The phrase “life estate” often comes up in discussions of Estate and Medicaid planning, but what exactly does it mean? A life estate is a form of joint ownership that allows one person to remain in a house until his or her death, when it passes to the other owner. Life estates can be used … Continue reading
Tag: Elder Law
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Special Needs Trust Planning Success Story
A person who was referred by their neighbor who is an individual with special needs recently called our office. The person’s son had special needs and the family was hoping to qualify him for public benefits (such as Medicaid and SSI), when they passed away. The family attended a special needs trust workshop that we … Continue reading
How Do You Terminate A Trust In Colorado?
Trusts allow you, the grantor, to safeguard property for your beneficiaries after you pass away or become incapacitated. With a trust, you can rest assured that you can carry out your wishes for your loved ones after you are gone. You could choose a revocable living trust as part of your estate plan. A revocable … Continue reading
Are You Entitled To Your Biological Parent’s Estate….
Child adoption is a common practice in the United States. Some estimates suggest that more than 265,000 children enter foster care each year. However, adoption does make it more difficult to recover assets from the estate of a biological parent. When a child is legally adopted, parental rights transfer from the child’s biological parents to … Continue reading
Will My Advance Directive Work In Another State?
Making sure your end-of-life wishes are followed no matter where you happen to be is important. If you move to a different state or split your time between one or more states, you should make sure your advance directive is valid in all the states you frequent. An advance directive gives instructions on the kind … Continue reading
Using a Donor-Advised Fund May Be a Way to Get a Charitable Tax Break Under the New Tax Law
Donor-advised funds are a growing trend in giving that may get more popular due to the new tax law. These funds allow you to donate money, receive a charitable tax deduction, and continue to grow the money until you are ready to distribute it to a charity or charities of your choice. A donor-advised fund is … Continue reading
How to Deal With Student Loan Debt as You Age
The number of older Americans with student loan debt – either theirs or someone else’s — is growing. Sadly, learning how to deal with this debt is now a fact of life for many seniors heading into retirement. According to a study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the number of older borrowers increased by at least 20 percent … Continue reading
A Tax Break to Help Working Caregivers Pay for Day Care
Paying for day care is one of the biggest expenses faced by working adults with young children, a dependent parent, or a child with a disability, but there is a tax credit available to help working caregivers defray the costs of day care (called “adult day care” in the case of the elderly). In order to qualify … Continue reading
Getting Paid as a Family Caregiver Through Medicaid
Caring for an ailing family member is difficult work, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be unpaid work. There are programs available that allow Medicaid recipients to hire family members as caregivers. All 50 states have programs that provide pay to family caregivers. The programs vary by state, but are generally available to Medicaid recipients, … Continue reading
Report Ranks States on Nursing Home Quality and Shows Families’ Conflicted Views
A new report that combines nursing home quality data with a survey of family members ranks the best and worst states for care and paints a picture of how Americans view nursing homes. The website Care.com analyzed Medicare’s nursing home ratings to identify the states with the best and worst overall nursing home quality ratings. Using Medicare’s … Continue reading