: “The Successful Retirement Guide: Hundreds of Suggestions on How to Stay Intellectually, Socially and Physically Engaged for the Best Years of Your Life,” Kevin R. Price, Rainbow Books, Inc. 2009 Reviewed by Frederick C. Rieck, attorney This book was not a happy choice. In retrospect, it is clear that the title should have warned…
SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 32 Imagine with us for a moment: you are the trustee of an irrevocable trust created by a now-deceased woman for the benefit of her daughter. The trust says that her daughter is to receive all the income generated by the trust. You are also given the discretion to…
SEPTEMBER 5, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 31 Queens (New York) resident Lillian Baral was in her early 90s. She lived at home, but she required full-time assistance with her care. In 2007 she paid two caretakers a total of $49,580 for live-in care (one lived with her for five weeks while the primary caretaker took…
AUGUST 22, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 30 Of course it usually makes sense to place your estate planning wishes in the hands of your lawyer to make sure documents are correctly drawn and your wishes carried out. Lawyers can be very protective of what they perceive as their clients’ wishes and best interests, and sometimes…
AUGUST 8, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 29 Last March we told you a good story about revocation of a living trust, though we cautioned you not to use the same method. A year before that we told you about another colorful character and how he revoked his will. Both of those court cases made us…
AUGUST 1, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 28 It is a recurring question in guardianship and conservatorship cases: when there is family conflict, or an allegation that a family member has taken advantage of an individual, who should the courts appoint to manage the person’s financial and personal affairs? Family should have priority, of course —…
JULY 25, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 27 We have told you about Lillian Glasser before. She is a wealthy New Jersey woman with two children who disagree about where she resides, who should manage her health care and finances, and what should be done about financial actions taken in the months before court proceedings were…
JULY 18, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 26 “Elder law” (what we practice here at Fleming & Curti, PLC) can be a fairly broad practice area. We work in estate planning, long-term care planning, guardianship and conservatorship, trust administration and probate — and each of those areas encompasses a number of other topics as well. But…
JULY 11, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 25 When appointment of a guardian and/or conservator is necessary, the cost of securing the appointment is usually a legitimate charge to be paid by the ward’s estate. There are exceptions, but the general rule is that the guardian’s and conservator’s fees, together with the fees charged by the…
JULY 5, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 24 Family members sometimes assume that an estate will be ready for distribution within days or weeks of a death. Those familiar with the probate process usually appreciate that it is more likely that distribution will be between six months to a year after death — and sometimes longer.…
