Unusual state Memorials and Monuments

To honour great presidents, the United States has many impressive national memorials and monuments. For every such famous memorial, there are possibly 100 others in the US honouring bizarre incidents and obscure individuals. Their size and/or design relative to their surroundings or legacy make them stand out. Here are 6 unusual monuments and memorials in the United States.

The Gateway Arch

Standing 630 feet tall, the Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the US and was completed in 1967 to commemorate America’s expansion to the west. Situated in St Louis, it is strikingly different, both in size and design from other monuments, but it is also world famous, and has become such an accepted part of the American landscape that it no longer seems that unusual.

Jefferson Davis Monument

Built between 1917 and 1924 for an estimated $200,000 the Jefferson Davis monument is located in Fairview, Kentucky. The South boasts numerous memorials and monuments to former Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis yet none quite match up to the surreal qualities of this monument. Patterned after the Washington Monument, the memorial towers at 351 feet above the rural countryside, and if you get to the top you can see a view of miles and miles of rural countryside.

Carhenge

It is hard to classify Carhenge as it is so bizarre; however the most suiting is to call it a monument. As you can guess by the name, it is patterned after Stonehenge, a pre-historic monument in England. However, instead of using stones, Carhenge consists of 38 stacked cars covered in grey spray paint. Since construction on the monument began in 1987, Carhenge has drawn tens of thousands of visitors and has been featured in movies and other popular culture, despite its somewhat remote location in Alliance, Nebraska.

San Jacinto Monument 

This monument was built in the 1930’s and stands at a height of 567 feet, making it the tallest monumental column in the world. The monument in La Porte, Texas, near Houston, is a popular tourist attraction as part of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, where the decisive battle in Texas’ war of independence from Mexico took place.

U.S.S South Dakota

The coasts and harbours of America feature a number of old aircraft carriers, battleships and submarines that now serve as floating memorials to their military veterans. Although Sioux Falls in South Dakota is more than 1,200 miles away from the nearest ocean port, they still have a memorial which served great distinction in the Pacific in World War II. City leaders commissioned a memorial to the ship at a city park. A concrete outline for the ship was made and a propeller, anchor and ships bell were sent by the Navy to create a truly surreal memorial.

Keeper of the Plains

This monument was unveiled in 1974 in Wichita, Kansas to help celebrate the United States bicentennial and to honour Native Americans. The Keeper of the Plains is a leading tourist attraction and popular gathering spot for locals; however it is widely unknown outside of the city. Standing at 44 feet high, a top a 30-foot rock pedestal it is worth a visit during the day, but it is particularly awe-inspiring every night just after sunset, when torches around its base are lit for 15 minutes. 

Strange and Bizarre Gravestones

                We all know about the traditional style gravestones that many of us choose for our loved ones. However, some people have opted for a more unusual style gravestone for their dearly departed; we have compiled a list of the top 5 most bizarre and unusual.

The Mercedes Grave

Owning a 1982 Mercedes Benz 240 Diesel Limousine was always a dream in life for one young boy in New Jersey, who sadly had his life cut short at the age of 15. His wealthy bug brother commissioned a 26-ton granite full size sculpture for his memorial, which is a very touching and unique way to remember the boy.

The Davis Memorial

This monument is for a lady in Kansas and was built by her grief stricken widower in 1930. After she dies he spent every penny he had on her memorial, erecting life like statues and having overstuffed chairs flown in from Italy. The memorial that he created has now brought a lot of money in for the city, as he unknowingly built a tourist attraction.

Cemetery Home

In Brooklyn, one man created a home around the casket of his wife. He added an empty casket for himself in the future, so he would be able to lie next to his wife. He also added furniture, a wood stove, paintings and decoration. Upon the passing of the man, 7,000 people stopped by to view the remarkable gravestone.

The Wheelchair Monument

This unique and touching monument shows a young boy jumping upward and out of his wheelchair. As he was confined to the chair for most of his young life, the monument now represents that he is free from earthly burdens.

An Actors Grave

There is a very unique gravestone of a musician and actor who died in 1990 and was buried in the Pere Lachaise, in Paris, France. He wished to gaze                                               at the face of his wife for eternity.

There are many more unusual and unique ways you can create a gravestone for your loved ones, which provide a more personal touch for your loved ones and may even become a tourist attraction. 

A cremation Urn doesn’t have to be plainly designed and ordinary...

As the name suggests, a cremation urn is a container that is meant to hold the cremated remains of the deceased. There are many different standard forms of urn, such as ceramic, granite, glass or biodegradable. However, with custom companies creating unique urns, it is becoming more common to add a personal touch to this keepsake item.

These urns are hardly anything close to the traditional urns that people usually purchase. Here is a list of some of the most unusual but individual urns, which could even possibly help you if you are looking for a bold, out of the box idea for memorialising your loved ones.

