Year-End Estate Planning: A Perfect Time Review or Begin
Year-end is a great time to review and update your estate plan. As tax laws, personal circumstances, and financial goals change, it's important to ensure your estate planning strategy remains aligned with your current situation. Here are several tips to consider as...
Elder Care Numbers for 2025: Medicaid, Long-Term Care, VA Benefits, & Gift and Estate Taxes
Please find here an at-a-glance list of commonly used elder law-related figures for the year 2025, all gathered in one place so that you can bookmark for quick reference over the coming months. Medicaid Spousal Impoverishment Figures for 2025 Community Spouse Resource...
Deposit Up to $19,000 to Your ABLE Account in 2025
Ten years ago, Congress passed the Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014, which provided people with disabilities with the opportunity to save money, tax-free, in something called an ABLE account. Benefits of an ABLE Account These...
Avoiding 4 Main Obstacles to Digital-Era Estate Planning
Identifying the digital property you own and managing it is more necessary than ever. From smart home devices to online investments and bank accounts, we’ve gone way beyond using the internet to email family and social media to connect with friends. In a recent...
Compassion Fatigue: Navigating the Emotional Toll of Caring for Others
Compassion Fatigue, AKA “the cost of caring,” is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion that results from extended exposure to the suffering of others. It is most commonly seen in professionals who work in caregiving or service-oriented fields,...
Unpaid Family Caregiving Is Worth a Six-Figure Salary
As the population ages, the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia continues to rise. In turn, families increasingly find themselves providing unpaid care to loved ones with cognitive impairments. This caregiving role, though...
Using a Trust in Medicaid Planning
With careful Medicaid planning, you may be able to preserve some of your estate for your children or other heirs while meeting Medicaid's low asset limit. The problem with transferring assets is that you have given them away. You no longer control them, and even a...
An Elder Care Lawyer Can Help You Get Medicaid Home Care
The over-65 crowd is growing dramatically. Millions of Baby Boomers are transitioning into older adulthood and are living longer than previous generations. According to recent U.S. Census Bureau data, the U.S. population over the age of 65 is expected to balloon from...
Medicaid Applicants: Protecting Your Healthy Spouse in 2025
For millions of seniors nationwide, Medicaid provides a safety net for people who find themselves requiring long-term care. Most Americans aged 65 and older – roughly 70 percent – will need these kinds of services in their later years, according to research....
My spouse needs to move to a nursing home. What should I do?
Deciding to move a spouse into a nursing home is a significant and often emotional decision, but taking the right steps can make the process smoother for both of you. Here’s a general guide to help you navigate through this transition: Assess Your Spouse’s Needs...
End-of-Year Estate Planning
End-of-year is a good time to reflect on where you’ve been, where you are now, and on what lies ahead. One’s estate plan is, often, reflective of each of these states of life. If you have already completed your estate plan, this checklist provides items for review. If...
Financial Help for Parents of Children with Special Needs
If you are planning to be a parent or are thinking of having more children, the scenario of having a child with a disability has probably crossed your mind. Disabilities can form before birth or after birth as a result of accidents or illnesses. According to the U.S....
What Raising the Social Security Retirement Age Would Mean
In a new fiscal year 2025 budget, policymakers call for raising the Social Security retirement age. The proposal is the latest to target the largest program in the federal budget — and the largest income source for many retirees. It comes as the Social Security...
COLA Update: Social Security Benefits for 2025
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has officially released its annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) figures for 2025. These newly issued numbers will have an impact on monthly Social Security benefits payouts for retirees, as well as recipients of Social...
Can I Create a Will On My Own?
Yes, you can create a will on your own, often referred to as a "holographic will" or a DIY will. Creating a will on your own can be convenient, but it comes with several potential risks and problems. Legal Validity: If your will doesn’t meet your state’s legal...