Many people ask me whether a Will is the proper way to pass on their assets to others when they die. The answer depends of the individual circumstances of each person. This blog entry provides some basic information about estate planning using a Will. Future posts will discuss Revocable Trusts, Medicaid Trusts and other important… Read More »
I regularly sit with clients helping them prepare their Long Term Care tool boxes. One very important Tool is the Health Care Proxy, a document that designates who has authority to make medical choices for them when they are unable to make those choices themselves. During these discussions my clients tell me that they want… Read More »
Parents with special needs children have a set of added concerns when planning for their retirement. In addition to planning where they will live and how much income they will have, they also need to plan where there special needs child will live when the parent retires or after the parent passes away. Parents need… Read More »
The New York Times has reported that New York nursing homes are now bringing guardianship proceedings in order to collect on the bills owed to them. In order to protect yourself from such abuse, it is vital that you have a valid Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy in place and that you review… Read More »
The children of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. are involved in litigation in Atlanta over control of his bible and his Nobel Prize medal. One group wants them to be sold. Another group wants them donated to Morehouse College. It is sad that this dispute is taking place, especially since their mother, who controlled these… Read More »
Last week a client came in and asked me to review her “Estate Planning Portfolio” which had been drafted by another attorney a few years ago. The client was proud that she had a Revocable Living Trust in her portfolio because a similar trust had made the transfer of her deceased sister’s assets fairly simple… Read More »
If you expect to age in place in your own home, you need to plan how that will be accomplished. Baby Boomers are now caring for their parents. Because there are so many Baby Boomers there is a large pool of people who can be caregivers. The following generations are smaller, however, providing a reduced… Read More »
If you die in New York without a will or a trust to distribute your assets, the State will step forward with its own plan for intestate distribution. For instance, if at the time of your death you were married with children, your spouse will get the first $50,000 of your estate and the remainder… Read More »
“A massive wave of 77 million baby boomers is now entering retirement. Advancements in medical technology have increased the life expectancy of these Americans. Faced with a huge population that is living longer, America will experience a sizable future need for long-term care services and potentially exploding public and private costs”, The Long-Term Care Financing… Read More »
There are some conversations where the anticipated tensions so high that we repeatedly procrastinate in getting them started. As a result conversations never occur. Unfortunately, the failure to get the conversation started can have a very high price if a family health crisis or death occurs first. Speaking to our parents about their homes and… Read More »