APRIL 15, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 15 We keep bumping into versions of the same story: “Mom and dad created a revocable living trust. They wanted to avoid probate, and my sister lives in a group home because she is developmentally disabled. The trust named me as trustee, and my sister’s share goes into a…
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APRIL 8, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 14 More than three years ago we wrote about what you need to do when a family member dies. Our focus was on the immediate things that need to be dealt with: securing the house, taking care of pets, forwarding the mail. We thought we would get back to…
APRIL 1, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 13 Driving. It’s an issue for seniors. And their families. According to the Centers for Disease Control, drivers over age 75 are at particular risk for fatal accidents, and that risk continues to grow as those older drivers age. The CDC is candid: it’s hard to tell how much…
MARCH 25, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 12 You may have heard about a potentially significant new tax liability for special needs trusts. With adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (what is often referred to as “Obamacare”) Congress created a new tax intended for high earners to contribute to Medicare. A fairly complicated…
MARCH 16, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 11 A colleague recently asked if we knew why long-term care insurance premiums might be climbing significantly in the next month or so. We didn’t, but it got us thinking about how the industry has changed over the past few years. Is it still a good idea to purchase…
MARCH 9, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 10 We don’t very often focus on trial court decisions, and especially not in cases from outside Arizona. Trial judges are often very dedicated and bright, and their opinions may be eloquent and well-reasoned, but they do not establish precedent we can describe for our readers. Once in a…
MARCH 4, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 9 Last week we posed the question, and then mostly wrote about competence (or capacity) to sign a will. We promised to explain more about the level of competence required to sign other documents. So let us now tackle that concept. A person with a diagnosis of dementia may…
FEBRUARY 25, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 8 Let’s get the answer to the question out of the way first, and then we can deal with more nuance. Yes, a person with dementia may be able to sign legal documents. The inability to sign documents (what is usually known in the law as “incompetence” or, sometimes,…
Review by Javier Centonzio, Esq., Alexandria, Virginia Book by: Doug Nordman As I read The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement, I found myself regretting not having read it before joining the Marine Corps at the age of eighteen. This book is a must read for anyone who is considering joining the military. However,…
Review by Jessica Fisher, Esq., Carlisle, Pennsylvania Book by: John E. Nelson and Richard N. Bolles This book begins with a history of retirement and then transitions into what the authors call the “New Retirement.” This concept of the New Retirement is very interesting because it is not only about finances it is about your…