Using Local Insight And Legal Know-How
To Protect Your Interests
Intestate, Intestacy, and dying without any estate planning. Aretha Franklin did not have a will??? Several news organizations are reporting that the very private Aretha Franklin failed to put a trust in place to protect her privacy after death, but also failed to put...
Medicaid Myth House Medicaid myth house There is a lot of misinformation about what it means to qualify for Medicaid for skilled-nursing care. One of the myths is that the government will take your house. Like most myths, there is a small bit of truth inside. Let’s...
Elder law is a broad term that includes helping people to plan for long-term care, Medicaid, and Medicare. It also includes helping plan for and use health and long-term care insurance. It also assists in playing for health care decisions and encompasses the drafting...
estate plan When many people think about estate plans, they ask themselves, do I need one? Are they only for the old or the rich? However, it is important for you to know that everyone needs an estate plan. Estate plans are written into the law, and under this state...
I am often asked, how often do I need to update my estate plan? This may seem like a simple question, but the answer is actually pretty complex. The reason is that no two people are exactly alike, and there are many reasons why an estate plan needs updating. Why do...
An Overlooked Epidemic: Older Americans Taking Too Many Unneeded Drugs Sandra G. Boodman Consider it America’s other prescription drug epidemic. For decades, experts have warned that older Americans are taking too many unnecessary drugs, often prescribed by multiple...
Funding your trust or estate plan can easily be forgotten. In fact, it often is, but what about when the funding causes other problems? Funding is the process where you implement your estate. You transfer assets into a trust or business entity. Or it could be the...
You may be afraid of losing your home if you have to enter a nursing home and apply for Medicaid. While this fear is well-founded, transferring the home to your children is usually not the best way to protect it. Although you generally do not have to sell your home in...
Standalone Retirement Trust. Retirement accounts like IRAs and 401ks are protected from your creditors during your life. However, when you pass the account to your children and grandchildren the protection disappears. Until recently, people didn’t use trusts with...
Adding your kid’s names to bank accounts is a pet peeve of mine. A lot of times I get asked – why? My answer is always that it makes a mess of something that doesn’t need to be a mess. A financial power of attorney does everything that putting your child’s name on...