Accounting for Gifts and Loans to Children in Your Estate Plan

No parents want their children to fight among themselves after they are gone. Sadly, conflicts often arise, especially when a parent has gifted or loaned money to one child and not others. However, a few key words in your estate plan can minimize the potential for...

Special Ownership for Married Couples: Tenancy by the Entirety

Married couples have a special way to jointly own property in some states that has advantages over regular joint ownership. If you are married and own property jointly, you should make sure you have the right form of ownership. Joint tenants must have equal ownership...

Who Gets Cash Hidden in House By Deceased Former Owner?

Imagine you bought a house and, a year and a half later, you discovered bundles of cash totalling more than $100,000 that had been hidden away by the deceased former owner. Who would be entitled to the money — you or the former owner’s estate? Confronted...

What to Do If You Are Appointed Guardian of an Older Adult

Being appointed guardian of a loved one is a serious responsibility. As guardian, you are in charge of your loved one’s well-being and you have a duty to act in his or her best interest. If an adult becomes mentally incapacitated and is incapable of making...

IRS Publishes Proposed Regulations for ABLE Account Contributions

Written By: Patricia Kalla Zonnenberg The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has published proposed regulations governing annual contribution limits to ABLE accounts. The proposed regulations, issued on October 10, 2019, will implement statutory changes to section 529A of...

Understanding How Assets Are Distributed in a Will

When creating an estate plan, the main decision is how your assets will be distributed after you pass away. Understanding “per stirpes” and “per capita” distribution is key to that decision. The terms “per stirpes” and “per...

Medicaid’s Treatment of the Home

Nursing home residents do not automatically have to sell their homes in order to qualify for Medicaid, but that doesn’t mean the house is completely protected. The state will likely put a lien on the house while the resident is living and attempt to recover the...

Bill Introduced to Raise SSI Asset Limit, Make Other Reforms

In 1989, the price of a movie ticket was $4 and a gallon of gas cost a dollar, on average.  That same year, Congress raised the amount of money that recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) could retain without losing their eligibility to $2,000. While the...