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Eligible Wartime Periods for V.A. Pension Benefits

ELIGIBLE WARTIME PERIODS FOR V.A. PENSION BENEFITS If you, or your deceased spouse, served during wartime you may be eligible to receive V.A. pension benefits or Spousal benefits. The V.A. recognizes the following wartime periods to determine eligibility for VA Pension benefits: World War I (April 6, 1916 – November 11, 1918) World War II…

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Illinois Emergency Contact Database

  Illinois Emergency Contact Database   Did you know that you can sign up for the Illinois Emergency Contact Database free of charge?  The database was established in 2009 and allows residents with a state license or ID to enter the name, address, and phone number of two emergency contacts.  In the event of an…

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Estate Planning for Pet Owners

Estate Planning for Pet Owners   Many pet owners consider their pet a beloved part of the family…and yet when they update their estate plan, they often forget to make provisions for these furry family members.  The following is a brief summary of some helpful tools that may ensure your pets receive appropriate care in…

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2014 Tax Update

2014 Tax Update   The American Taxpayer Relief Act, which was signed by President Obama on January 2, 2013, implemented those federal estate and gift tax laws that shall control during 2014.  Under this law, the federal estate and gift tax exemption was indexed for inflation, and therefore increased from $5.25 million per person in…

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Preventing Overmedicalization During End-Of-Life Care

  Preventing Overmedicalization During End-Of-Life Care The Atlantic published an article in May 2013 by Jonathan Rauch entitled “How Not to Die,” which discussed the problem of over overmedicalization and proposed a solution using educational videos.   According to the article, patients routinely receive unwanted care, especially when the patient is nearing his or her…

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Record Keeping

Record Keeping Many families are busy spring cleaning their homes this time of year, making it a great time to declutter those financial records by following these helpful guidelines: Records to keep for one year: Paycheck stubs Bank statements (including cancelled checks) Brokerage statements(keep longer for tax purposes if they show a gain or loss)…

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