Page 12 - Boca ViewPointe - December '24

Page 12, Viewpointe December 2024
Unearthing Family Roots: A Genealogical Journey

By Ilene Brookler immigrated in 1880, but returned to Hungary to find a This journey is not just about gathering names and
wife. Louis traveled with his wife and mother-in-law from dates. It is about discovering the lives behind them.
Imagine uncovering Hamburg on the Furst Bismarck passenger ship, arriving Every record and tombstone has brought us closer to
stories about ancestors in the United States after a 6-day journey. The trio settled understanding who we are and where we come from.
who lived more than in a thriving Slovak community in Youngstown, Ohio. As we continue our search, we honor our ancestors by
150 years ago, piecing Louis passed away in 1926, and Julia lived on for keeping their stories alive and connecting the past to the
together their lives from decades, until 1959. She had no next of kin, but her present. Genealogy, at its heart, is a journey through time,
fragments of history. That will established a scholarship fund at Youngstown State one discovery at a time.
is exactly what happened University for Jewish students, ensuring that her story
when I explored my family continued to impact future generations. Among the Ilene Brookler, a Boca Pointe resident and Columbia
tree, using JewishGen, a beneficiaries of her will were my grandmother’s youngest Law School graduate, brings over 30 years of litigation
treasure trove for Jewish brother, Eliezer Hellinger, who had moved to Israel before experience to her role as a certified mediator. She founded
genealogical research. The adventure began with World War II, and a niece, Rose Solomon, who owned the Family First Divorce Mediation Services with the goal of
the 1869 Slovak census, a detailed record from the first health food store in Palm Beach County, Florida. helping families navigate divorce quickly and affordably.
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Among its pages, I found While we have uncovered so much, mysteries remain. She can be reached at info@familyfirstmediate.com. For
my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Hellinger, living in Did Julia know her relatives, like my grandmother, who more information, visit www.familyfirstmediate.com. 
Nagymihály (now Michalovce, Slovakia) with his wife survived the Holocaust and resettled in New York? Did
and two children. Back then, this small town along the Julia bring family photos to America? Could Esther
Laborec River was home to over 1,000 Jews, making up Gordon, Rose’s daughter, hold the answers we seek?
a quarter of the population.
Samuel lived a long life, passing away in 1923 at the age
of 86. His home later became my grandmother’s when she
married my grandfather in 1929. In that same house, my
father was born in 1937. But where did Samuel’s story begin?
A birth record revealed that Samuel, born in 1838,
Nagyszeretva, a village just nine miles away. His brothers, Asset Protection in Estate Planning
was the eldest son of Simon and Julia Hellinger from
Yisroel Yitzchak and Yakov Dov, and sister Sprintcza, You’re beginning to accumulate substantial wealth, but you worry about protecting it from future potential creditors. Whether your concern
were also born there. Their father, Simon, a leather is for your personal assets or your business, various tools exist to keep your property safe from tax collectors, accident victims, health-care
merchant, was recorded in the 1869 census as a 52-year- providers, credit card issuers, business creditors, and creditors of others.
To insulate your property from such claims, you’ll have to evaluate each tool in terms of your own situation. You may decide that insurance
old living with his son Janos (Yakov Dov), second wife, and a Declaration of Homestead may be sufficient protection for your home because your exposure to a claim is low. For high exposure, you may
and a two-year old daughter. Also living in the town was want to create a business entity or an offshore trust to shield your assets. Remember, no asset protection tool is guaranteed to work, and you may
Sprintcza and her husband. Curiously, their last name was have to adjust your asset protection strategies as your situation or the laws change.
written as “Ellinger” in the census instead of “Hellinger,” Liability insurance is your first and best line of defense
likely a mistake made by enumerators who wrote names Liability insurance is at the top of any plan for asset protection. You should consider purchasing or increasing umbrella coverage on your
phonetically, based on what families reported verbally. homeowners policy. For business-related liability, purchase or increase your liability coverage under your business insurance policy. Generally, the cost
Determined to learn more, I joined forces with relatives of the premiums for this type of coverage is minimal compared to what you might be required to pay under a court judgment should you ever be sued.
from New Jersey and Australia who were also tracing our A Declaration of Homestead protects the family residence
Your primary residence may be your most significant asset. State law determines the creditor and judgment protection afforded a residence by
family roots. Together, we focused on Sprintcza, eager to way of a Declaration of Homestead, which varies greatly from state to state. For example, a state may provide a complete exemption for a residence
uncover what became of her. Records showed she married (i.e., its entire value), a limited exemption (e.g., up to $100,000), or an exemption under certain circumstances (e.g., a judgment for medical bills). A
Marcus Briglyer and had two children named after her Declaration of Homestead is easy to file. You pay a small fee, fill out a simple form, and file it at the registry where your deed is recorded.
parents —Julia, born in 1872, and Simon, born in 1877 (and Dividing assets between spouses can limit exposure to potential liability
died in 1881) — but then the trail grew cold. Had they been Perhaps you work in an occupation or business that exposes you to greater potential liability than your spouse’s job does. If so, it may be a
victims of the Holocaust, like so many of our relatives? good idea to divide assets between you so that you keep only the income and assets from your job, while your spouse takes sole ownership of
your investments and other valuable assets. Generally, your creditors can reach only those assets that are in your name.
The breakthrough came through a death certificate.
It identified “Jennie Brugler,” who died in Youngstown, Business entities can provide two types of protection — shielding your personal assets from your
Ohio, in 1924 at the age of 76. The certificate listed her business creditors and shielding business assets from your personal creditors
Consider using a corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability company (LLC) to operate the business. Such business entities shield

