“So, you’ve decided that a family member won’t be getting an inheritance, after all. Maybe you have an ungrateful or irresponsible family member you want to cut out of the will.” If there’s someone you believe is more deserving or needs more of your help, that may mean someone else in your life may receive […]

“The possibility that a power of attorney might be rejected may be one reason not to simply pull a form off the internet and hope it will be accepted.” It is frustrating when a bank or other financial institution declines a Power of Attorney. It might be that the form is too old, the bank […]

“When should you sign up for Social Security? It is a good question. Many seniors grapple with that decision, and understandably so, since the age at which you claim benefits will dictate how much money you will receive each month during retirement.” There’s an unfortunate tendency to focus on how to get the most out […]

“Probate and trust administration are not the same. There are important differences and similarities between administering a decedent’s probate estate and administering a decedent’s trust estate.” Many people get these two things confused. A recent article, “Appreciating the differences between probate and trust administration” from Lake County News clarifies the distinctions. Let’s start with probate, […]

“Medicare has a series of income limits that trigger increasingly higher payments for retirees. And it’s not just the rich who are affected.” A 70% increase in Medicare premiums to $559 was a complete surprise to a woman who became a single taxpayer when her husband died. She felt like she was being punished for […]

“Orlando Cepeda wants to know where his money went. He also wants to learn what happened to all of his baseball memorabilia, including his 1967 National League Most Valuable Player Award, and wants to be made whole.” Eighty-two-year-old Giants great Orlando Cepeda filed a lawsuit against his daughter-in-law Camille Cepeda alleging elder financial abuse, fraud […]

“By discussing finances with your children early and often, you can set them—and future generations—up for success, when it’s time to receive the wealth you’ve accrued.” Almost three quarters of the wealthiest people in the world—those whose net worth is higher than $30 million—are self-made, according to a Wealth-X report. Look closer into the world’s […]

“Talking about death makes most of us uncomfortable, so we don’t plan for it. That’s a big mistake, because if you don’t have an end-of-life plan, your state’s laws decide who gets everything you own.” Without an end of life plan, a doctor you’ve never even met might decide how you spend your last moments, […]

“The late ‘Siegfried & Roy’ star, Roy Horn, named lifelong friend and performance partner, Siegfried Fischbacher as the executor of his multi-million-dollar estate, according to his will filed in Las Vegas courts.” Legal documents revealed that performer Roy Horn’s last will and testament was filed in the Las Vegas courts on June 18, 2020, according […]

Special Needs Trust Pitfalls: Planning for Parents “Both the state and federal government, administered through the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Medicaid provide disabled individuals with a variety of life enhancing, and sometimes life sustaining, public benefits.” Public benefits for disabled individuals include health care, supplemental income, and resources, like day programs and other vital […]