What Obamacare Got Right
Sometimes surprises arrive in the mail that quietly tell you how a new law is working or not. This has recently been true for me of the Affordable Care Act, popularly referenced as Obamacare. Honestly, it is rare when I receive mail at home from my health insurer and it brings good news. I expected […]
Continue readingReimbursement for Beleagured Families – Family Agreements and Private Reverse Mortgages
Sometimes family members caring for an aging and physically disabled relative, lose track of the fact that they need care themselves. They may not have a Will or a Power of Attorney. They may also never have never thought of whether the services they provide should be compensated. This factor is especially significant in Pennsylvania […]
Continue readingUniform Guardianship Act (Anti-Granny Snatching) Passed in Pennsylvania
Laws, even popular and necessary ones, take some time to travel through the system. This fact became apparent again when Pennsylvania passed its version of a model uniform law for guardians with the jaw breaking title of the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (UAGPPJA). The law will go into effect on September […]
Continue readingPennsylvania Case Finds Children Could Pay for Support of Parents
If you are wondering where money might come in the future to pay for nursing home and medical care for your parents, you may not have far to look. It may be from you. A Pennsylvania Superior Court case decided in May of this year interpreted a law passed in July, 2005 to find that […]
Continue readingLittle Known Social Security Benefits Can Increase Income
If you think of Social Security retirement benefits as only achoice between claiming for retirement on reaching age 62 , age 66 for full retirement benefits, and age 70 for more expansive benefits, you may be short changing yourself on some of the varied opportunities under the Act. Here are just a few options available […]
Continue readingForecasting The Future of Health Care for Seniors
Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of being guest speaker at the Annual Luncheon of the Women’s Auxiliary to Chester County Hospital held at the Hershey’s Mill Golf Club. Betty Hindorff, my contact with the group, and Joan Atkins, its President, could not have been more gracious along with the other ladies attending and a […]
Continue readingSenior Travel – Never Too Old To Play
You may not know it yet but, if you are over age 65, you have been given specific permission and encouragement to enjoy yourself especially this month. May is “Older Americans Month” and the theme this year is “Never Too Old To Play.” Janice Jacobs, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, the U.S. agency charged with […]
Continue readingAffordable Care Act Results in Rebates From Insurers
If you have been struggling under high health insurance rates, one result of the Affordable Care Act (otherwise referred to as “Obamacare”) will not immediately and sizeably reduce your premiums but could be regarded as a step in the right direction. Rebates from health insurers for 2011 are expected to be issued to an estimated […]
Continue readingMaximize Your Social Security Returns
When approaching retirement age, one of the decisions faced by workers and retirees is when to begin claiming Social Security benefits. A misstep here could actually cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a long life. Here are some considerations. Naturally, individual circumstances require individualized planning. Claiming at Age 62 – the […]
Continue readingUnfamiliar Social Security Strategies Can Benefit Married Couples
Considering the low return on many investments today, it may be that knowing Social Security payout rules may be one of the most valuable investments in time you can make when approaching retirement. Of all the rules, one, known as the “file and suspend” strategy might be particularly valuable for married couples especially where one […]
Continue readingConsider Growth of Elders As An Opportunity
As we hear almost daily, America’s population and much of the world’s population is growing older. Based on these demographics, planners have advanced dire predictions. Social Security will dwindle. Caregivers will be needed for the sick and infirm. Retirement could be delayed. But suppose that, with all of the talk of gloom and doom, the […]
Continue readingReasons Not To Transfer the House With Three Exceptions
When discussing asset protection with seniors, a recurring theme raised by clients is the notion that the way to handle Medicaid is to transfer assets, especially the family residence, into the names of the children and then wait five years hoping not to get sick. This is definitely not the best planning strategy and, unfortunately […]
Continue readingWhat Are the Facts Behind the Food Stamp Debate
As the presidential election season intensifies, one subject that has been moved from obscurity to the forefront is the availability of “food stamps” for American families. Much like the old “welfare” debate of the 1990’s which essentially ended when welfare reform went into place in the Clinton administration, the food stamp program became a presumed […]
Continue readingElder Law Attorneys Meet in Texas to Share Solutions
Sometimes coincidental meetings, however brief, cause you to pause and consider the significance of what you are doing. This happened to me last Saturday at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys’ “Unprogram” held in Grapevine, Texas. Having taken Thursday and the extended weekend “off” to catch up on new developments in elder law, I […]
Continue readingConsider Social Security As Part of Your Investment Strategy
Last month as my office was closing down 2011, a friend and financial planner, Peter Mullen of Sherpa Financial, sent me an e-mail with the subject “How Much is Your Social Security Worth (to You)?” I felt I knew a bit about Social Security, having recently edited the Social Security portion of a book expected […]
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