The most difficult time of your life might also be the time when you most need to pull everything together businesswise for gaming and forge ahead. If your husband, wife, mother, father, child or sibling dies you need to know your rights and responsibilities and what to do next. Here is some information to help. […]
Continue readingTo avoid suspense and provide a spoiler alert I can say, generally speaking, federal income tax is not payable on inheritances. This should come as a relief to potential beneficiaries concerned that a prospective inheritance would move them to a higher tax bracket. Not so. However, there are other taxes that, depending on the jurisdiction, […]
Continue readingSuppose when your great uncle Jim died you did not know you were appointed executor of his estate or that he was a hoarder. You had heard of hoarding as a national problem and maybe even listened to the television series. If you found yourself in this situation or it might occur in the future, […]
Continue readingCOVID-19 changed many things – not the least of which may be how and where we live. In working with clients I noticed repeated patterns of children moving in with parents and grandparents, where adult children often bring along their own extended families. While in the earlier days of COVID much was made of how […]
Continue readingOn November 10, 2020 I wrote a column “The Affordable Care Act Is On the Line – Again” referencing a case before the United States Supreme Court. This past week on June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court in the same case, Texas v. California, as I predicted, upheld the Act – again. This was the […]
Continue readingJust returned from a brief vacation to Long Beach Island, New Jersey, I had a chance while there to browse and make some observations about The Five Most Important Types of Business Management, businesses reopened, redesigned, and those not to reopen probably ever again. There were triumphs and tragedies. One of my favorite book stores […]
Continue readingThere is a reason why elder law attorneys serious about the practice decide to join the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and, in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA). The reason is that the laws, regulations and practices can differ widely from state to state and sometimes even from different […]
Continue readingIn my column last week I asked the question why did so many people – at least so far – not return to work. This was based on national reports that employers are experiencing difficulties locating employees to fill positions. The phrasing of the question might have been a bit unfair. There could have simply […]
Continue readingOne mystifying feature, among many, of the COVID-19 pandemic is that, now when employers are cautiously reopening and looking for employees to return to work, employers are experiencing difficulty. The April, 2021 jobs report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics www.bls.gov showed the U.S. economy added and filled 266,000 jobs. As commentators have noted, […]
Continue readingAs Bill and Melinda Gates prepare for their upcoming divorce, questions arose regarding what that does to their overall plans for the future, like anyone who approaches divorce attorneys or child support lawyers. When a couple worth megabillions splits what happens to all they have built together? One answer is they have a previously arranged […]
Continue readingOne baffling question when dealing with Wills and Estate Plans is what should happen to your residence when you die. If one of your children expresses an interest in buying it and you agree, how do you incorporate that desire into the Will? The question is not limited to your home. There may be a […]
Continue readingLast October I authored a few columns outlining procedures for voting under Pennsylvania’s relatively recent voter laws. We are now into primary voting season with election day on May 18 and it seemed time to revisit those observations. As with interpretation of any new laws, this process is at the writer’s peril. So, here goes […]
Continue readingIf you just finished your long awaited surgery and decide to go home but need additional help, Medicare may have help for you. Even if you are not on Medicare your private health insurance might also have provisions for at-home assistance. Here are some descriptions of the types of help available and what they can […]
Continue readingWe do not realize it but, throughout life we are constantly planning and also changing plans. High schoolers plan for admission to college. Young couples lay out their wedding plans in details. Married couples decide whether and when to have children. Then, the university your child planned to attend might not accept him. COVID 19 […]
Continue readingLawyers typically consider the detailed tax and distribution planning involved in estates but the human aspect matters at least as much. Estate plans that consider disabled children, especially those who are still minors, can include planning that most parents might not realize. One way to handle this is with a writing separate from the Will […]
Continue reading