As baby boomers continue to reach retirement age at almost 10,000 per day, the generation that was the early adopters of portable music players, VCRs, and home computers has numerous technological gadgets available to them as they deal with the problems of old age. Though new gadgets are constantly coming onto the market, here are a few that can also provide comfort, security, and … read more
Man on Cross-Country Voyage for Vets
A Denver area resident is currently on a coast-to-coast journey in an effort to raise awareness of the problems veterans face upon returning home. Matt Kerner, 23, left San Francisco, California on June 4th. He intends to walk across the nation and eventually reach Washington D.C. in January of next year, a trip that will have him hike about 4,400 miles. Matt was inspired to take the … read more
New Study Shows Medicaid Patients Not Clogging Hospital ERs
Under the terms of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, state Medicaid programs would've been required to expand their Medicaid eligibility criteria beginning in 2014. After the Supreme Court ruled that the law's Medicaid provisions were unconstitutional, the ruling effectively allows states to choose if they would expand their Medicaid coverage. Some opponents of the Medicaid … read more
Yes, Singles Need an Estate Plan Too
The majority of any estate planning attorney's clients are older, often retired people who want to make sure their families can receive an inheritance. For younger, single people, however, the idea of creating an estate plan occurs about as often as the idea of joining the AARP. While it's true that many people aren't likely to need their estate plans any time soon, they still need to … read more
Helping Your Executor Get Started
Let's say you've gone through the trouble of creating an estate plan, made the hard choices about inheritances, and have chosen the right people to serve in important positions. First, congratulations on all your hard work. Second, you've got a little more work ahead of you. When it comes to administering an estate, executors can often spend a lot of wasted time in the early stages if … read more
Estate Planning and Safe Deposit Boxes
When it comes to estate planning, some key steps involve the practical details and potential hazards that may arise in common situations. For example, many people own and use safe deposit boxes to keep valuable items. While safe deposit boxes are often a good idea, they can pose problems during the probate process if you haven't taken the appropriate steps to ensure the right people can … read more
Formalities of a Will
While putting together a will might seem like second nature to some, it’s a complete mystery to others. We’re going to go over what the basic formalities of a will are and why they are important to follow. The will must be in writing: By writing, I’m not referring to handwriting. It is recommended by most estate planning attorneys to avoid handwriting your will if at all possible. … read more
Who are Your Intestate Heirs?
When you don’t make a will or living trust, your estate passes to your intestate heirs upon your death. These are the people, usually close family members, whom the law identifies as entitled to inherit from you. So, do you know who your intestate heirs are? The North Carolina intestacy statutes can actually be quite complicated. If you’re married with no children when you pass away, … read more
Who Pays Income Tax on a Revocable Living Trust?
One of the main reasons for establishing a revocable living trust is so that assets can be transferred into the trust and, when you pass away, those assets can be distributed to the trust beneficiaries outside of the probate process. But who pays taxes on income earned by the trust assets? Here’s a general overview of how it works: During Your Lifetime When you establish a … read more
Can You Make a Power of Attorney for a Parent Who Has Dementia?
It’s not unusual for estate planning attorneys to get calls from adult children who are in quite a bind: They have a parent who is incapacitated, often due to Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, and the parent did not put an incapacity plan in place while they were healthy and lucid. The adult child is not authorized to access the parent’s financial accounts, handle the parent’s … read more