• A Ghost Urn.

A ghost shaped Urn can be a nice eternal resting place for those who had a sense of humour. They are time capsule inspired and have a modular design. They look good as white porcelain, but can also be made out of silver, gold and bronze.

• Martini Glass Urn

A martini glass is just one example of urns shaped into beverages, from a beer to a martini  glass, some of which, titled ‘companion glasses’ are big enough to store the remains of a loving couple. They tend to be made from glass or maple and are painted in the style of the drink.

• Huggabe Urns

Cremation urns generally create a feeling of uneasiness, especially with younger children. Turning these into huggable shapes, a teddy for example, can be much more accepting. The bears and teddies can also be personalised with accessories belonging to your loved ones such as a blanket or an item of clothing.

Star Trek Cremation Urn

An incredible way to memorialise a true Star Trek fan, would be to use a 23^rd Century stainless steel and wood design which features the Trademark Starfleet Delta Insignia detail, and shall serve as a family heirloom for generations.

• An Hourglass Keepsake Urn

An interesting twist on a standard urn would be an Hourglass Keepsake Urn. With this, you would fill it with cremated ashes as opposed to sand, creating a lovely symbol of the passage of time in every person’s life. If you and a loved one would like to share an hourglass, your ashes can be mixed into a single urn.

• Severed Head Urn.

Possibly the most bizarre Urn would be that of a severed head. The head can either be a likeness of the person deceased, a favourite star or anyone else for that matter. The head is created using an image of the desired person along with 3D imaging techniques. The head is then mounted onto a marble base. With this you can either have a full size Urn for storing the remains of an adult or a keepsake Urn, which tends to be smaller.

5 Ways to Reduce Inheritance Tax

A recent study has found that the UK and Ireland have the highest inheritance tax rates in the developed world.

In the UK if you're estate exceeds the threshold £325,000 then 40% inheritance tax will be charged on anything above that value. Meaning an £1.8m estate would see 32.9% taken away for tax, compared to the European average of 14% this is considerably higher.

Rising house prices mean more and more people will be liable to pay inheritance tax over the coming years.

However there are some ways to significantly reduce the level of inheritance tax your estate is liable for.


1. A gift to your partner
As long as you are both permanent UK residents, then you can make tax-free gifts to your spouse or civil partner. When you pass away anything you give to them will not be counted as part of your estate.


2. Give to family and friends
If you give something to a friend or family member, the value of the gift will only be liable for inheritance tax for seven years. For example, if you give a family member a sum of money and live for another seven years then inheritance tax will not have to be paid on the value of the gift.


3. Invest in a trust
If you invest cash or property into a trust which neither you, your spouse or children under 18 benefit from then they are no considered to be part of your estate therefore no longer liable for inheritance tax. For example, you set up a trust to pay for your grandchild's education the value will not be eligible for inheritance tax.


4. Give something to charity
Inheritance tax will not be charged on anything you leave to charity, so you can reduce your inheritance tax bill and donate to a good cause at the same time. Also if at least 10% of your estate is left to charity, only 36% of your estate over £325,000 is liable for inheritance tax rather than 40%.


5. Life insurance
Although taking out life insurance will not reduce the amount of inheritance tax your estate is liable for, the payout may make paying the bill much more manageable for your family members. For example, having this extra cash available when you pass away could save your family from being forced to sell the family home to afford the tax on your estate.



Many of these ways to cut inheritance tax can not be achieved without a Will. Therefore it is important that you have one in place to ensure you can provide as much as possible for your friends and family should you pass away. If you have not made a Will, ConsumerCare can help you by providing a professional Will at a fraction of the price that the average solicitor would charge.

Unusual gifts and requests in Wills Part 1

Our Last Will and Testament is usually a document which we use to distribute our possessions to loved ones and ensure that our families are taken care of when we pass away. However,  listed below are a few people who have used their Will to make more unusual requests:

Harry Houdini

Born in 1874, Harry Houdini is still considered to be one of the greatest escape artists of all time. After his death in 1926, his possessions were distributed between his family and friends according to his Will.
His vast libraries of books on magic were offered to the American Society for Physical Research on the condition that J. Malcolm Bird, the research officer of the facility would resign. This wish was not fulfilled, and therefore the books were instead gifted to the Library of Congress.

His most unusual gift was ‘ten words chosen at random’ which he would use as a secret code from the dead...to contact his wife. For ten years after his death, his wife continued to hold annual séances on Halloween, however to no avail.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie, one of the most famous pioneers of radioactivity, died from her work in 1934.  At her point of death, her only asset of value was a gram of pure radium gifted to her previously, which she decided to give to her daughter. Her Will stated, "The value of the element being too great to transfer to a personal heritage, I desire to will the gram of radium to the University of Paris on the condition that my daughter, Irene Curie, shall have entire liberty to use this gram . . . according to the conditions under which her scientific researches shall be pursued."

