Letter from my brother.

I know that I have dropped the ball yet again, but the last couple of weeks have been more rocky and rollercoastery emotionally than usual. One key ingredient to this emotional mayhem is this letter from my brother, which I am sending you a copy of. It is the only correspondence I have received from him since my arrest way back in 1996!

Pete,

Enclosed is a $200 check that Mom requested I send you. We also ordered the last batch of stuff you asked for, which I think you should have received by now.

Mom requested I send you this letter and an update on what’s going on here. Last weekend we moved Mom into an assisted living facility nearby (the next town over). She was very comfortable here, but as her memory has continued to diminish, we felt it best that she go to a place which can ensure she eats 3 meals a day and can keep an eye on her 7 days a week. We are also hopeful that she can meet a few people her age that she can start to socialize with. Overall she's healthy, except for having bad eyesight, terrible hearing and memory issues.

The monthly cost for her new home are rather high, but fortunately, Dad's pension and her pension and Social Security cover most of it, but not all. There is a need to dip into her savings for the balance. Also, we received a letter last week from Dad's pension fund saying that the pension will be reduced 10% in 2010, then another 10% in 2011 to help make up some of the deficit which has occurred over the past year due to the volatile financial markets (Dad's pension is the largest chunk of income she receives each month). Also, the facility told us to expect a 3-7% annual increase. So her savings will dissipate faster come January.

As Mom & Dad appointed me the successor Trustee of their Estate, I am responsible for ensuring that the remaining funds are spent appropriately for the surviving spouse and according to their will. I have already told Mom that she needs to save her money for herself and can no longer send contributions to all the charities who send mail here. As there have been no disbursements from the Estate to Pam or myself, you need to understand that there may not be regular monthly payments to you going forward.

We are continuing to have Mom's mail come to our house, so I can pay the bills and then bring all non-junk mail to her and help her read it. Of course, we will do this for your letters. In the end, it's up to Mom if she wishes to send you any money in cases like this, I will so as she instructs. In my role as successor Trustee, I will make note of any of these disbursements, so that if in the end there are any funds remaining in the estate upon Mom's passing, this amount will be subtracted from any settlement of the estate.

Best regards,
Bill