Given the high cost of long-term care, it should come as no surprise that many people ask me what I think about long-term care insurance. As I mentioned in a previous article, I am a big fan of long-term care insurance. This despite the fact that such insurance has...
Continue reading…
A Common Misconception about Wills and Probate
Many people believe that having a valid will allows their estate to avoid probate. This is not the case. In fact, the probate process focuses on authenticating a decedent’s will (if there is one) and approving the named “personal representative” so that he or she can settle...
Continue reading…
National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16th. (I Wish it was Every Day!)
National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16. It was created to educate the public about the importance of planning for a medical crisis ahead of time and to encourage adults to put their wishes in writing by creating a health care proxy. I could talk about the importance of this document for hours...
Continue reading…
Lunch & Learn! Elder Law 101: Protecting Your Assets
On Tuesday, March 28, I’ll be making a presentation at The Allerton House at Harbor Park. I’ll be joined by Christine Lappas, Allerton House Sales Director.
Join us for lunch at 11:30 a.m. followed by an informative presentation at 12:00 to learn more about:
Health Care Proxy
Continue reading…
When Choosing a Nursing Home, Look Beyond Its CMS Star Rating
The Five-Star Quality Rating System was created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide a quick summary of a nursing home’s overall level of quality. It is available on the medicare.gov website, and many families use this information when choosing a nursing home. However, the accuracy...
Continue reading…
Why Would Someone Consider Using a Spendthrift Trust?
A spendthrift trust is typically used to prevent a beneficiary from receiving an inheritance all at once. Why would a grantor (the person creating the trust) want to consider such an approach? The most obvious reason is that the grantor believes his or her beneficiary is a “spendthrift” and will quickly squander...
Continue reading…
I Hope You Make this New Year’s Resolution…
Exercise more, eat healthier, save more money… these are among the most popular New Year’s resolutions. All are admirable, but none are easy.Here’s a relatively simple resolution I hope you’ll add to your list: Review your estate plan to make sure it is up to date. Why? An outdated plan may not...
Continue reading…
Five Estate Planning and Elder Law Mistakes that Could Come Back to Haunt You
In honor of Halloween, I’d like to share what I consider to be some of the scariest (and easily avoided) planning mistakes.Thinking you can become eligible for long-term care assistance from MassHealth by simply giving your assets away.This might seem like a great idea, but MassHealth has strict guidelines for gifting, including...
Continue reading…
National Estate Planning Awareness Week Begins on October 17th
National Estate Planning Awareness Week was created to raise public awareness about the importance of proper planning and to dispel common myths. These myths include several that I have addressed in past articles, such as “Trusts are Only for Rich People” and “A Will is...
Continue reading…
Estate Planning Myths and Misconceptions: A Will is All You Need
When I meet with prospective clients, virtually every one of them tells me they need a will. The prevalence of this belief is not surprising when you consider that wills are one of the few estate planning tools most people have heard of. Nevertheless, the need for a will is not universal....
Continue reading…