Coin Collections: How Do They Figure in Australia’s Divorce Court?
In Perth, WA, the Burra-Robinson Family Lawyers (https://www.brfamilylaw.com.au/) are reputed for having reliable expertise in giving valuable guidance on divorce matters. In Western Australia (WA), it’s important that separating couples have competent representation and comprehensive support in a divorce court; The country’s family laws want lawyers to avoid costly and unreasonably prolonged divorce proceedings.
As an example, the division of coin collections could take long to settle if there is no Binding Financial Agreement (BFA) in place; or if there’ is ambiguity and lack of comprehensibility on the division of the collection. Generally, judges in other countries simplify matters by ruling a 50-50 division between the separating spouses.
Not unless there is a prenuptial agreement or BFA. Yet in Australia, if multiple coin collections were built during marriage using the commingled funds of the couple, the valuation and division of every coin collection must be clearly established. This is because the provisions of Australia’s Family Law Act 1975 and 1997 aim to ensure clarity of asset protection and division. That is regardless of whether the separating couple is legally married or is in a de facto relationship.
Growing one’s collection of coins and levelling up to collecting as a form of investment during marriage makes the assembly of various coins a part of the marriage assets. Also, the coin acquisitions during marriage, to build new types of collection, gives the collector’s spouse the right to claim equitable share over the entire value of the coins.
Understanding the Essence of Coin Collection
Coin collecting as a hobby involves building an assembly of various coins based on specific themes. Examples of themes may include:
- Different years minted by the US Treasury;
- Type of metal used in minting the coin (silver,gold or platinum);
- Coins circulating in different countries in which the collector travelled during his or her lifetime.
Yet collecting coins as a hobby can level up as a type of investment to diversify one’s portfolio, such as building a collection of rare coins. Some examples are Roman Coins, which can be further subclassified as silver or gold coins minted during the rule of the 12 Caesars, from Julius Caesar to Domitian. Other examples are assemblages of silver, gold and platinum US Eagle coins.
Investing in rare coins is regarded as a sound venture because unlike crypto currencies, special and rare coins are tangible assets with price indices that remain stable for a long time. Moreover, they have great potentials to appreciate in values. Serious investors regard them as sound investments because the stability of their price is a good constraint against the effects of inflation.
How to Have Proper Insurance Coverage for a Coin Collection
Not a few have become interested in coin collecting as a hobby, especially if in being a numismatist, they manage to find a coin that’s worth a million dollars. However, when it comes to obtaining insurance for a coin collection, the matter requires extensive discussions.
Why Old Coins are Valuable?
Actually, numismatics refers not only to the practice of collecting old or unique coins, like the commemorative money or coins of which only a few were minted and released for circulation. Numismatics in a broader sense is about the study of money and their occurrence in older societies as medium of payment, to either purchase a piece of good or chattel, or to settle a debt. Often called “Odd and Curios” not all goods or objects used as the principal medium of payment in the olden days, are subjects of numismatic study.
An example provided by one numismatics resource is that of the barter trade among Kyrgyz people, a Turkic ethnic group primarily of Kyrgyzstan. When a horse was used as primary medium in a barter exchange, but to which a change or excess value will be given to the person who paid with a horse, such change will have an equivalent value in lambskin. Numismatists engage in the study of the lambskin as a form of money and not the horse even if it’s the principal medium of a barter trade.
Now here’s the thing, some numismatists also engage in determining the value of a coin. However, like any other commodity, the supply and demand for collectible coin items can drive the value by which a collectible coin is quoted in the market. That is why a very rare coin, if it is the only one in existence across all countries, can command as much as $1 million.
The Matter of Getting Insurance for a Coin Collection
Inasmuch as a rare coin forming part of a coin collection has potential of becoming very valuable, it would be wise to obtain insurance coverage for the entire lot. However, the cost of insuring a coin collection that is kept in the collector’s place of residence would be higher than it would, if the coin collection is safekept in a safety deposit box of a bank.
Moreover, a homeowner’s insurance or a condominium unit insurance might not give the proper estimate in covering the value of the coin collection. There have been cases in which a coin collection was among the items carted away by thieves, which upon resolution of insurance claims, turned out to have been valued in the policy at only $200.
In researching how to obtain the best insurance coverage for my own coin collection because I live in a condominium unit, I asked assistance from one of the providers of condo insurance near me. That’s where I learned that the Condominium Association policy does not cover the contents inside my unit but only the common areas shared by all condo owners of the building.
Even more important is that I learned that in order to get the right insurance coverage for my coin collection, my condo insurance policy must include a “rider” that contains a listing of all items included in my coin collection, including their current market values. That “rider” which is also called an endorsement, will extend the coverage limit for my coin collection. Still, this is a matter that must be thoroughly discussed with your insurance provider because adding a rider to your policy, will increase the cost of your monthly insurance premium.
Optimizing the Benefits of HUD Grants to Cover Repairs of Rental Housing Units
If you are a rental property owner but have trouble raising money needed to repair or improve the conditions of your rental units, it will interest you to know that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been offering grants for that purpose.
The HUD financial grants though depend on the location and type of property applied for, as well as comes with certain conditions. Nonetheless, the federal assistance could be the answer to your prayers. If you will optimize the benefits of such grants you can make additional revenue that will allow you to revitalize your other rental housing units; making them more attractive to tenants.
The Multi-Family Housing Revitalization Grants
The main objective for this type of grant is to provide affordable housing to low-income families. Approved grants under this program are to be used in improving and/or repairing housing units for rent in rural areas.
However, the federal government requires rental property owners to enter into a “20-year Restrictive Use Covenant,” which makes it mandatory for them to lease the repaired or revitalized housing facility to low-income residents only. This denotes that the covenant includes a condition that the rental fees must not exceed the amount determined by the HUD as reasonable for low income earners in the related region.
Main Street Housing Grants
Owners of properties located in the historical downtown districts, known as “Main Street” of a community, can apply for a grant for the purpose of renovating a rundown commercial building. However, aside from agreeing to the condition that the traditional historical characteristics of the edifice are preserved, the renovation must be for the purpose of converting them into affordable housing units.
Not all communities with historical downtown areas though, are qualified to offer the “Main Street ” grant. Only townships with 50,000 residents and with less than 100 public housing are eligible to offer this HUD grant.
Housing Preservation Grants
This HUD financial assistance is available to owners of housing units leased to low income families; but only if the property/ies are located in communities where there are less than 20,000 residents. Nonetheless, Housing Preservation Grants also allow landlords to use the funds in making repairs for their own homes. The HUD requires grant recipients to use the funds for repairs and revitalization of the low-income housing units within 24 months, counting from the date of approval.
Hiring Property Managers to Optimize the Benefits of the Housing Grants
Landlords should optimize the benefit of receiving financial assistance that addresses the need to revitalize rental housing units that have not attracted tenants due to their rundown state. Even if the HUD requires landlords to lease the improved units to low income families, the department does not forbid them from screening applicants before accepting them as tenants.
However, there are federal government laws that stipulate the legal reasons for rejecting an applicant. That is why landlords who are not familiar with such laws find it necessary to engage the services of property managers. That way, they are assured that they will only be taking in quality tenants, whilst rejecting only those that fall under the categories deemed as legal reasons for rejection.
In Atlanta, the services for property management peachtree city ga professionals offer, include assistance in legal documentation, tenant screening, background checking, rental collection, addressing repair and maintenance issues, as well as handling tenant complaints, and when necessary, pursuing evictions.