Far too many of us are concerned/worried that we may need a nursing home or long-term care in the future, and that our estate may be in the red as a result. But unfortunately, most of us don’t do any planning.
Nursing homes have been in the news many...
A study commissioned by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf in 2019 recently revealed some alarming findings related to the financial exploitation of older adults.
Financial exploitation of older adults can take many different forms and can be perpetrated by trusted individuals or complete strangers. The most common forms of financial...
There’s a bit of news in the estate planning world that I thought I’d share with you this week:
1. Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Changes
There is currently a potential law (HB 971) working its way through the PA House and PA Senate to eliminate inheritance tax for property passing from a parent...
Is Long-Term Care Insurance a Good Bet? Economists argue that even if Medicaid spend-down rules were tightened significantly, Long-Term Care insurance would still be unfavored by consumers. It is sometimes claimed that reducing the amount of assets an individual can keep while qualifying for Medicaid...
When you die in Pennsylvania, any property or assets that you leave to other people is subject to an “Inheritance Tax.” This is in addition to possible federal estate taxes (more on this in the coming weeks).
Typically, but not always, the Executor of the estate pays the inheritance tax on behalf of...
There was an interesting article in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago (June 11, 12). In a column by Kelly Greene, she shed light onto a particularly troublesome topic: elder caregivers secretly marrying the person in his or her care, and as a...
Yesterday, your estate planning attorney Jeremy A. Wechsler attended the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's annual Estate & Elder Law Symposium. Jeremy believes that continuing to learn the latest estate planning techniques and case law is crucial to maintaining top standards in practice.
For instance, several key cases came through the Pennsylvania courts this...
Let me get straight to the point: Guardianship is terrible. You can generally avoid guardianship by having valid, well-crafted Powers of Attorney that are drafted and signed while you are competent and acting on your own free volition.
Guardianship is a court-run process where any person can petition the court to hold that another person...
The Federal Government’s Medicare program, which most seniors over 65 enroll in, is a good Health Insurance plan, except for one very small fact. Along with various co-pays and deductibles that you need to pay along the way, Medicare only pays for 80% of your Medical bills. If you quickly do...
Special Needs Trusts are designed to permit financial resources to remain available to assist a disabled individual who receives or may receive in the future, Medicaid/Medical Assistance and SSI benefits. The trust, when set up properly, protects the resources from im
Special Needs Trusts are designed to permit financial resources to...
