Page 22 - PGA Community News - January '24
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January 2024
      Page 22, PGA C.A.N.!                                               BW                                                                                                                                                              January 2024
      The Pet Cottage Post



      Catching Up With Wendy Derhak                     or deployment.  We also
                                                        provide senior people with
      11 Years After Launching, This Nonprofit          pet companions.
      Founder Discusses The Past, Present               What Are You Most Proud
      And Future Of The Pet Cottage In This             Of?
      Exclusive Interview                                  I’m proud of our forever
                                                        promise. We are not an adoption
      Why Did You Start The Pet Cottage?                agency or foster program. We
         It all started with my dear friend             are a new concept. When a
      Joan. She was an active senior in                 pet becomes homeless due
      her early 70s and at the time I was               to the death, disability, or
      her personal trainer. We worked                   deployment of their owner we
      out three times a week and became                 provide a nonjudgmental and
      close friends. Truthfully, she was like           supportive place for solutions.
      a mother to me. When she received a               If a homeless pet fits our
      terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis, her biggest concern   mission, we commit to taking
      was: Who will care for my three senior cats?      care of it for life. This forever
         Joan was a strong                              promise gives surviving family
      independent woman.                                and friends peace of mind.                         What’s Your Vision For The Future?
      She had no spouse, no                                Our pets, which are mostly seniors, live in the home      Our big goal is to secure a sanctuary property that we
      children and no siblings.                         of a forever guardian or at our sanctuary property. The   can call our own. We currently rent in Jupiter Farms and
      Her three furbabies,                              majority of our forever guardians are senior people. The   having our own property would allow us to expand our
      Shadow, Smokey,                                   forever guardian provides love and a safe place to call   mission and services by building additional dog cottages,
      and Jeremy, were her                              home. The Pet Cottage covers all veterinary expenses.   a cat hotel, and larger volunteer space. We want to be a
      entire world and sweet                            Because of this partnership, many senior people in our   pillar of support in the community and a known entity for
      companions.                                       community are able to have a senior pet companion.  people and pets in need.
         We started to explore                             Our forever promise to each pet in our care means that      We are always open to new volunteers and forever
      options  for  rehoming                            no matter what happens to a guardian, the pet will have a   guardians joining our pack. Contact us below for more
      them upon her death.                              loving home. It’s a win-win-win situation that makes us   information.
      And we kept hitting dead                          do a happy dance!                                                                   The Pet Cottage,
      ends.  The thought of                                To date, we have made 100 forever promises to pets                                (561) 818-5025,
      placing these  beloved  Wendy and Bella Pom       and supported 84 forever guardians and 87 volunteers.                          www.thepetcottage.org
      family members who had
      brought her so much joy and love in a shelter was out of
      the question.                                                                           Advertise in this paper.
         So we decided that I would become the guardian of her
      cats and her lawyer crafted a legal agreement.                                          Check out our website!
         As I supported Joan through the end of her life, I had
      many conversations with the hospice staff about how often                       www.seabreezepublications.com
      pet owners with terminal illnesses face this reality. They
      said it was a problem without a solution.                                                      or call 746-3244
         In 2012, I founded The Pet Cottage as a solution!
         Today, we celebrate and protect the magical relationship
      between people and pets by offering home-style care to
      pets who lose their humans due to death, disability   Financial Focus                        ®
                        Please


