Category Archives for 2013
Gandolfini Will and Estate Planning Lessons
When actor James Gandolfini, otherwise recognized as the character Tony Soprano of the HBO award winning series, “The Sopranos,” died recently and suddenly at a young age, he left behind assets valued at about $70 million and a Will. The Will which was made available publicly, has taken a fair amount of criticism from estate […]
Continue readingColumnist Expresses Gratitude For #1 Recognition
The process began with a request to my office in early July while I was on vacation to supply a “head shot” to Main Line Today magazine. It resulted in several phone calls back to the office. Since no one knew where I kept a standard photograph and the image in our website at www.collitonlaw.com […]
Continue readingA Medicaid Planning Strategy Disallowed
Since the federal government dramatically changed the rules for Medicaid eligibility for nursing home residents with the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act effective February, 2006, families have been struggling to understand what is permitted and what is not. This does not just apply to those who want to get ahead of the system but […]
Continue readingMandela Condition Raises End of Life Questions
When Nelson Mandela, human rights activist and former president of South Africa, entered the hospital about six weeks ago, his condition raised questions both in South Africa and around the world regarding end of life care. He does not now have a living will or health care surrogate appointed and there has been a great […]
Continue readingEmployer Insurance Mandate Delayed – Is Individual To Follow?
This kind of event does not happen often. In fact, in the past 16 years’ writing my column, it has never happened before that reliable sources contradicted each other. In this case, multiple sources reported as of last week that the employer mandate under ACA (Obamacare) to require employers to offer health insurance coverage to […]
Continue readingWhat Same Sex Marriage Means for Pennsylvania Now
By now most of us who have followed the news know that the U.S. Supreme Court in two recent cases changed the trajectory of same sex marriage, finding in one, United States v. Windsor, that the Defense of Marriage Act, otherwise known as DOMA, is unconstitutional and in the other, Hollingsworth v. Perry, that appeal […]
Continue readingIt May Be Time to Deconstruct Your Estate Plan
If you have any sort of sizeable estate and prepared your Will with an attorney’s assistance over the past 10 to 15 years, there is a reasonable possibility, especially if you are or were married with children, that your Will contained some fairly complicated wording. If the expressions “credit shelter trust,” “family trust,” “Q-Tip trust,” […]
Continue readingMedicare May Claim Against Some Awards
Seniors on Medicare who continue to work after age 65 but receive health care benefits through their employers may be the first to encounter the distinction between employer-based coverage which is considered “primary” and Medicare as “secondary.” Similarly, seniors and the disabled receiving coverage directly or indirectly through Medicare might find a claim placed against […]
Continue readingTwo Months Out Sequester Results Are Uneven
On March 5 my Daily Local News column discussed the impact of the federal government sequester on seniors. Now, almost two months later we are beginning to see the effects. As one example, while the Department of Veterans Affairs was itself exempted from the cuts, as matters play out, Veterans themselves are not necessarily unaffected. […]
Continue readingPhysical Therapy Crucial to Care
Personal experience can sometimes lead to helpful observations in your field. Using my focus on healthcare issues, experience over the past six months, has caused me to develop some conclusions regarding the critical need for quality physical therapy- check physical therapist Idaho Falls center. How that happened and the assistance that was given to cure […]
Continue readingClean Out the House Now
A year ago in April I wrote a column on Spring cleanout. It was one of the most popular ever. Here, with slight modification, are those observations updated… Spring is in the air finally and predictable warmth seems to be what gets people moving. Along those lines, one of the first resolutions for the […]
Continue readingLast Minute Tax Tips For Seniors
With Tax Day less than a week away, here are some tax suggestions with special significance for seniors that might be considered in filing your annual return. Be Sure to Maximize Medical Deductions Where Applicable. Although the medical deduction on Schedule “A” of the federal tax return, beginning with tax year 2013, will only apply […]
Continue readingHigh Court Finds Children Must Support Some Parents
If today were not the day after April Fools Day, it might seem a ruse to report that support of indigent parents by adult children in Pennsylvania is allowed to stand but it is true. In a process, known as allocatur, similar to certiorari used by the United States Supreme Court, the State Supreme Court […]
Continue readingWhen Do You Need Original Documents
If there is any question commonly asked about financial and estate documents, the most frequent is how long do they need to be kept. The answer to that question varies and can depend on circumstances. Where Medicaid might become an issue in paying for long term care, for instance, the government requires five years of […]
Continue readingNot Just a Will, You Need an Estate Plan
When discussing wills and estate planning, every once in awhile, the question arises – what happens where there is no Will? Hopefully, this question is not addressed for the first time after the death of a loved one. The answer could depend on whether all of your assets are non-probate, that is they are jointly […]
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