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Pet Trust: How To Provide For Your Pets in Your Estate Plan
The Evils of Jointly-Held Property
HIPAA: What Is It, and Why Does It Matter to You?
Medicaid Estate Recovery
How and Why to Direct Disposition of Your Last Remains
Advance Medical Directives, Living Will, Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy
Doesn’t My Spouse Automatically Get Everything if I Die Without a Will?
Powers of attorney are the primary means of planning for incapacity
Important Points about Guardianship
An Ineffective Power of Attorney
Planned Benefits for Veterans
A Record-Breaking Wealth Transfer in the History of the United States
How To Minimize Heir Conflict In Your Estate Plan
Comparing ABLE Accounts to Special Needs Trusts
If you are caring for a loved one with special needs, you have probably heard about a new way to set aside money for his or her future without losing access to federal benefits by using an ABLE Account. ABLE is short for Achieving a Better Life Experience, and the long-anticipated ABLE Accounts are the result of the ABLE Act which was passed by Congress in 2014.
Estate Planning, Part 1: The Basics
With the next three blogs, we will review the basics of Estate Planning.
We understand that many people look at their checking and savings accounts and decide they really don’t have an estate, but those people are wrong. Your estate is more than just money in the bank. It includes your home, your business, retirement and investment accounts, life insurance policies and your personal belongings – it all adds up!
ESTATE PLANNING, Part 2: Transfer of Wealth
This is part 2 of a three-part series of blogs on the basics of Estate Planning. Broadly speaking, the goal of an estate plan is to give you peace of mind and to preserve family harmony after you die. We can help in three ways:
ESTATE PLANNING, Part 3: Protection
This is part 3 of a three-part series of blogs on the basics of Estate Planning. Broadly speaking, the goal of the estate plan is to give you peace of mind and to preserve family harmony after you die. We can help in three ways:
How To Be a Wise and Generous Grandparent
We consult with many couples who, through hard work and careful spending, have estates which allow them to help their children and grandchildren by giving them gifts of money now and by making generous provisions in their estate plans. In most cases, these couples want to be ‘fair’ to their family members but they also acknowledge that the needs of their children and grandchildren vary. Some need money now to pay for summer camp for their children, a down-payment on a house, college tuition, a new car or a wedding. Some are doing great and don’t need help from grandma and grandpa right now.
Medicaid Debates are Important to All Seniors
I expect that you have an opinion about the health-care debates going on in Washington – even if your opinion is that you don’t care anymore!
But, one aspect of the debate that you may want to pay more attention to, is the fate and funding of Medicaid. Why? Because you or a loved one may – I dare say are likely – to need Medicaid yourself someday.