Our Blog
Is It Better To Remarry or Just Live Together?
Living together or remarrying can affect pre-existing estate planning documents, benefits, college financial aid and incomes. If you are considering getting married later in life, be sure to consider the following: Estate Planning. Getting married will affect your...
A few chuckles…
A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, 'Crushed nuts?' 'No,' he replied, 'Arthritis.' Three old guys are out...
A little Elder Law humor…
I know you have been laying awake at night wondering why baby diapers have brand names such as "Luvs", "Huggies," and "Pampers', while undergarments for old people are called "Depends". Well here is the low down on the whole thing. When babies crap in their pants,...
Scams and Medicaid Estate Recovery
The passage of Estate Recovery laws will give rise to new scams. Unscrupulous individuals will use estate recovery to try to scare senior citizens into purchasing products that are not in their best interests. Individuals over age 55 can expect to be invited to more...
Estate Recovery and Medicaid Nursing Home Benefits
Estate Recovery means that people who receive Medicaid benefits for nursing home level care can be subject to repaying the state for the costs of their care after they die. Typically, that means a claim against the home of the Medicaid beneficiary. Prior to passage...
When a Family Member is Close to Death
Dealing with a death in the family is always a difficult time. Today, many deaths come not unexpectedly, but after lengthy hospital stays or situations where the family has had time to prepare. While this time can make it easier on the family when the loved one dies,...
Progress in Processing Initial Applications for VA Benefits
A recent Washington Post article shows signs of progress in VA’s efforts to reduce the more than 800,000 claim backlog. Director Thomas Murphy reports that “the number of pending cases has decreased by 74,000 over the past 45 days.” VA has pledged to complete all...
Joint Property Ownership
Clients often speak about holding assets “jointly” with a spouse or of wanting to leave their cottage “jointly” to their children. When you ask whether they are referring to “joint tenancy with rights of survivorship” or “tenancy-in-common”, typical responses include...
How Should I Divide My Assets?
A lot of times when I’m meeting with clients they will ask me “how should we leave our stuff?” They have children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, nieces, nephews, charities they like to support and they are having trouble figuring out what to leave to whom....
Help, I need to change my trust!
Trusts were once considered to be only for those with extensive estate assets; however, those days are long gone. Today, even someone with a modest estate can potentially benefit from the inclusion of a trust in his or her estate plan. The terms you include in a trust...
Have You Planned for Long Term Care Costs?
Intelligent retirement planning is going to include anticipating the expenses that you may incur during your twilight years. It is not uncommon for people to require living assistance late in their lives, and this can be quite expensive. So you think that you will be...
Keep Your Estate Plan Up-to-Date
What image pops into your head when you think “Last Will and Testament”? For most of us, it is an image cloaked in formality, a thick stack of paper full of detailed directions clearly establishing our wishes. For others, scribbles on the back of a napkin may come...
Aging in place
Home sweet home can become home not so sweet home as we age and our needs change. Stairs that once seemed so lovely and grand can suddenly seem like barriers preventing us from accessing parts of our houses. Tubs where we once enjoyed soothing bubble baths become...
Debunking ten aging myths
Many older Americans lead healthy, interesting, and productive lives well into their later years. But that’s not what we usually hear about. Instead, the emphasis is often on the limitations people experience as they get older from problems as varied as falls, heart...
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Shelby Township
Hours
Monday: 9 – 5
Tuesday: 9 – 5 (Dearborn Office Only)
Wednesday: 9 – 5
Thursday: 9 – 5
Friday: 9 – 12
Saturday: Call for Appointment
Sunday: Closed
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