Category Archives: Estate Planning

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 »

Providing Financial Support To Your Children Requires Strategy
You would be within your rights to decide that, now that your children are grown up, your income and your retirement savings are for you and no one else. Your goal is to be able to support yourself in retirement without depending on any family members except your spouse, and if there is anything… Read More »

If You Live With Your Parents, Their Estate Plan Is Your Problem
Being part of the “sandwich generation” is one of the most difficult phases of life. An article published on Slate several years ago reported that the seniors that the authors interviewed chose their late 40s as the most stressful time of their lives. Although the survey respondents listed a variety of reasons for their… Read More »

Does Your Estate Plan Account For Family Caregiving Obligations?
Estate planning is about more than just financial decisions. It is possible to spend years changing your mind about how much money you will need to save so that you will have enough if you use four percent of your savings each year, and even longer trying to find an alternative to the four… Read More »