Well, howdy there internet peeps. And those still standing in high winds.
It's Troy again.
Today is the day mom is supposed to move into the healthcare side. She had her emotional down day on Sunday and was in better spirits yesterday. Of course, she wants me to bring her a donut today when I drive into town (1.5 hour drive) to do her banking and make sure she has enough $$ in her account for getting her stuff taken care of this month.
A cautionary word. Mom had purchased burial/funeral insurance. We finally found the paperwork on that policy. She still owes two years of payments on it. If paid off before her passing, her funeral is covered at 2016 prices.
But her monthly payment is $176 !!!! She had told my sis it was only about $30.
Technically, I'm a signatory on Mom's bank account, but I've never exercised any access to it. Now it's time, and she's aware. The woman is living on Social Security, medicaid and medicare. If the politicians start cutting those programs, she'll be among the most vulnerable. Dad died in his late-50s, after his factory job, where he was Union president of his local, got moved to Puerto Rico in the mid 1980s in a political move. No retirement $$ from Dad. Mom has access to his SS survivor benefits, but it ain't much. Dad had to dip into what he had saved to keep going in the 1990s.
Fortunately, wife and I aren't destitute. Not Musk-levels of rich, but not bad off. Wife drilled down to figure out that we can pay about $2,000 on mom's burial insurance and get it secured and not coming out of mom's monthly expenses.
The problem is, with Mom on full medicaid, she's about to be allowed to keep only $50 a month from her Social Security payment. Her phone fees and cable tv will be closer to $70/month. Wife and I are taking care of those fees for her. We don't need to pay $176/mo additional for two years and hope mom doesn't pass before the policy is paid off.
So, banking, donut for mom, and get her settled today.
Tomorrow I start calling to see where to send the payoff check and get that insurance policy paid.
Warning: there are sooooo many loopholes in those policies, they probably make a mint off early deaths, missed payments cancelling the policies, etc. If she passes before it's paid off, then we have to pay the difference in what the policy is for, and what today's costs are. And she's already paid 2x what the policy is valued at.
The only saving grace, is if it's fully funded, then she's secured pricing from a decade ago for her funeral costs. I'm glad she was thinking of her kids and what we'd have to pay. But this type of insurance borders on being a Scam. I wouldn't purchase it for myself.
Fortunately, we're here with the means to get it fully funded. Since mom is on the
"who knows how long" clock, we don't want to waste what she's paid into that plan. So we'll pay it off and make sure she doesn't lose her investment.
That's all for now.
here's some orcs in progress. Only silver and green on them for now. I'm painting the first 10, with 10 more primed and waiting. Ten at once is about right for enough to paint at once.
PS: It's only after paint goes on that I'm finally able to see the mold lines I missed sanding off. I didn't feel like more sanding, and another coat of primer. Screw it. I've got mouldy orcs!
