will be speaking with the real police.

13. Tell your children to never tell callers that they are home alone.

14. Tell your children why it is important for you to know where they are at all times.

15. Explain the difference between opening the door, but acknowledging that someone is home. Children can turn the porch light on and off or move a curtain, making appear someone is home. If no one answers the door and they do not see evidence of someone being home, a burglar may try to force their way in.

Courtesy of the Palatine Police Crime Prevention Unit.

Scams, Swindles, and Fraud, Oh my!

More and more often, it seems that financial swindles are front-page news. Even seemingly savvy investors have been swindled out of their life savings. One swindle, involving Bernie Madoff and his investment company, recently ended in a guilty plea to numerous counts of fraud. Investors discovered that $65 billion in their investment accounts held by Madoff simply did not exist.

The investors that fell prey to the Madoff ponzi scheme had been very happy. Their investments always performed wonderfully and went higher and higher, as if by magic. There is an old adage that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Well, the Madoff case is just one example of the accuracy of the old adage.

Of course, scams are not limited to the investment field. There are plenty of scams to go around, even in a seemingly staid field like estate planning. Some people promise the moon, at a cost that is amazingly low. Some individuals and companies selling estate planning services are really trying to sell you annuities or other insurance products. Some people are paralegals or unlicensed or novice planners, with little knowledge or experience. This lack of knowledge and experience could cost your estate tens of thousands of dollars or more.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t get taken. Seek the counsel of a qualified estate planning attorney:

Qualified: Does the person have the experience necessary to handle the complexities of your unique situation? Even the most complex situation may appear simple on the surface. Only a qualified estate planning attorney has the experience necessary to spot all the issues involved.

Estate Planning: Do they focus in estate planning? If you needed brain surgery, you would go to a brain surgeon. Estate planning is a complex field involving a nexus of several substantive areas of law. Only an estate planning attorney has the knowledge, experience, and judgment necessary to design a plan to meet your unique needs.

Attorney: Are they licensed to practice law in your state? Only a licensed attorney has the legal knowledge you need to navigate this complicated legal field.

Someone who is unlicensed or unqualified may be cheaper, but unexpected problems may arise. Your family may discover, perhaps only after you are gone, that your estate plan is vague or ineffective to accomplish your goals. Your life savings might not go to the people you intended. Worse, an improperly drafted estate plan could result in your family members paying gift taxes, estate taxes, generation-skipping transfer taxes and even income taxes that could have been avoided or reduced with proper planning. Even worse yet, a poorly drafted plan could result in family discord and years of litigation. In essence, your family may discover that what you have is really an estate scam rather than an estate plan.

A qualified estate planning attorney can help you put a plan in place that will minimize the chance of discord and will ensure that your wishes are carried out.

Maritess Bott of Bott & Associates, Ltd. is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and has been engaged in the practice of law for the last eleven years. For more information or to attend an upcoming seminar, call 847-818-9084 or visit www.bottestateplanning.com.