Monthly Archives: June 2011
Making the Transition to a Long-Term Care Facility as Smooth as Possible
One question that we often get from our clients is how to know when it’s time to place a parent into an assisted living facility or nursing home. Below are some of the most important steps that you can take to ensure that you know when to help your parent make the permanent move… Read More »
Veteran Journalist Shares Her Personal Experiences Entering the Medicare System
Trudy Lieberman has had plenty of experience with Medicare—of course up until now most of it was from the outside looking in. As a journalist for more than 40 years specializing in insurance, health care, health care financing and long-term care, one would think that when the time came this year for her to… Read More »
New Tax Breaks Could Have Huge Benefits for Grandchildren
Last year was a fairly big year for tax news; with the repeal of the estate tax, the increase in the GST tax exemption, changes to 401(k) and IRA rules, and eventually the agreement on the new estate tax laws, we never wanted for something to write about. But one of the biggest stories… Read More »
What’s the Difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
Because of their similar names, Medicare and Medicaid are often confused with one another. However, the two programs are actually quite different. While both are government-sponsored programs designed to cover health care costs, each program applies to different groups of people and has different eligibility requirements. It is important to be aware of these… Read More »
Make Financial Decisions a Family Activity
When it comes to chores many families are not so different from businesses, with members tending to “specialize” in something they enjoy or are good at. Certain chores will often become the domain of one family member or another, lessening the daily burden all around. This may work well for tasks such as cooking,… Read More »
“Trouble” Helmsley Makes Headlines One Last Time
The recent announcement of the death of “Trouble,” the famous canine heir of Leona Helmsley’s fortune, has made the issue of pet trusts once again headline news—something which is likely to bring positive results to pets all over the country. According to this article in MSN Today, “Pet estate planning has grown since Helmsley’s… Read More »
Estate Planning for Beginners Part 6: Funding
The hard part is done. Your estate plan has been created, all the documents signed and witnessed and notarized. But wait, you’re not quite done yet—especially if your estate plan includes a trust. The task of funding that trust still remains. Without the completion of this crucial step all of your hard work could… Read More »
Why Naming Children As Co-Executors Could Be Harmful
Many of my clients ask if they should name their children as co-executors to their will. Often clients believe that naming just one child as executor will offend their other children or that the oldest child should be named as executor as some sort of honor. However, this is untrue – being an executor… Read More »
Estate Planning for Beginners Part 5: Guardians of Minor Children
Quite often, an individual or couple’s decision to finally create an estate plan is motivated by a strong need to ensure that their minor children will be protected and provided for. This kind of planning for young children often begins with choosing the person or couple who will care for and raise the children… Read More »
Estate Planning for Beginners Part 4: Healthcare Documents
Thus far our “Estate Planning Basics” series has focused primarily on financial documents, but the documents pertaining to your health care are an equally important part of any estate plan. The most important healthcare document in your estate plan will be your healthcare directive. Depending on where you live, this document naming a healthcare… Read More »