Medicaid, Long Term Care and Second Marriages
When illness strikes you do not usually think of legal relationships but when a spouse needs serious care and is married to a second wife or husband, family relationships can bring with them unexpected...
View ArticleWhat Happens to Debts When You Die
A question posed to “Elder Law Answers,” a popular online elder law reference site, captioned “What Happens To Your Debts When You Die?” drew my attention recently. The answer was intended for a...
View ArticleTwo Different Disability Benefits Have Very Different Results
Two different Social Security benefits for disabled participants, Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), have very different income and asset requirements and lead to...
View ArticleReasons Why Estates Might Take Longer to Settle
With all of the hype regarding living trusts, one claim frequently made is that a living trust will settle an estate faster than probate, probate being the process of filing the Will with the Register...
View ArticleWhy Do You Need a Will?
If you have attended any programs on financial planning or read up on planning for your estate, you probably have heard the expression more than once that you must have a Will. The thought is that a...
View ArticleColumnist Expresses Gratitude For #1 Recognition -Again
For the second year in a row our office received a call from Main Line Today magazine this summer requesting a “head shot” and, despite having experienced the same call last year, I was amazed again at...
View ArticleWhen Trusts Work for Planning Purposes – and When They Don’t
Whenever a thorny problem arises, whether for Medicaid planning purposes or estate planning, one predictable question has been “Can’t this be solved by establishing a trust?” The answer is not as...
View ArticleTechnology Is Great When It Works
Technology is wonderful. Sometimes it works as we hope. Sometime it does not but we likely have reached the point where we depend on our smart phones, our laptops, our tablets or i-phones as almost...
View ArticleAnswers When House Rich and Cash Poor
House rich and cash poor is a common expression that describes a number of seniors who benefited by appreciation in home value since they purchased but need cash to handle property taxes, repairs and...
View ArticleSpecial Needs Trusts Can Help Children With Addictions
Suppose you are a parent with children close in age but one is addicted to alcohol or drugs. You have tried, over the years, to encourage rehabilitation but have generally been unsuccessful. He may...
View ArticleOpposing a Sales Tax on Legal Services
Taxation always has the ability to rouse people to action. One current tax proposal, voted last week out of the Pennsylvania Senate Finance Committee and receiving a lot of attention now would...
View ArticleOpen Enrollment, Age 65 and Medicare
If you find health insurance over age 65 to be confusing, you have lots of company. This autumn season with the falling leaves is just the time to reacquaint yourself with Medicare as you approach...
View ArticleWhat Happens To the House With Medicaid
A client recently brought me an old newspaper clipping of one of my columns saved by her father. It dealt with the age old question of what happens to the family home when a parent or spouse goes on...
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