birthplace as Nagymihály, her parents as Simon and the personal assets of the shareholders, limited partners, or LLC members from liabilities that arise from the business. The liability of these
Yitta Hellinger, and her husband, Marcus Brugler, who owners will be limited to the assets of the business.
Conversely, corporations, limited partnerships, and LLCs provide some protection from the personal creditors of a shareholder,
predeceased her. Though “Jennie” was an unexpected limited partner, or member. In a corporation, a creditor of an individual owner is able to place a lien on, and eventually acquire, the shares of the
name and “Briglyer” had morphed into “Brugler,” other debtor/shareholder, but would not have any rights greater than the rights conferred by the shares. In limited partnerships or LLCs, under most
details matched. Jennie’s tombstone confirmed her state laws, a creditor of a partner or member is entitled to obtain only a charging order with respect to the partner or member’s interest. The
Hebrew name: “Sprincza, daughter of Shimon.” It was, charging order gives the creditor the right to receive any distributions with respect to the interest. In all respects, the creditor is treated as a mere
assignee and is not entitled to exercise any voting rights or other rights that the partner or member possessed.
indeed, my great-great-grandfather’s sister!
We pieced together Sprintcza’s migration story. At the Certain trusts can preserve trust assets from claims
People have used trusts to protect their assets for generations. The key to using a trust as an asset protection tool is that the trust must be

age of 44, she moved to America in June 1892, with her irrevocable and become the owner of your property. Once given away, these assets are no longer yours and are not available to satisfy claims
daughter, Julia, after she married Louis Spitzer, who had against you. To properly establish an asset protection trust, you must not keep any interest in the trust assets or control over the trust.
Trusts can also protect trust assets from potential creditors of the beneficiaries of the trust. The extent to which a beneficiary’s
creditors can reach trust property depends on how much access the beneficiary has to the trust property. The more access the
How To Add There are many types of asset protection trusts, each having its own benefits and drawbacks. These trusts include:
beneficiary has to the trust property, the more access the beneficiary’s creditors will have. Thus, the terms of the trust are critical.
• Spendthrift trusts
• Discretionary trusts
Your Guests To • Support trusts
• Personal trusts
• Self-settled trusts
Since certain claims can pierce domestic protective trusts (e.g., claims by a spouse or child for support and state or federal claims), you can
The Gate bolster your protection by placing the trust in a foreign jurisdiction. Offshore or foreign trusts are established under, or made subject to, the laws
of another country (e.g., the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Belize, Jersey, Liechtenstein, and the Cook Islands) that does not generally
honor judgments made in the United States.
A word about fraudulent transfers
The Boca Pointe Community Association offers a The court will ignore transfers to an asset protection trust if:
• A creditor’s claim arose before you made the transfer
few different methods to add guests to your visitors list, • You made the transfer with the intent to defraud a creditor
so please ensure that you add your guest BEFORE they • You incurred debts without a reasonable expectation of paying them
arrive. If your guest is not on the list, they may be denied This information, developed by an independent third party, has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. does not guarantee that the
without a phone call being placed to get your approval. foregoing material is accurate or complete. This information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a
recommendation. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. This information is
Phone calls are placed as a courtesy depending on how not intended as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security referred to herein. Investments mentioned may not be suitable for all investors. The material is general in nature. Past performance
may not be indicative of future results. Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. does not provide advice on tax, legal or mortgage issues. These matters should be discussed with the appropriate
busy the guard is when they arrive. professional. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, an independent broker/dealer, and are not insured by FDIC, NCUA or any other government
agency, are not deposits or obligations of the financial institution, are not guaranteed by the financial institution, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal. Investment Advisory
To add a guest to your visitor list, you have several services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. The information contained within this commercial email has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but we do
not guarantee the foregoing material is accurate or complete.
options:
• Website- www.gateaccess.net Raymond James Financial Services
• Cell phone app- Download ABDI/Gate Access from
the app/play store Arthur Rottenstein
• Access Control- Call 561-395-3392 or leave a
voicemail message at 561-395-3369
The advantage of using gateaccess.net or the app is Registered Securities Principal
the ability to: 301 E. Yamato Road, Suite 3160
• Add a guest for the day or permanently
• Remove a guest Boca Raton, FL 33431
• Send a pass with barcode 561-241-6616
• Receive notification of guest arrival
If you have any questions regarding access methods, Arthur.Rottenstein@RaymondJames.com
please call the Boca Pointe Community Association
561-395-7551.  bocaratonfinancialplanner.com