Probate in Pennsylvania Can Be Less Complicated
I used to wonder why I often heard opinions expressed on late night television or read descriptions of the “horrors of probate,” when probate, while challenging for some, did not seem to me to justify the degree of intensity expressed. Sure, when there are complicated arrangements regarding property or, for that matter, dissenting beneficiaries, probate […]
Continue readingAt Home Services Are Different Between Medicare and Medicaid
One of the great confusions when seeking access to government health benefits is the similarity between the words “Medicare” and “Medicaid.” Even seasoned professionals in the field sometimes slip and use one word instead of the other. There are major differences between the two programs and one area where this becomes very clear is in […]
Continue readingForeign Travel Brings Health Insurance Considerations
You have made your plans and are on your way to vacation in a far off exotic vacation destination. Still, you might have forgotten something amid all the arrangements and packing. If you become ill or experience an accident or need to be evacuated back to the U.S. are you covered for care? The possibility […]
Continue readingWhat Are Your Responsibilities as Power of Attorney
If a family member or friend asks you to serve as power of attorney it is only fair to know what responsibilities you might assume and what other alternatives might be available. In some cases the absence of a power of attorney can have serious consequences when there is a crisis. It is good to […]
Continue readingSeniors Are On the Move – By Choice
Personal choice has affected senior moving trends and this has not slowed since COVID. If my personal experience with clients is any indicator there seem to be more seniors moving now that at any prior time in my practice. Some time ago in an article posted by Caring Transitions, “Senior Rightsizing: Trends Among Seniors Selling […]
Continue readingHow Much Should An Executor Be Paid for Administering An Estate
As might be expected the subject of executor’s fees arises as a regular topic when administering an estate. Some family members, not wanting to deal with dissention in the ranks or believing their duty is to effectuate their parent or loved one’s wishes without compensation, forego payment sometimes to their dismay at a later date. […]
Continue readingYes. You Inherited a House – Now What?
If your parents left you their house in their Will and you are now the proud owner of a family residence you might consider yourself blessed or the event could act as a cause for concern or rethinking of your future plans. Will you live there? Have you resided there all along and do you […]
Continue readingRelax In Drafting Estate Documents – You Can Change Your Mind
One of the most persistent problems I see for clients and others in drafting estate documents is the anxiety associated with making choices. The dialogue goes something like this – “If both my husband and I die, should my mother and father serve as guardians or my husbands’ parents?” That is a tough question especially […]
Continue readingWhat You Need To Know When The Public Health Emergency Ends
In the wild, complicated world of health insurance we are experiencing today, complicated further by three years of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it can be excusable to lose track of what is happening regarding health insurance coverage. It can even be more bewildering to discuss emergency actions taken and their relationship to Medicaid and other […]
Continue readingFinancial Calculators Might Not Account For Long Term Care
Before COVID-19 shut down any reasonable chance of doing so, in 2019 and 2020 I spent some serious time studying to become a Certified Financial Planner. This was in addition to my practice as an elder law attorney and my certification as a Certified Elder Law Attorney. Having completed all of the program requirements except […]
Continue readingPennsylvania’s Elder Law Attorneys Meet at Bedford
From February 23 through the 25th if anyone tried to reach me I was away at the 15th Annual PAELA Winter Conference in Bedford, Pennsylvania. It was no mere vacation trip but instead the annual opportunity to meet up with elder law attorneys statewide and to learn and bring back to the practice new knowledge […]
Continue readingAdvice If You Are Confused When Your Loved One Dies
You just faced the most difficult time of your life and feel you must make decisions soon. This may be so but some decisions are immediate and others can be deferred. Remember to distinguish what must be done now, soon, and later. If your husband, wife, mother, father, child or sibling dies you need to […]
Continue readingInexperience Leads to Problems and Opportunities Post COVID
Probably no experience in our lifetime so completely changed what we do and how we think as the COVID-19 pandemic. We still deal with the after effects in healthcare, business management, technology, views of the workplace, and socialization. Before COVID we probably never even considered or understood the concept of “supply chain.” We took for […]
Continue readingHousing Options When One Needs Help And One Does Not
Housing options for seniors have been the subject of many articles and I have myself made it the subject of columns many times. One subject that has not received much attention, however, is what to do when long standing couples find that one of them needs additional help and the other does not. The need […]
Continue readingPlan Your Health Insurance For Retirement
One of many decisions to be made by average Americans in planning for retirement is the decision what health insurance will follow them after. For those who have been covered by an employee plan that will follow them into retirement the decision may not be as critical. However, as employers look to reduce overhead, those […]
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