Individuals often assume that their health insurance will adequately cover their medical expenses, including long-term care in an assisted living facility or a nursing home. The prospect that insurance coverage will be adequate to cover these costs is low. Most...
3 ways to help loved ones avoid becoming a victim of fraud
Fraudsters are known to target our senior loved ones and, according to a recent report in Barron's, their efforts are successful. Scammers have reportedly gained billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains from senior Americans. These fraudsters are largely successful...
3 ways to protect assets while planning for long-term care needs
Long-term care can be very costly. Those who need to plan for this expense may find themselves trying to figure out how to pay for a loved one to receive the care they need without depleting the assets the family has worked for generations to accumulate. This may...
Tips to keep a loved one safe in a long-term care facility
A recent case out of Texas is calling attention to the need for family members to better ensure their loved ones are safe at long-term care facilities. The case involves an individual that gained access to long-term care units and allegedly murdered inhabitants. The...
Aretha Franklin’s estate: What went wrong?
The “Queen of Soul” died last August. At the time of her passing, her heirs were not aware of an estate plan. Now, months after her passing, handwritten wills were recently discovered in her home.Aretha Franklin’s estate is likely worth millions. The...
Tips to help find the right elder law attorney for your needs
The current legal market is shifting from one where a single individual can handle almost any legal issue to a market that requires specialization. Much like the medical field, these days it is common for each attorney to have a specialty. As a result, just like you...
Two reasons to see an elder law attorney
An elder law attorney is a legal professional that specializes in the issues that arise as we age. These issues can include the transfer of the power to make financial or health care related decisions and planning for long-term care needs. Two specific benefits an...
Optimizing pension benefits for veterans and spouses
The right to independence is a core American value, something many have committed their lives to defending in service to the country. Living life independently on our own terms ranks equally high on that value scale. Sadly, aging has a way of slowly eroding our...
Understanding government’s 5-year look-back rule
Ensuring appropriate medical care for a loved one in old age can be a challenge. Health insurance only covers so much. Estate planning may provide the means to ensure maintenance of needed care through Medicaid, the combined state and federal government program for...
Planning is even more important if you have no family
A woman who celebrated turning 100 had this to say when asked how she felt about the achievement. "It's nothing to strive for." Not everyone feels that way, of course, but many do. And one of the certainties of the world today is that many of us are living longer....
