Lynn Schrader At Real Estate II

10/06/2026

10/05/2026

09/07/2026

A MUST READ! So sad that it has come to this

📋 Scammers read obituaries, and the reason is simple: a death notice publishes the exact facts a bank uses to prove who someone is.

Date of birth, hometown, maiden name, mother's maiden name, the street the person lived on. With a few of those, a criminal can buy the rest, including the Social Security number, on the dark web.

Then they open accounts, take out loans, or file a tax return in the name of someone who can no longer object.

It works for two reasons, per AARP's Fraud Watch Network. The victim cannot check a credit report, so fraud can run for months. And the survivor is grieving, which is exactly when a caller posing as a debt collector or an insurance agent gets a yes.

There is a third, cruder version: a funeral date and time in the notice tells a burglar when the house will be empty.

Seven details to leave out of the obituary you write: the exact birth date, the place of birth, the middle name, the maiden name, the mother's maiden name, the home address, and the funeral time, which you share privately instead.

The first week after a death closes the other doors. Report the death to Social Security, send the death certificate to the IRS, notify every bank, and ask Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to add a deceased notice to the credit file.

Pull the credit report once now and once in three months. Any activity after the date of death is fraud.

One limitation: a long-lost friend or relative who surfaces after a death is not always a scammer. Ask family who knew the person before you share anything, and treat any conversation that turns to money as the tell.

Did you know any of this when you wrote an obituary for someone, and what would you leave out now?

P.S. Once a week, I email the best money article I read, with my take on this week's top Facebook posts and what's new on the Ways to Wealth blog. It's free, and you can sign up on the Ways to Wealth home page.

R.J. Weiss, CFP®



The content shared here is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not personalized investment, tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a licensed professional before making decisions based on your specific situation.

09/07/2026

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Photos, maps, description for 1159 Hemlock Drive Springfield, OH. Search homes for sale, get school district and neighborhood info for Springfield, OH on realestate2.com -- Real Estate Search.

09/01/2026

07/21/2026

We’re incredibly honored to be nominated for Best of Springfield 2026!

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing clients, friends, family, and community for your continued trust and support. Being recognized is an honor, but helping individuals and families find a place to call home is the true reward.

If you’ve had a great experience with our team, we would be so grateful for your vote as we work toward another Best of Springfield title. Voting will open on Monday, July 27th!

Your support means the world to us and allows us to continue serving our community with the care, dedication, and professionalism you deserve.

Thank you for believing in us and for allowing us to be part of so many important milestones. We’re proud to call Springfield home and look forward to serving you for years to come. ❤️🏡

06/03/2026

If you sold your home and made up to $250,000 in profit as a single filer or $500,000 married, you owe zero in capital gains taxes.

That's one of the biggest tax breaks in America and most homeowners have never heard of it.

I moved to Nashville in 2017. The appreciation on homes in this market since then has been staggering.

For a lot of homeowners who bought at the right time, that exclusion isn't just a nice perk. It's a six-figure tax break they'd be leaving on the table without knowing it existed.

But that's just one of twelve types of income the IRS doesn't tax and most people are only aware of two or three at best.

Gifts you receive are never taxable to you as the recipient. Inheritances generally come to you tax-free.

Life insurance death benefits go to your beneficiaries without a tax bill. Roth IRA distributions in retirement are completely tax-free if you've followed the rules.

VA disability benefits are 100% tax-free. As a combat veteran that one is personal to me and I still run into veterans who don't know it.

Child support received is not taxable income. HSA withdrawals used for medical expenses cost you nothing in taxes. Employer health insurance contributions don't count as income.

The tax code gets talked about constantly in terms of what it takes from you. The part that rarely gets covered is what it quietly leaves alone.

Save this list. Share it with someone who needs it.

And if any of these apply to your situation, talk to a tax professional to make sure you're capturing every dollar you're entitled to keep.

05/27/2026

The city of Springfield is expecting a significant decrease in general fund revenue due to laws related to the “look-back period” allowing businesses to claim net operating losses during the