A Critical Stake Seniors Might Have In The 2020 Elections
Coming close to election day some matters of serious concern escape attention. One of these is what effect the outcome of the elections will have on seniors who constitute a major voting block and, as frequently stated, seniors tend to vote. Remember that voting affects not only the Presidential election but also a multitude of […]
Continue readingIs Vote By Mail Safe?
With the upcoming Presidential and General Election, questions have been floated whether Vote By Mail which has been expanded recently in Pennsylvania, is safe. Readers will be glad to know this method is safe and reliable and might even be more safe than voting in person. More on this later. Vote By Mail has actually […]
Continue readingGifting Rules – Do I Owe Taxes If I Gift More Than $15,000
As we begin the last quarter of the year some taxpayers begin to question whether it would be smart to gift some of their estates to their children or others or to charities on the theory that it would leave less to be taxed on their death. They understand they have heard something about limiting […]
Continue readingAre Social Security and Medicare On The Chopping Block
Most of the time I try in columns to take what is referred to as a “balanced view” meaning there are reasonable arguments on both sides and the opposition needs to be considered. When it comes to Social Security and Medicare, however, two programs dear to my heart that I deal with every day as […]
Continue readingWhat Can You Do If A Trust No Longer Works?
Estate planning using Wills in Pennsylvania is relatively simple, all things considered, and is the most common framework for most families and individuals. However, sometimes those same individuals or families might feel a need for a trust. The idea’s origin could come from reading an article or attending a program on trusts or from […]
Continue readingWhat To Do With An Executive Order On Relief
Last week, when it appeared negotiations between Democrats and Republicans were breaking down, the President issued an Executive Order and three memoranda with supposed relief for beleaguered individuals and families in the middle of what is likely the most serious financial and health care crisis of our time. Several questions come to mind. Is the […]
Continue readingStrategies for Income Uncertainty During Covid-19
Financial planning during normal times can be difficult enough. In crisis and times of uncertainty such as those we are now experiencing, it can become even more challenging. This applies both to individuals and families who have resources to weather the storm and those who struggle with greater odds and in ways they never did […]
Continue readingMoving During Covid-19
In times of crisis such as what we are experiencing now with Covid-19 when families are concerned regarding the safety of parents and adult children, they may want to combine family units. It seems more of us are moving to be together. Plans to move, long postponed, are given new life. I see it with […]
Continue readingThe “What If” Questions To Ask When Planning
Over the years handling estate planning and working through financial plans with clients I have often thought “Now I have seen everything.” Then in the next day or week I meet a new client or reconnect with a current one and find there really is no end to the twists and turns that life can […]
Continue readingWhen Is At Home Care Realistic For The Seriously Ill?
A few years ago I received a phone call at the office from a man with an unusual suggestion. He noted he was a stroke victim and confined to bed after hospitalization. He called me because he knew I am an elder law attorney. He stated he wanted to stay at home and suggested he […]
Continue readingWhat To Know If Your Bank Refuses Your Power of Attorney
From time to time we come across a situation when a bank refuses to accept a power of attorney. It might be a question of formatting or witnessing or the bank might want to have the individual use the bank or financial institution’s standard form. The possibility that a power of attorney might be rejected […]
Continue readingSearching for Lost Time in a New Phase of Covid-19
The Washington Post recently published an article “In Search of Lost Time” that encapsulated a view that is right on except it might have been published somewhat too soon for much of the country, especially the South and the West. Because we do not yet know what states are gaining and which are losing in […]
Continue readingPlanning For Life After Retirement
I sometimes say to clients when planning “if you could tell me when you are going to die, when your spouse will die, and who will get sick and when, I can write you an amazing retirement and estate plan!” Things being as they are, we unfortunately (or fortunately) do not know the answers to […]
Continue readingQuestions To Ask Nursing Homes During Covid-19
Families facing long term care for parents and husbands and wives have always struggled to answer questions, some of them obvious, like how long is the stay, how much will it cost, what treatments and therapy are being provided, and is the care covered by health insurance and, if not, then what. Our office […]
Continue readingMoving From Red to Yellow For Business and Life
Only a few months ago the expression “moving from red to yellow” would have had no significance for Americans. Today, as I drive or walk through our town of West Chester, Pennsylvania and travel through Pennsylvania and surrounding states, the term means a great deal. There is no chronicler as such of what is occurring […]
Continue reading