Many people assume that estate planning starts and stops with the creation of a last will and testament. While wills are essential documents for distributing your wealth and possessions after your death and naming guardians for minor children, successful estate plans...
Estate Planning
Will your family home impact your Medicaid eligibility?
As you get older, the property you own becomes more important. You may have built up years of memories in your family home. You may have raised your children there or spent time reading to your grandchildren. Preparing for Medicaid may leave you with an important...
Estate planning when your elderly father has dementia
It’s not easy if your dad has dementia. Seeing the person you looked up to lose their mental capacities can be hard to take. Estate planning becomes more urgent than ever if your father starts to suffer from dementia. If he does not already have an estate plan in...
Can Medicaid take your house after you die for reimbursement?
Given that Medicaid and Medicare offer similar but not overlapping health care insurance benefits and that they have similar names, many people wind up confused about the differences between these two valuable programs. They are, however, completely different programs...
Should you leave your home to your children?
Many people do not own any assets that are more valuable than their homes. This is true in a financial sense and a sentimental sense. The family home is where you made memories over the years, and that matters to both you and your children. As you do your estate...
New law means estate plans must be reviewed
At the start of 2020, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act went into effect. While there are a lot of different aspects to the SECURE Act, one thing is for certain: Everyone who has an IRA (or similar retirement plan) should probably...
New law means estate plans must be reviewed
At the start of 2020, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act went into effect. While there are a lot of different aspects to the SECURE Act, one thing is for certain: Everyone who has an IRA (or similar retirement plan) should probably...
Will your loved ones get stuck paying estate tax on your legacy?
Estate taxes, also known as death taxes, are some of the most loathed of all financial burdens placed on American citizens. These taxes affect the beneficiaries of an estate or the estate itself and typically must get paid as part of the administration of the estate....
Take the plunge: Get your final affairs in order
You’ve put it off for as long as possible, but it’s time to get your estate planning done. You love your family, so don’t leave them with a mess to sort out after you’re gone. Now that it’s tax time, consider putting some of your return toward your will and other...
Advance directives for hospice care
The final stages of a terminal illness can be an emotionally charged time for patients and their loved ones. Hospice care is a program designed for those who have a terminal illness with six months or less to live. Rather than trying to cure a disease, hospice aims to...