Probate Court is an Orphanage for Orphaned Assets – assets that are no longer owned by a living person, trust, or jointly by a survivor or by a previously designated “Pay on Death” beneficiary. Probate Court costs time and money, about 6 months (often much, much longer) and about 4.5% +/- straight off the top … Read more
Protect your loved ones: By reviewing your estate plan with Martin, you can ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes, minimizing family conflicts and providing financial security for your loved ones. Legal compliance: Laws regarding estate planning are constantly evolving. Regularly reviewing your plan helps ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements, … Read more
A Financial Durable Power of Attorney Ends Up in Court – Does the Result Surprise You? This year’s newsletters have concentrated on financial Durable Powers of Attorney. Many think they understand these legal documents and the duties involved, but lawsuits brought to Missouri Courts suggest otherwise. Take the case of Minter v. Minter, a decision … Read more
4 Buckets of Elder Law Planning 1. Your Assets Ltd. amt: Runs out before 2.5yr avg nursing home stay $ = timeUnlimited uses: In-home care, asst. living, nursing home, etc. 2. LTC Insurance Long Term Care Insurance LimitedLimited amount per day, lifetime max Typically for Care only, incl. Asst. Living Buys you time and options, … Read more
“Stress, anxiety, worry, isolation, loneliness, depression…and resentment” describes not our shut-in seniors but up to 3 out of 4 of us, family caregivers, according to AP-NORC and Kaiser Family Foundation (Kaiser) polls. Worse still, almost half of all caregivers rarely or never seek help for themselves for their anxiety or sadness (Kaiser). The spiral of … Read more
My office received a call from a family whose father was about to enter a nursing home. Understandably, they were distraught and had many questions. We spoke for a while and then scheduled a free one-hour meeting, confirmed by email. My colleague saw the email and encouraged me to share it, as it pretty well … Read more
A September 17, 2020 CMS Memorandum has partially lifted restrictions to Nursing Home indoor visitation. Federally Funded Nursing homes with Indoor Visitation Facilities should accommodate and support indoor visitation, including visits for reasons beyond compassionate care situations, based on the following guidelines: a) There has been no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last … Read more
I’ve mentioned VA benefits in other newsletters and you may think: “I served in the military; does this apply to me?” Or “my dad served in the military and now has all these bills…can the government help?” There are different kinds of VA benefits with different requirements, but the following are the four basic requirements … Read more
A financial Durable Power of Attorney authorizes someone to act on your behalf in financial matters. Properly written, such a document is invaluable in that it allows for necessary financial transactions to be continued in spite of your disability. Obviously, choosing who to name as agent to act for you is a critical decision. This … Read more