Advance Health-Care Directives for Important Decisions
Imagining how we may perish is probably one of the hardest things we will ever have to think about. Yet, if we want our dying to be meaningful and merciful, it is imperative that we think about it while we still can. Most of us want to die at home,
The Benefits of Having an Elder Law Attorney
As retired Americans grow older, their dependency on the family to handle financial and health matters increase. They often believe that their family members will be able to take care of any issues that arise. While consulting with loved ones about plans and wishes can be beneficial, relying solely on
A Will Does More Than You Think
It is an unfortunately common and scary truth that most people have not composed their Last Will and Testament. Care.com’s annual estate planning survey for 2019 found that 57% of U.S. adults do not have a will. The survey found that participants were more likely or less likely to have
Estate Planning Checkup Article
You should check your estate planning documents every so often, to make sure they’re still good, especially with big life changes like births, marriages, divorces, and moving to another state. Children grow up, marriages dissolve, property gets sold, residences change. That’s why we recommend that you consult us for an
How COVID-19 Has Influenced Seniors to Change Their Living Wills
Kaiser Health News is reporting the coronavirus pandemic is prompting seniors to create or modify their living wills. Specifically, intubation is the topic that has many seniors crafting or rethinking their strategies amidst a wealth of disparate COVID-19 information that makes forming reliable conclusions for decision making, dubious at best. Ventilators
The Newly-Appointed Property Guardian Checklist
Your grandfather Martin can no longer make decisions on his own. A court appoints you to be Martin’s guardian of property, to help Martin manage his money. You become Martin’s “fiduciary.” The law now requires you to act to a high standard of good faith and honesty. There’s a lot of
How to Manage a Loved One’s Benefits
You have been appointed to help your seven-year-old nephew Roberto manage his Social Security benefits. In the Social Security system, you’ll be called Roberto’s “representative payee.” The situation is similar if you’re appointed to help your elderly father, who has dementia, manage his Veteran’s benefit checks. In the Veterans Administration system,
Retirement Planning for Business Owners
For many employees, saving for retirement is usually a matter of simply participating in their employer’s 401(k) plan and perhaps opening an IRA for some extra savings. But, when you’re the owner of a business, planning for retirement requires proactivity and strategy. It’s not just the dizzying array of choices for
Wills, Trusts & Dying Intestate: How They Differ
Most people understand that having some sort of an estate plan is, as Martha Stewart would say, a “good thing.” However, many of us don’t take the steps to get that estate plan in place because we don’t understand the nuances between wills and trusts – and dying without either. Here’s
What if Treating Your Children Fairly Means Unequal Inheritances?
When planning their estate, most parents express the desire to treat their children equally out of a sense of fairness. However, sometimes being fair or doing what’s right by your children may not mean equal or the same inheritances. The Key Takeaways Treating children fairly does not always mean equal inheritances.