As an elder law attorney, I used to roll my eyes (at least internally) when a financial guru espoused the benefits of revocable living trusts.  My thought process was that a trust can cost a client a lot of money to form and should be recommended only when there was a specific reason to do [...]

Back in January, this year was shaping up as a big one in the estate planning world: the passage of the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act) in December 2019 and the upcoming presidential election were already presenting new challenges and opportunities.  Little did we know what the spring would hold.  [...]

Elder Law Lessons from Our Pandemic Spring: Three Practical Steps to Take Now We are all holding our breath to see how the current pandemic will unfold as we head into the fall.  In times of uncertainty, taking small, proactive steps can be of vital importance.  Below are three practical steps that we can all [...]

As of October 1, 2020, applicants for Medicaid community home-care services will face a much more complicated approval process and a greatly increased chance of facing penalties and ineligibility. Until October 1, 2020, Medicaid applicants will only need to submit one month of financial statements to the Medicaid regulators for review.  When the new rule [...]

By Emily Joseph Permit me to begin with a personal statement: I love paper, especially the heavy cotton paper often used for Wills. A raised notary seal gives me actual joy. Also, beyond the sentimentality, there are very real reasons, notably fraud and abuse, that members of the trusts and estates community and our institutions [...]

You wash your hands twenty times per day, wear a mask when walking outdoors, and put on gloves when touching the elevator button. You believe you have taken every precaution to ensure your own health and safety in these unprecedented times, but are you legally prepared? We are unfortunately seeing how COVID-19 can affect someone’s [...]