Elder Law
Protecting Your House After Moving to a Nursing Home
Medicaid provides a variety of healthcare benefits but may recoup spending on beneficiaries after they die by seizing assets in their estate, such as houses. However, you can take steps to protect your home from Medicaid estate recovery. If you are preparing to move yourself or a parent to a nursing home, you need to…
Read MoreMedicaid Eligibility and Elder Law
The federal Medicaid program is designed to ensure senior citizens have long-term health care, but it has financial eligibility requirements that should be considered well ahead of the need for Medicaid benefits. Qualifying for Medicaid often requires applicants to spend down their assets to meet the eligibility requirements. This should be a planned distribution of…
Read MoreHow Elder Law Will Look Like After COVID-19
Just as so many baby boomers and other Americans are entering the stage of life when they want to reap the rewards of a lifetime of work, the COVID-19 coronavirus has disrupted everything. Those of us who assist seniors with elder law matters are seeing the changes from both sides as we adapt and work…
Read MorePlanning on Working Part Time During Retirement?
There are pros and cons to working during retirement, even if you are just working part time. You’ll need to know how the additional income impacts your Social Security and retirement account distributions. Not everyone’s idea of a blissful retirement includes a life of full-time hobbies. For those who want or need to keep working,…
Read MoreHalloween’s Long Gone—Make Sure You Don’t Have Any Skeletons in Your Financial Closet
While the headline is all in fun, hidden “skeletons” in your financial closet could seriously impact your financial well being, including threatening your retirement. No matter what your income level is, anyone can be knocked out of their fiscal security, reports a recent article in The Kansas City Star, “Financial skeletons to clean out of…
Read MoreHow Millions of Americans Manage to Care for Older Adults and Those with Dementia
The number of Americans who provide home care for older adults and adults with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia is staggering. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 41 million Americans provide care to older adults. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than 15 million provide care for someone with dementia. The…
Read MoreGetting Paid to Take Care of Your Aging Parents
More family members than you’d imagine, do step up to take care of their elderly parents, losing time that would otherwise be devoted to other family members, their careers or self-care. Most go unpaid, but that may be changing. The financial and emotional stress of taking care of elderly parents or sick loved ones can…
Read MoreDon’t Get Stuck in a Nannygate Tax Situation
Even if you are not a high profile politician being considered for public office, you should know that the so-called “nanny tax” refers to any household employee, including caregivers and housekeepers. Remember Zoë Baird? She was on track to be the first female U.S. attorney general in 1993, when it was revealed that she had…
Read MoreAsking Aunt Sarah to Leave Her Home to Move to a Nursing Facility
This is one of the hardest parts of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or who is simply no longer able to take care of themselves safely and properly. It starts with an aide who comes by a few times a week to take care of an ailing parent, then gradually progresses until one…
Read MoreSocial Security and Timing: What You Need to Know
Knowing when to start taking Social Security can make a significant difference in your household cash flow in retirement. You want to make the smartest decision possible, when it comes to taking your Social Security benefit, but it’s not always clear what the best choice is. Kiplinger’s “5 Keys to Your Social Security Benefits Strategy,”…
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