Last Updated: 12/1/2008 In addition to addressing the current housing crisis, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 makes changes to reverse mortgages, including higher borrowing limits and protections from aggressive marketing. A reverse mortgage allows a homeowner who is at least 62 years old to use the equity in his or her Read Full Article
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Last Updated: 10/7/2008 Whether it’s an honor or a burden (or both), you have been appointed trustee of a trust. What responsibilities have been thrust upon you? How can you successfully carry them out? Here are nine do’s and one don’t to get you started:Do read the trust document. It sets out the Read Full Article
Last Updated: 6/8/2009 4:40:07 PM After almost a decade of changes in the federal estate tax code, and many states changing their tax structure in response to the federal changes, clarity appears to be on the horizon. Congress's recently passed budget resolution would make the current estate tax rules permanent, taxing only estates over Read Full Article
Last Updated: 5/27/2009 9:29:04 AM No parents want their children to fight among themselves after they are gone. Sadly, conflicts often arise, especially when a parent has gifted or loaned money to one child and not others. However, a few key words in your estate plan can minimize the potential for conflict. If you Read Full Article
Last Updated: 5/27/2009 8:30:13 PM Walter Feldesman. Long-Term Care at Home Consumer Guide. Walter Feldesman, New York, NY. 2009. 393 pages. $23.66 print copy (or free as online download). Click here to order a print copy. Click here for free download. The story of Walter Feldesman is as inspiring to the elderly as his Read Full Article
Last Updated: 6/9/2009 2:19:29 PM Once upon a time, when life was less complicated, the key to a safe deposit box was all loved ones needed to gain access to important documents and accounts following a death. Today, many aspects of our lives — both financial and personal — are lived in places accessible Read Full Article
Last Updated: 5/21/2009 11:37:18 AM Did you know you could be responsible for your parents' unpaid bills? Thirty states currently have laws making adult children responsible for their parents if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves. While these laws are rarely enforced, there has been speculation that states may begin dusting Read Full Article
Last Updated: 6/23/2009 2:24:07 PM Although you can begin receiving Social Security benefits anytime after age 62, the longer you wait, the higher the benefit you will receive. But many people need money right away and cannot afford to delay. If you are married, there is a strategy that may allow you to claim Read Full Article
A 55-year-old individual considering a basic level of long-term care insurance protection — a $100 daily benefit and three years of coverage — can expect to pay $723 a year if married or $1,060 if single, according to the 2009 Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index, an annual report from the American Association for Long-Term Care Read Full Article
Last Updated: 6/27/2008 With the strict new health care privacy rules now in force, it’s more important than ever that everyone consider creating an advance medical directive that specifically names those persons who are entitled to access to health care information about them. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which recently became effective, Read Full Article