The Executor Advisor   ~ Logistical tips for settling your parents' estate

Telephones.  In the early 70’s, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was a big favorite in our house.  In particular, we liked Lily Tomlin’s Ernestine who’s catch phrase was,  ‘One Ringy-Dingy’ and who snorted when she laughed. We thought the woman stuck in the old-fashioned era of telephone operators was hilarious.

My parents were hip and modern and not stuck in some bygone era where phones required operator assistance.  They made a graceful transition to the age of telephones. This was a time when the only kind of telephone was what we now refer to quaintly as a land line. We had one telephone number and several telephones in our house.

Then came car phones.  We considered it a luxury and we never had one. Over time cell phones became more prevalent until  there was virtual ubiquity.  My father never had one.  My mother finally broke down and purchased a cell phone for emergencies.  This phone stayed in her pocketbook, drained of its charge, for over a year.  Finally, she put it in the cradle at home to charge and it stayed there for another couple of years happily charging away.

My mother finally found a use for her cell phone when she went into the hospital.  It was purely a cost-benefit analysis. Hospitals began charging usurious rates for local and long distance calls.  Having a cell phone enabled my mother to make calls for a cheaper rate and allowed her the flexibility to make calls when the hospital phones were shut off.

So, in the end, my mother was hip and modern again and totally facile with her new-fangled cell phone.

Tip:  Be sure to cancel cell phone service as well as home telephone service.  You may be due a pro-rated refund for the last month of service.

Information found on this web site is for general informational purposes only based on personal experience and should not be construed as legal, tax or other professional advice. You should consult an experienced attorney , tax professional or financial advisor concerning your particular factual situation and any specific questions you may have.