We recently came across an informative and touching article about end-of-life decisions, in which the author followed the emotional stories of a few different families. The article gives rich insight and into what families wrestle with when a relative falls ill and it may be getting close to the end. The article explores...
Category: Elder Law
A Living Will Is Not Enough
A Living Will is a document that clarifies your wishes for the very end of life. Specifically, the Living Will, also known as an Advanced Directive, tells your family, loved ones and medical professionals whether to continue life support even if all realistic options for any meaningful recovery have been exhausted.
...Financial Power of Attorney Check-Up
We caught a great article in the Wall Street Journal last weekend (May 14-15, Weekend Investor section) about powers of attorney, and how they can be dangerous if the power gets into the wrong hands, and how they could be useless if they’re old or executed improperly.
In our practice,...
Price of Long-Term Care Drops
In 2014, the price of long-term care is apparently dropping, at least if you are a 55 year old male according to a recent report, explained by ElderLawAnswers.com. Elder planning is very important, as costs of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, CCRC's and home health care continue to rise at a higher rate than...
Fall 2011 Estate Planning Essentials
Our blog entry this week focuses on five topics that have been hot button issues for clients over the last few months. Estate planning continues to evolve and therefore, we must continue to “think different."
Estate Planning in General: Estate planning today isn’t what it was 5 or...
Medicare vs. Medicaid for Long-Term Care Costs
Although their names are similar, Medicaid and Medicare are vastly different government programs. Both provide health coverage, but Medicare is an “entitlement” program, meaning that everyone who reaches age 65 and is entitled to receive Social Security benefits also receives Medicare (Medicare also covers people of any age who are permanently disabled or who...
Nursing Home Costs - Rising Fast?
MetLife recently released their Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs for 2011, and the statistics do not bode well for seniors and those that need long-term care.
A few statistics from the report that you should know about:
The average cost of a nursing home (private room) across the...New Rules Make Reverse Mortgages More Difficult
The federal government has tightened the rules regarding reverse mortgages, making it harder for some seniors to get these types of mortgages and reducing the amount of their home’s value that they can tap. The new rules are an effort to strengthen the federal Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program, which insures almost all...
Evaluate Your Estate Plan
2012 is quickly approaching, and there is no better time than now to re-evaluate your estate planning goals.
Estate planning can be broken down into three distinct areas: tax planning, legacy planning, and long-term care planning. Which area...
Can Life Insurance Affect Your Medicaid Eligibility?
In order to qualify for Medicaid (MA or Medical Assistance in Pennsylvania), you can't have more than $2,000 in assets in Pennsylvania. Many people forget about life insurance when calculating their assets, but depending on the type of life insurance and the value of the policy, it can count as an asset.
Life insurance...