Last Updated: 10/30/2008 How can you ensure that your special needs child will remain well cared for and secure once others assume the role of guardian or caregiver? While creating a financial plan and establishing a specialized trust are central to preparing for your child’s future, special needs planners also advise families to write Read Full Article
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Last Updated: 10/7/2008 The IRS reports that more than 5 million retirees and disabled veterans who are eligible to receive a tax rebate under the $152 billion economic stimulus package have failed to take the steps necessary to get their checks.As we have previously reported, Social Security recipients (including beneficiaries receiving Social Security Disability Read Full Article
Last Updated: 10/31/2008 The recently passed Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (aka “the bailout bill”) temporarily raises the basic limit on federal deposit insurance coverage (FDIC) from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor. The legislation provides that the basic deposit insurance limit will return to $100,000 after December 31, 2009. The rise in insurance Read Full Article
Last Updated: 8/5/2008 As second marriages become more and more common, beneficiary designations become more complicated. If you are remarried, choosing a beneficiary for your life insurance policy may not be simple‚ especially if you have children from a previous marriage. When it comes to life insurance, how do you make sure your spouse Read Full Article
Last Updated: 10/27/2008 Anthony Steuer. Questions and Answers on Life Insurance. iUniverse, Lincoln, NE. 2007. 464 Pages. $22.45 from Amazon (click on book to order). Deciding which type of life insurance to purchase can be a confusing process. Term life? Variable life? Whole life? Universal life? What do these terms mean and which option Read Full Article
Last Updated: 6/25/2008 Are you having difficulty getting the pension or 401(k) plan funds you worked years to earn? Five pension counseling projects, funded through the U. S. Administration on Aging and serving plan participants and their beneficiaries in 22 states, can help! The retirement system’s complexity and unresponsiveness can overwhelm the most Read Full Article
Last Updated: 10/6/2008 For the first time in eight years, Medicare’s monthly premium will remain unchanged for most of the program’s 44 million beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Part B premium will remain at its 2008 level of $96.40 for 2009 for individuals earning $85,000 or less Read Full Article
Last Updated: 7/31/2008 Rosemary De Cuir. Coping with Dementia: What Every Caregiver Needs to Know. Trafford Publishing. 2007. 182 pages. $16.95 from Amazon (click on book to order). Having a family member with dementia is extremely stressful and presents unique caregiving challenges. Coping with Dementia is designed to help families of individuals with dementia Read Full Article
Last Updated: 10/27/2008 What will happen to your estate if your primary beneficiary does not survive you? If your will does not name an alternate beneficiary, your estate will be divided according to state law. The way the state divides your estate may not agree with your wishes. Your money may go to someone Read Full Article
Last Updated: 6/26/2008 You may feel that you have given one child more during your life, so he or she should get less in your will. Or you may want to cut out an heir altogether. Whatever the reason, disinheriting a close relative–especially a spouse or a child–can be complicated. It may not be Read Full Article