Many people think that there’s no need to update your estate plan documents if none of your beneficiaries or fiduciaries have changed, but that’s exactly the kind of thinking that can lead to disaster. Estate planning documents are based not only on your own wishes, but also on federal and state tax laws. When we… Read More »
Blog Posts Page 49
The IRS Provides One More Reason to Consider Long-Term Care Insurance
In the estate planning business we help people plan for the future, not only for their children and heirs but for themselves as well; which is why we are pleased to share the news that it just got a little bit easier to plan for your own financial future, because according to this article on… Read More »
Trust Mill Con-Men Fined $6.4M for Illegal Practice of Law
The Ohio Supreme Court has recently taken strong action against two co-owners in a company participating in an illegal “trust mill” operation. According to this article from the Associated Press, the two owners, Jeffrey and Stanley Norman, have been permanently barred from marketing or selling their trust products in Ohio after they were found to… Read More »
Alzheimer’s Disease Can Take Your Memory AND Your Financial Security
Alzheimer’s disease affects as many as 5.3 million people in the United States; which means it affects as many as 5.3 million families, because Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects everybody it touches—husbands, wives, children and grandchildren—they all bear witness to their loved one’s slow demise. Sadly, emotional stress is not the only stress that… Read More »
Geriatric Care Managers Provide Help for Families and Caregivers
Caring for elderly relatives is always a team effort. Sometimes the team consists of the entire family, sometimes the team is a man and wife, and sometimes the team consists solely of the elderly person and their primary caregiver; but no matter how you look at it, elder care is a complex, difficult, and expensive… Read More »
Guilty Verdict for Brooke Astor’s Son Brings Elder Abuse Issues to the Forefront
The recent verdict by a New York jury finding Anthony Marshall guilty of stealing from his aging mother, Brooke Astor, while she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease is a sad reminder that abuse of elders does occur. Elder abuse is an issue that is all too common in our society, but one that rarely gets much attention…. Read More »
Keeping Financial Stability After the Loss of Your Spouse
Losing a spouse is one of the most difficult experiences life has to offer. Even continuing to take one day at a time seems almost impossible when you’ve lost your partner, your mate, the love of your life. Many people who have lost a spouse describe feeling as though the rug has been pulled out… Read More »
What To Do When Your Kids Don’t Like Your Will
In an ideal world elderly parents and their adult children always get along, and when those parents pass away their children quietly and respectfully follow their wishes regarding the distribution of their estate. Unfortunately, we don’t always live in an ideal world, and inheritance and estate planning can often cause tension between parents and children… Read More »
Do Life Insurance or Retirement Benefits Have to Go Through Probate?
We may acquire many assets over the course of our lives now—bank accounts, stocks, real property, life insurance, retirement, and more—it’s almost impossible to know what has to go through probate and what doesn’t. The answer to the question in the title, above, is “no”; life insurance and retirement benefits do not have to go through… Read More »
Should You Talk to Your Kids (Or Your Parents) About Inheritance?
The subject of inheritance is one that most people studiously avoid for a number of different reasons: superstition, fear, lack of knowledge, or—as this article by Gordon Powers points out—they don’t want to appear greedy. Furthermore, many older adults were raised to believe that money was a private affair, and that talking about it was… Read More »