John Bowman

John Bowman had a strong belief that after his death, he along with his dead wife and two daughters would be reincarnated together. When he died in 1891, a $50,000 trust fund was set up for the maintenance of his mansion in Vermont.  The maintenance also required the servants to prepare a meal every evening, in case the reincarnated family were hungry when they returned from the dead. This tradition was carried out until 1950, when the money ran out.

What is the cost of dying in the UK?

What is the cost of dying in the UK?

Only one thing can be guaranteed in life... death. But what is the cost of dying in the UK? This article explains the cost of dying in the UK and how you can help reduce the burden on loved ones by preparing for the inevitable.

According to recent research, funeral costs in the UK are continuing to rise at a higher rate than inflation. The study by AXA shows that the average UK funeral now costs £3,284 - an average annual increase of 7% every year since 2004.

Whilst people are continuing to live longer, many are failing to make the necessary provisions to prepare for when they die. Many families have found that the flagging economy has forced them to tighten their monthly expenditure over the last few years, especially as higher inflation rates have squeezed budgets even further by increasing the cost of household items.  

This was echoed in the AXA study, as they found that 17% of the population currently struggles to afford a funeral, with an average shortfall of £1,246 on the cost of their funeral - further illustrating how important it is to plan forward and take control of your affairs even after death.

There are many different ways you can make provision for a funeral, the most popular being: personal savings, over 50’s plan, life insurance or a pre-paid funeral plan from a funeral provider.

Another way to prepare for the inevitable is writing a Will. A Will is sometimes perceived as something that the rich have to avoid overpaying on their Inheritance Tax, however, that is only a small part of why you should make a Will. A Will is initially put in place to ensure that your Estate is distributed to those who you wish, as well as ensuring that anyone under 18 you are responsible for have the security of a legal guardian should the worst happen.

Although it isn’t something you may want to think about, planning for the future is one of the most important things you can do and can be the best gift you could make to loved ones. Alongside being able to reduce Inheritance Tax (so your loved ones do not have to pay thousands in unexpected tax bills), you can also ensure that those you care about receive something. There are currently no provisions for friends, unmarried partners, associations (church, charities etc) and pets if you were to die without a Will.

By making a Will you can also appoint legal guardians for your children, so you choose who will look after them if you were to die before they turned 18. Without a Will, the law decides who benefits from your estate and who would be legally responsible for your children – which may not be who you would ideally choose.

Planning for the future is relatively straight-forward and once your arrangements are complete they only need to be reviewed every few years to make sure that they accommodate for any changes to your circumstances.

The most common New Year's Resolutions in the UK

The first of January is generally the day when we decide to make a change for the better by making a New Years' resolution, such as stoping smoking, losing weight or sorting out finances, but what are the most common New Years' resolutions in the UK?

According to latest studies the most common New Years' resolutions in the UK are predominantly centred around fitness and finances. The study, published on the Daily Mail website, found that 95 per cent of Brits will try to keep some sort of resolution in the New Year.

For most people the New Year is about getting fit and slimming down. Losing weight, getting fit and eating more healthily are the top three most common New Years' resolutions respectively. That may also explain why there are so many adverts for healthy eating plans and diets at the beginning of the year, as people start their fitness kick. It's also why there's more of a queue at the gym for the treadmill, with many people joining the gym in January hoping to trim the excess weight that they may have put on over the festive period.

After that, our attentions turn to issues of a financial matter by way of sorting out finances and saving money/spending less. Intentions to bolster our savings accounts and tackle debts are often dealt a nasty blow when credit card statements, store cards and bank statements are received, and we finally realise just how much we have spent over Christmas and New Year.

Another popular way to sort finances for the longer-term is to make a Will. This remains the only way to ensure that any assets, property, savings or special items are received by loved ones after you pass away Making a Will also ensures that you appoint guardians for your children, so you get to decide who looks after your children. Without a Will the law decides who receives your estate and who looks after your children - which may not be exactly as you would wish.

Once health and wealth have been addressed, the next most popular New Year’s resolution in the UK is getting a new job. Whilst this may help with your health and wealth, in most cases it is to do with overall happiness why people want to change.

Others to make the top ten most common New Year’s resolutions include spending more time with friends and loved ones, along with visiting a new country, getting out of a rut and reading more. The ten most common New Year’s resolutions are:

1.    Lose weight

2.    Get fit

3.    Eat more healthily

4.    Save money/spend less

5.    Get a new job

6.    Spend more time with people who matter

7.    Try new experiences

8.    Get out of a rut

9.    Visit a country you’ve never been to

10.    Read more