July 2, 2018
State funded Medicaid is available for payment of long term skilled nursing care costs when a person’s available resources are depleted to establish retention limits ($8,000 for most people, and $2,400 when one has a high level of income). However, prior to reaching these resource retention limits, what can you (or your legal agent) spend […]
June 20, 2018
Long planned getaway; Romantic vacation earned. The airplane goes down. You and your spouse die. Your children have no parents. It is quite tragic. Who will raise your kids? Your wishes cannot be known. Families will fight. Children inherit. Young adults make poor choices. Fast cars, lots of beer. You needed a will. A guardian […]
March 19, 2018
Estate planning in the 21st century has seen a shift from the traditional family to blended families. Estate planning for blended families requires more than simple “sweetheart wills” distributing assets upon one’s passing “to my spouse and then to our kids equally”. With the diverse make-up of today’s family, one of the top issues clients […]
March 12, 2018
Navigating Medicare Health Insurance can sometimes be a bit confusing. What do the letters mean and who is entitled to Medicare health insurance? The Medicare Parts A, B, C and D stand for different kinds of healthcare insurance coverage. A person desiring Medicare health insurance coverage has the option of enrolling in the original Medicare […]
February 5, 2018
As a parent, you may often find yourself worrying about unexpected and unfortunate events. You think about horrible questions like “What will happen to my children if I suddenly die?” Some of these worries include how your children will be properly provided for or who will take care of your children if you suddenly become […]
November 28, 2017
“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except Death and Taxes” – Benjamin Franklin The modern Federal Estate Tax has been in existence since 1916 and is a source of much political debate. Congress amended the tax law in 2013 to establish a permanent exemption for each person of $5 Million of […]
February 1, 2017
What is a Medical Power of Attorney? In a Medical Power of Attorney, you appoint someone you trust to be your healthcare agent to make any necessary healthcare decisions for you should you not be able to make those decisions. What exactly does my healthcare agent do? Your healthcare agent should be aware of and […]
December 29, 2016
In a document called a Durable General Power of Attorney (“Power of Attorney”), an individual (the “Principal”) designates a person (the “Agent”) to act on the Principal’s behalf and to manage the Principal’s financial matters in accordance with the provisions of the Power of Attorney. This Agent’s authority is immediately effective unless there are provisions […]
December 22, 2016
President-elect Donald J. Trump is scheduled to take office on January 20, 2017. One Trump campaign proposal has been to eliminate the current estate and gift tax system and to replace it with a to-be-determined capital gains tax arrangement. At this time, nobody knows exactly what will happen to the current tax system. We frequently […]
December 7, 2016
Although the presidential election may have left you feeling uncertain about the future of the country, it is important to periodically assess your own state of affairs to reduce the uncertainties your own family may one day face. Taking steps to organize information now can help reduce the confusion for your family during a time […]