All posts by Janet Colliton

Why There Is No Simple Will

Simple Will

With software programs today like LegalZoom and doyourownwill.com, consumers might get the idea that anyone could prepare a Will.  Truth be told, almost anyone can prepare a Will.  Whether it will accomplish the objectives of the person drafting it is another matter.  Usually people want to know that their assets will pass to the people […]

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Financial Solutions for Cash Poor But Real Estate Rich Seniors

Real Estate Rich Seniors

Suppose you are a senior struggling to pay the montly bills but have been wise enough to have paid off your house entirely.  Your monthly income is limited to Social Security and you have, in addition to the obvious regular bills such as groceries, utilities, the various insurances, and routine home maintenance, the larger issues […]

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PACE and PACENET Prescription Rules Relaxed

PACE and PACENET Prescription

A very recent change in the law for qualifying for PACE and PACENET prescription drug assistance from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can make many thousands more Pennsylvanians eligible for help. PACE and PACENET are well-known programs administered by the State that help seniors faced with high prescription drug costs.  One of the main qualifying factors […]

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See Your Folks’ Site Encourages Family Interaction

One message I did not expect to find recently in browsing through Twitter postings was a link to Ryan Holmes of Hoot Suite fame and his commentary on work-life balance and seeing your elder parents more often.  After all, Twitter is a social media networking and microblogging service and Hoot Suite is a social media […]

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Deciding When Nursing Home Care Is Needed

When Nursing Home Care is Needed

To listen to and read about care for seniors and the seriously disabled, you might develop the impression that everyone can be cared for at home with only a few minor adjustments.  While it is safe to say that, as an elder law attorney, I rarely hear people coming to my office saying “Everything is […]

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Medicaid, Nursing Homes and Myths

medicaid nursing home

Having worked with families for many years who are confronting long term care, I have to admit I see some changes.  The most significant have to do with some of the myths surrounding care.  What has not changed is denial. Here are some of the major myths today. I’ll never get sick but if I […]

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Insights As Elder Law Attorneys Meet in Texas

Sometimes people wonder what difference it makes to belong to a national organization in your field.  I would answer for elder law attorneys that the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the grandfather of elder law organizations to which I belong, it does matter.   It matters because the national organization gives the “broad view” […]

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Know When To Use Revocable Or Irrevocable Trusts

In dealing with Medicaid structuring and estate planning, I am often asked whether a trust could be the answer. Trusts are not an easy subject to understand.  There are different kinds and the laws and regulations keep changing.  Even when we have the right answers, Congress or a state legislature or a Court decision may […]

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Should You Tell Your Children What They Will Inherit?

So, it is after the beginning of the New Year and you have decided to redraft your old Will and Financial and Health Care Powers of Attorney along with your Living Will or Advance Health Care Directive.  The next question to ask yourself is “Should I tell my children?” The question is not as easy […]

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Business Succession Planning Reaches Prime Time

Did you check my blog because you have queries about business succession? Well, business succession planning issues have finally reached prime time television attention with a new comedy this season on CBS, “The Crazy Ones,” starring well-known Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a father and daughter team holding a long-time advertising agency, Roberts […]

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Keep Best of Old and New In Technology and Life

On returning from probating a new estate at the Lancaster County Courthouse with a client, I made a point last week to stop by an old favorite location of mine in Gap, Pennsylvania in the midst of “Amish country”. My special stop in Gap was to determine whether an old custom of mine was still […]

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Legislation for Disabled Children Of Veterans Needs Passage

From time to time I hear people exclaiming that an idea is a “no-brainer” meaning, of course, that you do not have to think about it, it is so obviously true.  I sometimes find myself on the other side even with some “no-brainers” but here is one that I think a listener would be hard […]

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What Happens With a CCRC When You Run Out of Money

When clients ask me to review an agreement to enter a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), the most frequently asked question is “what happens if I run out of money?” The issue may be presented in another way such as “what are the major risks?” or “Will I have to move if I run out […]

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“Empty Mansions” Is a Case Study for Estate Planners

Suppose you were an attorney or an accountant and your client with net worth of over $300,000,000 decided she did not feel like writing a Will.  Worse, she has no children, has had minimal or no contact with multiple distant relatives who would inherit without a Will, and has no tax planning by way of […]

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Giving Thanks and Getting Help for Thanksgiving

The turkey is in the oven and you are ready to join the madness of Black Friday shopping or maybe you decided to avoid the rush and try to relax at home.  The operative expression is “try” to relax if you are a caregiver for an elderly or disabled family member.  You might even be […]

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