All posts by Janet Colliton
The Client Centered Law Firm
Maybe it is because we are approaching the October, 2026 come together event known as CLIO CON in Boston, an annual meeting of attorneys and software developers working through AI and software solutions to solve clients’ issues, or maybe it is because I keep encountering clients who are struggling to find answers to seemingly unsolvable […]
Continue readingHow TOD Might Cause Pennsylvania Estate Problems
At first glance it might seem that Transfer On Death (TOD) Accounts (which may also be referred to as Payable On Death (POD) Accounts) should be the answer to an estate planner’s dreams. The idea is that the owner holds the account during lifetime but designates one or more beneficiaries to receive the balance to […]
Continue readingWhy the Pennsylvania Primary Election Matters
On publication of this column the Pennsylvania Primary Election will be only two days away. It would be tempting to disregard the Primary if you are accustomed to voting only in the “General” election in November or, if you vote by mail, you might have already returned your ballot and this exhortation is unnecessary. (Note. […]
Continue readingAdventures in AI for Senior Entrepreneurs
Almost ten years ago, in 2017 I referenced an article appearing in the online publication, Next Avenue, www.nextavenue.org , where the subject was “At What Age Are You Too Old to Manage Your Money?” Fast forward to 2026 the same online publication, Next Avenue, raised an entirely different, but related, issue. Today the question raised […]
Continue readingABLE Accounts Expand Their Reach
In the often discouraging search to locate help for disabled clients since last year’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, one bright spot, although unrelated to that legislation, is a federal law that went into effect on January 1, 2026. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act is a long awaited measure passed without major controversy […]
Continue readingA Rocket A Book and Technology’s Future
On April 1, 2026, America launched Artemis II, a human equipped spaceship, into its spectacular voyage to the far corners of the moon. On the same day I grabbed my latest edition of a book, “Microsoft Office 365 All-In-One For Dummies (2nd edition)” while leaving the office. While the events appear to have nothing in […]
Continue readingIn Defense of Will Based Planning
Spring is here – or almost so – and, with the season comes multiple invitations to attend programs espousing the use of trusts, living or otherwise, as a means to achieve estate planning objectives. There is nothing wrong with this, of course, and trusts are a valid method to attain certain goals However, this process […]
Continue readingRetirement Options and Choices, What Has Changed?
When I first began my practice in elder law in Chester County, Pennsylvania the choices retirees confronted varied quite a bit from those faced today. Generally speaking, clients in the Philadelphia suburbs where most of my clients were located then, were typical “middle class” couples, individuals, and families who were neither extremely wealthy nor seriously […]
Continue readingAI Is Here – Is That Good or Not So Good
Artificial Intelligence or “AI”, surrounds us, it seems, at every step today. It might be thought of as an ever present but not always considered atmosphere in which we work and live – that is, in that way, like air. It has been criticized as replacing humans in some routinized professions but also praised as […]
Continue readingIndecision and Decision – Continuing Care Retirement Communities
If you are approaching retirement or have already arrived you probably have received one – or several – invitations to come to a social and consider a new or established Continuing Care Retirement Community. The choices can be daunting. When I first began my elder law practice years ago choices were more limited. Today, especially […]
Continue readingHealth Insurance Debates – Not Over Till It’s Over
Just when you thought you had everything settled and you knew everything – which meant you knew nothing new might appear on the horizon regarding the One Big Beautiful Bill, healthcare, Obamacare, subsidies, health insurance and everything related you once again find the map turned upside down and you start over again – or almost. […]
Continue readingA Healthcare Concern Broken Promise
It is not even New Year’s Day and I have already broken a promise to myself for the New Year. I had promised not to write another column about healthinsurance, Obamacare, subsidies, and the Marketplace before the end of this year and the beginning of the next. Still the story continued and the debate did […]
Continue readingObamacare Debate Defines End of the Year
To understand the fiscal tension in Congress defining the end of 2025 it is helpful to grasp it as a debate between continuing health care subsidies on which average Americans have come to rely to be able to receive medications, treatment, hospitalization and other medical services and continuing and extending tax breaks to the most […]
Continue readingHow QCD’s Save Taxes and Benefit Charities
One useful end of year tax strategy that brings with it aid for struggling charities is the QCD or Qualified Charitable Distribution. In fact, there may be few actions providing as much satisfaction as knowing that, at the same time you are reducing your personal federal income taxes you can be benefiting your favorite charities. […]
Continue readingObamacare, Trump Care and Other
If you are confused regarding heath care options today you could join a large club so to speak along with huge numbers of other Americans including policy makers, insurers, brokers and even elder law and health care attorneys. Insurance can be complicated. When discussing the “open enrollment period,”for instance, you should know a difference between […]
Continue reading