Category Archives for 2023
It’s Time To Go Back To School
Last weekend, while trying to set an appointment for a haircut I noticed every salon had at least a one hour wait or more. “Back to school” the hairdresser noted. She was right. Parents were getting their elementary and high school students ready to go back. While living in a “college town,” I could hardly […]
Continue readingThe Problems We Have Naming Contingent Beneficiaries
When planning your estate rarely will you experience difficulty naming your initial beneficiary or beneficiaries for your Will, IRA’s or life insurance. This observation is almost certain when it comes to designating your spouse if you have been in a long standing committed relationship. Also, when it comes to naming successor or contingent beneficiaries in […]
Continue readingThese Are Common Estate and Medicaid Myths
Since estate issues, one way or another, affect everyone over time (since death does) and since Medicaid planning has for many years been a topic of popular conversation – and popular misconceptions in the U.S., it is not unusual that both subjects have generated misunderstandings and, in some cases, folklore that has persisted. This continues […]
Continue readingWhen Is the Right Time for Hospice Care
Some time ago an excellent on-line publication, Next Avenue, dedicated to providing information for seniors, caregivers and those on their way to some day becoming seniors, published an article titled “When Is the Right Time for Hospice Care?” by John F. Wasik. The author had personal experience in that his father had been admitted and […]
Continue readingTwo Recent Supreme Court Consumer Cases Affect Seniors
In a rare demonstration of solidarity the Justices of the United States Supreme Court recently joined in a unanimous decision which ultimately favored an elderly woman regarding a tax sale of her property. The case was at least the second in the past few months that favored private rights under the U.S. Constitution and laws […]
Continue readingThese Are Considerations If Senior Community Is In Your Future
By now, if you are a senior, you have probably received marketing materials enticing you to move to a senior community whether in Pennsylvania or in another state – Florida, North Carolina, anyone? Especially if you live in an older home in a neighborhood undergoing multiple remodels these solicitations may come at the same time […]
Continue readingThe Risks and Considerations Involved In Cohabitation
Taking a simple Wikipedia definition, “cohabitation” is described as “an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together.” It goes on to state “hey are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long term or permanent basis.” However, the same source goes on to state that, “ore broadly, […]
Continue readingAdvice Column Triggers Negative Response For Elderly Woman
Over the weekend I read an advice column on-line connected with a major well-known newspaper. It was the kind where readers type in their concerns and problems and await a hopefully positive response. This request, from an older woman was unfortunately, from her perspective, not well received. Except, possibly, for my typed-in response, the answers […]
Continue readingThe Federal Student Loan Decision Discussed
Student loans have received a lot of attention lately in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating President Biden’s partial loan forgiveness program. The Court’s official summary stated in the case of Biden v. Nebraska et al. decided June 30, 2023, described the issues for the majority as follows: “Title IV of the […]
Continue readingAnswering Should I Add My Child’s Name To My Deed
Some questions tend to repeat themselves over time to the point as a practitioner I see them coming. One of those is “Should I add my child’s name to my Deed?” A closely related question is “Should I transfer the house to my son or daughter?” Although my usual answer to asset and estate questions […]
Continue readingJudge Jackson’s Majority Decision Affirms A Private Right
Last November I wrote a column regarding a case that was on its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case, as I described it then Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC) v. Talevski, was considering whether a private right exists for individuals to sue in federal court where a government operated Medicaid […]
Continue readingHow To Consider a Long Term Care Insurance Offer
Sometimes we are consulted by clients who hold long term care insurance contracts where premiums have risen substantially and the client would like to know how to handle the increased premium notice. Briefly, the question becomes is it worth it to continue under different terms or should the policy be permitted to lapse. There are […]
Continue readingSelf Care Is Needed For Caregivers
In my practice as an elder law attorney I frequently see caregiver clients stressed to the limit attempting to hold themselves to standards that might be almost unattainable even under the best of conditions. They often hold full time jobs or even more than one job while trying to raise their children while also caring […]
Continue readingAre You Disabled? It Depends On the Law
If you find yourself confused on the subject of disability it may be because there are several different and often contradictory definitions depending on the statute involved and the policy motivations. You may be considered disabled or not based on differences in the laws. Here are some examples. Americans With Disabilities Act. Under the Americans […]
Continue readingProbate 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 […]
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