What is a Supplemental Needs Trust?
Planning by parents can make all the difference in the life of a child with a disability, as well as that of their siblings who may be left with the responsibility for caretaking, on top of their own careers and…
Family Support Goes Both Ways: Planning Across Generations
Multigenerational living is on the rise in the United States. Previous assumptions about who will be financially independent and who may need support no longer hold true. As those assumptions change, whether the situation is an adult child supporting a…
Long-Term Care Costs: The U.S. Versus the Rest of the World
Most of us will need help with everyday tasks later in our lives, such as bathing, dressing, cooking, and getting around. How that help gets paid, however, depends on where in the world you are. Living a long life comes…
How Raising a Grandchild Changes the Estate Plan
Grandparents have always played an important role in helping raise younger generations. From picking children up from school to providing childcare while parents work, they step in when families need an extra set of hands. Sometimes, however, merely “helping out”…
How to Avoid Family Conflict Over Aging Parents
Family conflict over an aging parent rarely starts with a lawsuit. It usually develops through subtle changes, such as a phone call that goes unreturned, a sibling who suddenly handles all of Mom’s paperwork, or a will that gets changed…
Decision-Making Rights in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility doesn’t mean giving up the right to make informed decisions about your life. Federal law gives residents broad authority over their care, their visitors, their medications, and their right to vote.…
What to Do If Your Medicare Advantage Plan Denies Rehab
If you have Medicare Advantage and have recently been hospitalized, a doctor may say you need more care after leaving the hospital, whether at an inpatient rehabilitation facility or rehabilitation center, skilled nursing facility, or long-term care hospital. But what…
The Executor’s Guide to Digital Assets, Passwords, and Online Accounts
There was a time when settling a loved one’s affairs meant sorting through a desk drawer, a shoebox of receipts, and perhaps a safe deposit box at the local bank. Those days have slipped away. Today, a person’s life is…
Living Trust 101: What It Is and How It Is Set Up
A living trust (usually a revocable living trust) is a legal tool that can help your loved ones avoid probate and can make it easier for someone you trust to manage assets if you become incapacitated (unable to manage your affairs).…
Medicare Hits Pause on New Hospice and Home Health Providers
In May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced what it called an “aggressive nationwide crackdown” on fraud in two corners of the health care system that serve millions of older Americans: Medicare hospice care and home health care. CMS imposed two…