Category Archives: Estate Planning
No, Medicaid Is Not the Only Way You Can Afford Long-Term Care
It is scary to think about old age and death, but it is even scarier to think about the financial future that most American consumers, including many with salaried jobs, can face. You might despair of ever saving enough money for retirement to sustain you through 20 or 30 years of retired life, especially… Read More »
Can You and Your Spouse Write One Will for Both of You?
You and your spouse act as a team regarding all your property and all your responsibilities. There is no keeping score or hiding things from each other. It’s “our” bank account and “our” Christmas bonus, without regard to who contributed what. When it comes to caring for your elderly parents, the phrase “in-law” is… Read More »
Why and How to Store Valuable Estate Items
Call it minimalism or Swedish death cleaning, but some people seem to think that you should get rid of as much stuff as possible now so that you can live and die clutter-free. By this logic, if your adult children would rather receive money than tangible property as a Christmas gift, then they would… Read More »
Maryland Escheatment Laws
You have probably heard stories of estate research firms that try to match cash-strapped people with the estates of long-lost relatives who have recently died, and from whom the clients could inherit. The whole business sounds sleazy, from the sense of entitlement required to ask perfect strangers for large sums of money, while striking… Read More »
Ease Your Way Into Retirement With a Manageable Decluttering Goal This Summer
Now that you are retired, you may never have to make plans or set goals again, and that is a scary thought. You have been putting off making plans for retirement, and now that you have finished the leftover food from your retirement party, you are at loose ends. You have already written a… Read More »
How 50 Somethings Can Unbundle Their Finances From Those Of Their Adult Children
Family togetherness is a beautiful thing. If your family stays together through times of prosperity and financial hardship, this is something to celebrate. Meanwhile, the key to discord is to be in each other’s business about every decision, especially financial decisions. Some happily married couples will tell you that one reason they get along… Read More »
When Nursing Home Plans Fall Through
A career in Washington DC is exciting; you may feel that you are at the center of the universe and your children get to see firsthand what most people only get to read about in news headlines. You might decide that, even after retirement, you never want to leave D.C.; how dull must the… Read More »
If You Want To Be Able to Continue To Afford Shower Gel, You Need An Estate Plan
You can tell who has someone on the outside who cares about them, because those are the ones who have a supply of pretzels to munch while they watch TV or a set of crayons with which to decorate Christmas cards for their relatives and postage stamps with which to send these cards. It… Read More »
Beware Of The Five-Year Look Back Rule For Medicaid Nursing Home Eligibility
Some people interpret every small coincidence as a sign that the government is watching their every move and trying to nickel and dime them out of all of their prosperity and enjoyment. For the most part, though, the government will not scrutinize your every transaction unless you do something to provoke it. That something… Read More »
What Should You Do With Your Old House After You Retire?
You don’t have all your plans for retirement worked out yet, but you are certain that you do not want to continue living in your current house. The D.C. suburbs are for workaholics and ambitious students, not for carefree retirees like you. Therefore, you have decided to relocate to an area that better fits… Read More »
