Sophie and her sister and two brothers grew up in a large home with lots of stuff. Their mother, Nancy, liked the finer things in life including Oriental rugs, artwork, fine jewelry, antiques, and collectible coins. Nancy and her late husband, George, were also sentimental and kept photo albums, collected special pottery that was sent […]
Avoid Disaster: Update Your Estate Planning Documents in Light of New SECURE Act Provision
Q. I completed my estate planning with your firm five years ago and elected to have my retirement plans pass into a “conduit trust” or “pass-through trust” for the benefit of my daughter, Hannah. My understanding was that the conduit trust would pay out required minimum distributions to her, and that the money would grow […]
When the Inheritance You Left Isn’t Wanted
Janet Reno, the nation’s first-ever female attorney general, died a little over three years ago (on November 7, 2016) following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Ms. Reno was born and raised in a small cottage home her mother built with her own hands in the 1940’s in Miami, Florida. She spent much of her […]
Getting Loved Ones the End-of-life Care They Deserve
Q. My mother is in her 80’s and has been in the hospital several times this year with pneumonia and urinary tract infections and has been suffering with Parkinson’s for decades. There have been times when I’ve visited her and a doctor hadn’t been in in a couple of days, other times when she is […]
Plan Ahead to Live Longer
Dear Hayek, I read somewhere that if you plan ahead for the end of life that you will live longer. Is this true? Thanks! Liv Lawnger — Dear Liv, According to a recent study, what you say is true, but the study only applies to terminally ill patients. Still, as I will explain, planning in […]
Top 19 Articles of 2019
Those who read our newsletter or follow our blog know that we covered a lot of ground in 2019. This past year, the Federal Tax Act increased the federal estate and gift tax exemption from $11.18 million dollars per person to $11.4 million dollars per person ($22.8 million dollars per couple). On the gift tax […]
Be Careful Who You Choose as Your Trustee
Q. One of my top priorities for 2020 is to get my estate planning documents in order. Before doing so, I plan to discuss my wishes with family members over Christmas, although as a single woman without children, I don’t have too many of them. I know that when I begin my planning, I need […]
How to Broach the Topic of Estate Planning During the Holidays
Dear Rune, We are hosting Christmas dinner this year and the entire family will be there. While we are all in one place, I was thinking it would be a good time to talk about estate planning and incapacity planning. What is the best way to broach the topic without causing family strife? Thanks! Taka […]
2020 Key Elder Law Dollar Amounts
Every year we release the key dollar amounts that are frequently used in elder law, including Medicaid figures, Medicare premiums, Social Security Disability, and Supplemental Security Income. Since most of these figures have been released, we are happy to provide details on what has changed for the coming year. Be sure to check back here […]
Electronic Wills: Replacing Ink Signatures with Digital Ones
Q. I recently did my estate planning with your firm and the peace of mind I feel makes it completely worth it to me. I have convinced my sister, Erica, in Charlottesville, to do the same, as well as my daughter who is a millennial. My daughter, who does everything online these days, asked me […]
Keeping Your Digital Assets Safe and Up to Date
Dear Oakley, I completed my estate planning documents three years ago and haven’t thought about it since. My 30-year old son brought up a good point the other day that got me thinking: what about my online photos and videos and other digitally stored files, and even my social media and email accounts? I am […]
Stanford Scientists Can Predict When A Loved One Will Die
Richard has had Parkinson’s for more than two decades. He has been hospitalized several times this past year, and each time, his ability to swallow and other motor skills have regressed and have needed to be relearned through therapy. Since there is no cure for Parkinson’s and since Richard has had it for so long, […]
Convincing My Brother to Do Estate Planning
Dear Oakley, Welcome to the Critter Corner team! I’m really hoping you can help me with my dilemma. My wife and I recently did our estate planning, and I am convinced my twin brother’s family should too. He is reluctant to do so because he doesn’t think they need one, being 45 and in good […]
Living Together Without Tying-the-Knot? Why Estate Planning is Imperative!
Marjorie (66), a widow, and Stan (67), a divorcee, have lived together for six years. A decade before, Marjorie watched her husband suffer from Frontotemporal Dementia, which caused him to be violent towards her, until he entered a nursing home and died three years later. Stan also had a difficult marriage and an even tougher […]
The Dangers of Joint Bank Accounts
Emily, 67, is seriously thinking about adding her adult daughter, Katie, as joint owner of her bank account. She is considering this because she wants to ensure that Katie would have easy access to her money in case of an emergency. Adding a family member to a bank account seems like it might not be […]
When Safe Deposit Boxes Aren’t Even Safe
Q. I read an interesting article about safe deposit boxes in the New York Times recently. It is focused on a man who had a valuable watch collection stored in a safe deposit box managed by Wells Fargo, possibly worth millions, who was hoping to auction it off to fund his retirement. Wells Fargo evicted […]
What if the Bank Refuses to Accept a Power of Attorney?
Dear Bebe, My friend’s brother had a stroke and is now incapacitated. As his agent under his Power of Attorney, my friend needs to take over his finances. She recently went to his bank and was told that the bank will not accept his Power of Attorney because it was set up 14 years ago […]
Live a Legacy for Your Grandchildren; Then Leave One for Them
Q. The discussion of leaving a legacy recently came up in conversation among our friends and family. It seems our friends are way ahead of us on what they will leave future generations and how they hope to instill values in their grandchildren. My husband and I aren’t getting any younger, and with six grandchildren, […]
Making Your Legacy Letter Meaningful
Dear Magic, I hope to pass down my values and beliefs to future generations as part of my Estate Planning documents. I heard about a Legacy Letter as a way to do so. I want to be prepared before I embark on my planning and I want it to be more meaningful than just a […]
A New Miracle Machine Can Keep You Alive Even When Your Heart Stops
Q. My husband, Phil, and I have been married for thirty years. We were faced with a heart-wrenching situation recently, when Phil’s father had a heart attack and was on life support in the hospital. He didn’t have an Advance Medical Directive in place, and Phil’s mother was faced with a difficult decision about what […]
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