Recent Blog Posts
A Cautionary Tale About Professional Guardians and Do Not Resuscitate Orders
Doctors and hospital staff are required to make every effort to save the life of patients brought to them for treatment, no matter how hopeless the person’s situation may seem. Any person who survived a near-death experience after receiving CPR and lived to tell about it will tell you that it was worth all… Read More »
When Irresponsible Spending by an Elderly Person Is a Sign of a More Serious Problem
It is not possible to make blanket statements about the financial habits of elderly people; people’s attitudes toward money are unique, as are the life experiences that have shaped those attitudes. Many people who lived through lean times when they were young end up with a lifelong inclination toward frugality; therefore, if your parents’… Read More »
TOD and POD Provisions Can Help Your Heirs Inherit Assets from You with Less Hassle
In a will, you specify which assets will go to which of your family members or other heirs upon your death, but wouldn’t it be nice if the assets specified this for themselves? In fact, in some instances, they do. Transfer on death (TOD) and payable on death (POD) provisions can often keep assets… Read More »
Home Care Nurse Accused of Financial Abusing Holocaust Survivor
Losing one’s ability to live independently in old age is one of the most distressing events in a person’s life. Many elderly people resist depending on family members who once depended on them, and for some people, moving to an assisted living facility feels like turning their backs on their life’s accomplishments even while… Read More »
Getting Started on Estate Planning: Important Questions to Ask Yourself and Your Attorney
Planning your estate is one of the easiest tasks to avoid, even if you do not normally procrastinate. The reminders that one day, your family members will interact with your estate and not with you personally are often the flipside of joyous occasions, such as the birth of a grandchild, your retirement from a… Read More »
Issues to Watch Out for with Your Power of Attorney
Powers of attorney can be valuable documents in a person’s estate plan, but without proper guidance from an experienced estate planning attorney, the document may not work as intended or needed, or fail completely because it is not valid. Powers of attorney are intended to assign power to perform certain acts to third parties… Read More »
Considerations for Estate Planning between Same-Sex Couples
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2015 granting the right to marriage to same-sex couples, they have enjoyed the same rights and benefits previously extended exclusively to heterosexual couples. However, many couples pre-date this time, and may have executed an estate plan that has not been updated, and thus, does not take this… Read More »
How Transfers to Family Members Can Jeopardize Your Future Medicaid Benefits
It is natural to want to financially help family when a person has the means, especially as one gets older and sees their own children start families. However, a person never knows when a medical event or accident could send them to a nursing home for an extended or permanent stay. Paying for nursing… Read More »
Estate Planning and Family Members with Disabilities
The purpose of estate planning is generally two-fold: one, to bring clarity to the distribution of one’s estate after death, and two, to safeguard the financial security of one’s family for as long as possible. This often entails determining if some family members will need more support due to unique issues, and a family… Read More »
Why Titling Assets Is the Key to Effective Estate Planning
Putting together an effective estate plan takes a considerable amount of time and effort, but the mistake many people make after taking this step is not understanding how to keep this structure relevant and effective as circumstances change over time. Without this oversight, the intent and purpose of an estate plan can be rendered… Read More »
