Here are 5 things you should know.
1. If a family member dies and debt collectors tell you that you’re now responsible for paying the deceased’s debts, THEY ARE LYING. Debt does not pass to anyone else upon death.
Read this: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0081-debts-and-deceased-relatives (US ONLY. CHECK YOUR LOCAL AND STATE LAWS. CONTACT AN ATTORNEY WITH QUESTIONS)
This is a common tactic of bill/debt collectors, especially with medical bills (which a lot of people rack up in their final days). Debt does not pass to anyone else upon someone’s death. They can get paid from the estate, but, depending on your state laws, they’re usually pretty low on the order of priorities. If the estate is insufficient to pay the debt, they’re written off. Don’t get tricked by these shady bill collectors. You are NOT responsible for your loved one’s debt (unless you cosigned for the debt of course).
For example, see Wisconsin’s statute below:
(1) Classes and priority. At the time of their allowance, all claims and allowances shall be classified in one of the following classes. If the applicable assets of the estate are insufficient to pay all claims and allowances in full, the personal representative shall make payment in the following order:
(a) Costs and expenses of administration.
(b) Reasonable funeral and burial expenses.
(c) Provisions for the family of the decedent under ss. 861.31, 861.33, and 861.35.
(d) Reasonable and necessary expenses of the last sickness of the decedent, including compensation of persons attending the decedent.
(e) All debts, charges, or taxes owing to the United States, this state, or a governmental subdivision or municipality of this state.
(f) Wages, including pension, welfare, and vacation benefits, due to employees which have been earned within 3 months before the date of the death of the decedent, not to exceed $300 in value to each employee.
(g) Property assigned to the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner under s. 861.41.
(h) All other claims allowed.
Check your state’s laws or contact an attorney if you have questions about this or any specific situation.
This will keep you from giving your money away when it’s not needed, and you should let others know as well.
2. Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, new research has shown.
It’s more important than you may think to make sure kids aren’t exposed to family violence. Even spanking is processed the same way as more aggressive forms of physical punishment and can make children predisposed to mental health issues.
3. Everyone can hear the calls you take/make through your car’s speakers.
Cars are not soundproof, the speakers in them are usually set to be very bass-y, everyone outside of the car can feel the rings when you are making a call.
If you don’t want everyone around your car to hear you, you might want to reconsider using the car speakers to take your calls.
4. In the United States, you can look up doctors to see how much money they’ve received from drug manufacturers.
Doctors sometimes receive payments from drug and medical device companies for a variety of reasons… some are benign (research), and some are less so (commissions for medical devices). In the United States, this website (which is run by the government) allows us to search for doctors by name and pull up reports of every payment they have received from drug and medical device companies.
Keep in mind that not every payment is nefarious and the reports do not provide much context, but it could be a good resource if you are questioning the motivation behind an expensive prescription or device.
Most doctors are awesome and ethical, but it’s necessary to stay informed. But again- please use caution with the information on the site and don’t jump to conclusions about what it all means.
5. If you’re using cheap oven mitts you shouldn’t pull anything out of the oven if the mitts are wet.
