Archive for October, 2009
October 6th, 2009 | 
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You are driving along minding your own business when suddenly you become aware that the flashing lights behind you is a cop pulling you over. You glance down at your speedometer wondering how much you are going over the speed limit and how much this is going to end up costing you.
This is where you start the process of getting out of a speeding ticket start. You don’t have to start these tips after the ticket has been handed to you.
1. When the cop approaches the car be presentable. It’s best to have your insurance, license, and registration ready. It also alleviates any fears the officer has if he or she can see your hands on the wheel as they aren’t going to be worried you have a gun or are pulling any tricks.
2. When you speak to the officer, be respectful and be honest. Talking in a calm tone about what was going on and how fast you were going is best. Understand that it’s up to their discretion whether they write you a ticket or not. Try the opposite of being disrespectful and you will almost always end up with a ticket.
3. If you do get the ticket, the best way of fighting it is going to court. When you go to court, do your best to be presentable. Now you might not like dressing up a little bit, but every little advantage will help you out.
4. If you haven’t had many traffic violations and really don’t have the money to afford the fines and it feels you are going to get fined for this ticket, you can always ask the judge for traffic school. A few hours in traffic school watching videos on improving your safe driving might be worth it to you over $100 or even $200 of ticket costs.
5. Challenge the ticket in court. This is a bit harder than the other tips, but if you feel that you didn’t do anything wrong, by all means challenge the ticket as it’s your right to do so. There are techniques of challenging how the cop got your speed like they may have been pacing as opposed to using proper equipment. From state to state the laws vary as to what techniques are legitimate for gaging speed, but it happens more often than not. One who admits they were going that fast will get the fine regardless so don’t do this.
You’ve gone through the trouble of creating an estate plan that includes a revocable living trust. Now what do you need to do?
Here is a checklist for you to consider:
1. Have you notified your successor trustee? You have probably named a relative, close friend, or a trust company to act as successor trustee after you die. Have you told tem about the trust? Maybe you want to go over it with them. Share your thoughts and wishes. Tell them where your valuable papers and itms are located.
2. Have you transferred title to your assets to the trust? A trust comes into being (becomes legal) when you transfer an asset (probably more than one) to it. You will need to transfer title to your bank and brokerage accounts, real estate, promissory notes held, individual stock certificates, etc., to the trust title, usually, John Smith and Jane Smith, trustees of the Smith Revocable Trust, dated January 1, 2005 (or something similar).
3. What about your thoughts on burial or cremation? Do you want to be kept on life support no mater what your age, condition, or likelihood of survival might be? Have you decided who will be in charge of making decisions for you if you can’t?
4. Are there assets that are not in your trust (retirement plans, IRA accounts, life insurance) that your trustee needs to know about?
5. Is there a change in your life or family that requires a review or revision to your estate plan? Have you recently received an inheritance, remarried, or have a close one die? All of these events should prompt a review of your estate plan and revocable living trust documents.
This is a short list to get you thinking in the right direction. The point is that once the revocable living trust is set up, your work and attention does not stop. You need to maintain the revocable living trust so that it can deliver all of the benefits that it can promise.