Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Corporate Fit Is Overrated
Two candidates interview for the same job. They have similar qualifications, and they both have good references. Which one do you hire? All else being equal, most businesses hire the person that the hiring managers consider friendlier and easier to get along with. This intangible characteristic that makes a job applicant appear collegial is… Read More »
Patient Financing Plans And Your Medical Practice
You went into the medical profession because you want to help people. Treating patients is the most rewarding part of your practice and, for some physicians, so is participating in medical research, but even the most business-minded doctors find medical billing stressful. Your billing staff is diligent about negotiating payment with insurance companies, but… Read More »
What Is The Difference Between A Real Estate Agent And A Realtor?
In many endeavors in life, it is simple and practical to follow the principle that too many cooks spoil the broth. For example, the fewer people involved in the planning of your wedding, the better. Likewise, many entrepreneurs look back fondly on their startup days, when two or three friends made their great idea… Read More »
Are Handwritten Wills Valid In Maryland Probate Court?
Your parents can tell you about a time when typing documents was only for special occasions. Perhaps they used to handwrite most of their homework assignments; for final term papers, they would handwrite a first draft, and then type the paper before bringing it to class on the last day. These days, only the… Read More »
The Most Popular Choices For Senior Housing
Housing is a major component of your budget at any age. Perhaps, when you applied to rent an apartment when you were young, the rental office told you that your monthly income needed to be at least three times the rent in order to qualify. Even people who own their own houses spend about… Read More »
What Is A Receivership, And Why Do Businesses Use Them?
Not every DUI conviction results in jail time, but almost all defendants who plead guilty to drunk driving or get a guilty verdict at trial get their driver’s licenses suspended. In many DUI cases, once you get your driver’s license back, the court requires you to use an ignition interlock device, which is a… Read More »
Your Estate Plan Should Include A Memory Care Option
The decision that an elderly person can no longer live alone safely usually stems from issues of dementia and memory impairment, rather than from limitations of physical health. It is possible to find workaround solutions that enable seniors to live independently in the face of one or more physical limitations. You can modify the… Read More »
Can Probate Really Be A Non-Event?
Probate is a slog for some estates for others. The wealthiest among us spend their golden years working on their estate plans, and they do it so well that, by the time the Grim Reaper shows up, most of the decedent’s assets have escaped into trusts and payable on death accounts, so that the… Read More »
Life Estate: You Can Inherit Your Spouse’s House, And So Can Your Stepchildren
It isn’t easy to be a stepparent, at least not in the beginning. If your stepchildren are young when you marry their parent, the time they spend at your house can be a nightmare, but at least you can avoid taking their animosity toward you personally; they have had to deal with a lot… Read More »
Which Debts Are You Responsible For Paying When You Close A Small Business?
The commentators on ESPN FC Extra Time sometimes play a game where, given a list of three professional soccer players, they must decide which one they would want to start, which one to bench, and which one to trade to another team. When you close a small business, you must attempt a similar form… Read More »
