VV2

would like to start this month by thanking
I Eleanor Prior from Wet Ink Mobile
Notary who graciously volunteered to donate
her services to notarize the attendees’ guardian nomination forms
when we did our seminars last month.
When Eleanor
realized at our “kick
off” seminar at
Carnegie Heights how
long the procedure
was going to take, she
posted a request on
the Nevada Notary
Public Loan Signing
Success Network
Facebook page asking
for more help.
Thank you just
doesn’t seem to be
enough to say how
12
This is Why
By: Rana Goodman / On My Soapbox
amazed and grateful we were when she walked into our event at Sun
City MacDonald Ranch leading a group of five notaries ready to move
February 2024
things along as quickly as possible. And we had even more for our last
two seminars at Sun City Summerlin & Anthem.
Since The Vegas Voice began its mission of getting as many seniors
as possible to take advantage of their right to nominate their own
guardian should one become necessary, more than 5,000 seniors have
filed their form with the Nevada Secretary of State to be placed in the
“lockbox.”
I never get tired of
explaining why these
Guardian Nomination
forms are so crucial to
us seniors.
The question that
always comes up is “I
have a trust, and a
will and I gave my
adult child my power
of attorney. So why
do I need to file this
form?”
The answer is really
quite simple. Should
someone try to place you into an unwanted guardianship (and of
course, no one can stop them from trying) as soon as the papers are
filed with the court, by law, the clerk of the court must contact the
Secretary of State to determine if you have filed a nomination form in
the lockbox.
If you have, the proposed guardian’s request is “out
the door” and denied. The court (and the unsuccessful
lawyers) must accept the person you chose.
Remember, filing the guardianship nomination form with the
Secretary of State lockbox costs you nothing, (except for the notary and
a US postal stamp) and it is the best “peace of mind” you can have to
keep you and your assets safe.
Regarding your Power of Attorney: people are not aware that on
every court order granting guardianship, the judge decrees, “that
any powers of attorney are hereby revoked.” This can be a scary
thing should you end up with a stranger rather than someone you have
chosen as you guardian.
Never forget that once the court grants the guardianship the
“protected person” (formally known as the ward) loses all control of
their assets, including their home, mail, bank funds… everything.
I have received many telephone calls and email questions about
all this and it has become alarming (and quite sad) how many are
about family members who have taken guardianship from a sibling,
or other family member. You can only imagine the stress that causes
within the family unit.
Bottom line: Add a layer of protection I hope you will never need
by signing the darn form and get it to the Secretary of State’s lockbox.
You can download the form from our website: thevegasvoice.net
And if you still have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate
to email me at: RanaTheVegasVoice@aol.com.
Carnegie Heights resident Richard Berman, Rana, Carnegie Heights
Community Outreach Manager Steven Soiferman and Wet Ink Mobile
Notary Eleanor Prior