| Creative ways to split inheritance can reduce friction
The event wasn't set up by an auction house or to benefit a charity. Instead, he was bidding against his two siblings in a private, Web-based auction that they held to divvy up their late father's personal property. Distributing a family's tangible belongings — often mundane knickknacks with far more sentimental value than monetary worth — has long had the potential to ignite family feuds. Divorce and second marriages can add to the tension, as children and stepfamilies vie for valued objects. Now, families and estate planners increasingly are turning to a number of novel strategies, including family auctions and a round-robin selection strategy, to divide tangible property without splitting families apart. Recent online tools also can help family members divide up a parent's belongings.
Techniques for Selling Antiques and Collectibles
Is your house getting smaller? Of course not. But your living space may be shrinking, thanks to the ever-increasing numbers of objects you're dragging into it. If that's the case, you aren't alone. More and more Americans are insulating their homes with antiques and collectibles. In some cases, people are living under "a virtual avalanche of clutter," as the Associated Press put it in a 2005 report. Maybe it's time to start selling off some of the unwanted or unnecessary possessions that are crowding you. Heck, even if your living space is organized enough to make Felix Unger proud, you may be itching for a little more elbow room. Internet auctions, of course, have made the task of selling our "stuff" far simpler than in the prehistoric days of the 1980s and earlier.
Private schools are sold on online auctions
If asked, and she usually is, Donna Bates will buy the $9 roll of wrapping paper to support her niece's school.
She'd also drop $850 on four Red Sox tickets for the same worthy cause.
From a professional fundraiser's perspective, that's a home run.
This spring, Stoneridge Montessori School in Beverly is tapping out-of-state relatives like Bates by putting its annual auction items online. Instead of one night a year, the auction now lasts two weeks and is open to anyone with a credit card and a computer.
"In the past, I've always been called upon to baby-sit so mommy and daddy can attend the auction," said Bates, of Stratham, N.H. "I wouldn't have the ability to even bid on them, and that is the wonderful thing."
Stoneridge isn't the only North Shore private school using online auctions to capitalize on far-flung alumni, relatives and family friends.
JRI ups bid for Agricore United to $1.8 billion
James Richardson International has stepped into the lead in the bidding war for Agricore United. JRI announced a $1.8-billion takeover offer yesterday to top Saskatchewan Wheat Pool's latest proposal. Agricore said the deal offers a more certain return for shareholders of $19.25 cash for each limited voting share. Producers say the proposal will offer mixed results. "The bad news is farmers are losing competition when it comes to selling our grain," said Chuck Fossay, who produces grain near Starbuck. It's also unclear how a previous goal to save $62 million a year would affect the combined staff of 3,800. .
|