              Don’t Feed Alligators                       Don’t Leave Your IRA To                          for individuals who failed to take RMDs in 2021 and 2022
                                                                                                           and extended the RMD penalty waiver for 2023.
                  or Any Wildlife                         The IRS                                            Although these rulings give beneficiaries – those not
                                                                                                           eligible for the exemptions listed above – more time to
                                                          By Sally Sima Stahl                              plan, they will eventually need to start taking RMDs, which
            Report all aggressive alligators to the         If you’ve invested in an                       could affect their tax situations. To help protect your heirs,
                nuisance alligator hotline                IRA for many decades, it                         consider these suggestions.
                                                          may well turn into a key
                                                                                                             • Using permanent life insurance. A properly structured
                     at (866) 392-4286                    source of income for your                        permanent life insurance policy could help you replace the
                                                          retirement. Still, you might                     assets your family might lose to the taxes resulting from an
                                                          not deplete your IRA in                          inherited IRA. You might even consider naming a charity as
                                                          your lifetime, especially                        the beneficiary of an IRA, rather than your family members.
                                                          if you also have a pension                       The charity would receive the IRA proceeds tax free, and
                                                          or a 401(k) and other                            the life insurance could then provide tax-free benefits to
                                                          investment income. So, if                        your heirs.
                                                          your IRA still has sizable                         • Leaving taxable investment accounts to your heirs.
                                                          assets after your passing, it                    Apart from your tax-deferred IRA, you may own other,
                                                          would likely end up in your estate plan. If you leave your  fully taxable accounts containing investments such as
                                                          IRA to grown children or other family members, could  stocks or bonds. Typically, these investments receive
                                                          they be hit with a big tax bill?                 what’s known as a “step-up” in their cost basis once they
                                                            Here’s a little background: Up until the Secure Act of  are inherited. This means your heirs will essentially inherit
                                                          2019, those who inherited traditional IRAs could extend  all the gains your investments earned by the time of your
        HANDY-MAN                                         their required withdrawals over their lifetimes, which  passing – but they won’t be taxed on these gains if they sell
                                                          stretched out the annual taxes due on these withdrawals.  the assets immediately. This type of sale could help offset
                                                          But the Secure Act changed the provisions for non-spouse  the taxes your heirs will incur from the inherited IRA.
        HOME SERVICES                                     beneficiaries who inherited an IRA after 2019, meaning    The tax and investment issues surrounding inherited
                                                          that beneficiaries of inherited IRAs had only 10 years  IRAs can be complex, so consult with your tax and financial
                                                          (beginning the year after death) to withdraw the entire  advisors before making any moves. And, as with many
                                                          balance. For some beneficiaries, this could potentially  areas relating to inheritances, the sooner you start planning,
            NO JOB TOO SMALL                              create a tax burden. (Inheritors of Roth IRAs are also  the better.
                                                          required to follow the 10-year distribution rule but are not    This article was written by Edward Jones for use by
                                                          subject to income taxes on account earnings if the Roth  your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Edward Jones,
          u Water Stains        u Screen Repair           IRA’s five-year holding period has been met.)    Member SIPC.
          u Painting            u Leak Repair               However, not all beneficiaries were affected by the new    Edward Jones is a licensed insurance producer in
                                                          rules. Spouses can stretch their inherited IRA distributions  all states and Washington, D.C., through Edward D.
          u Caulking            u Misc. Repair            over their lifetimes and exceptions exist for certain non-  Jones & Co., L.P., and in California, New Mexico and
          u Interior/Exterior                             spouse beneficiaries. Minor children of the IRA owner  Massachusetts through Edward Jones Insurance Agency
                                                          (until the age of majority), chronically ill or disabled  of California, L.L.C.; Edward Jones Insurance Agency of
                      ... and much more!                  individuals, and beneficiaries who are no more than 10  New Mexico, L.L.C.; and Edward Jones Insurance Agency
                                                          years younger than the IRA owner may opt to stretch their  of Massachusetts, L.L.C.
        Housesitting Available • References Available     distributions.                                     Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors
                                                            The new 10-year requirement applies to IRAs inherited  cannot provide tax advice. You should consult your
             (Serving Palm Beach County since 1980)       on or after Jan. 1, 2020. But due to confusion over changes  qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.
                                                          to required minimum distribution (RMD) rules for some    Contact us at (561) 748-7600, Sally Sima Stahl, AAMS,
                                Call Rubin                beneficiaries of inherited IRAs, the IRS waived penalties  1851 W. Indiantown Road, Ste. 106, Jupiter, FL 33458.

        Licensed & Insured   561-346-2467                                                        Paid Advertisement
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