Welcome to the Desert Law Group blog! Here you will find estate planning information and insights, helpful tips to preserve your wealth and protect your assets, and copies of our latest newsletters, Lawyer for Life, Elder Law Update, and Smart Aging Update.
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While sitting around the dinner table during the upcoming holidays, you might want to turn the conversation around to your estate plan. Telling your family members about your final wishes might just be the best gift you can give them. It could head off disagreements and hard feelings. Why talk about something so morbid at […]
A dilemma faced by many as we get older: is it time to accomplish things you haven’t accomplished yet, or time to reflect and just enjoy your remaining years. Although there are different points of view, an essay in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the latter choice might be better for some folks. The […]
The face of the American family is changing. That’s especially true where marriage is concerned. In California, of course, we welcomed same-sex marriage last year with the landmark verdict in Hollingsworth v. Perry. But that’s not the only change taking place in the American landscape. http://gty.im/sb10066175a-006 According to the Pew Research Center, one in five […]
Any number of things could be the cue to family and friends of older people to begin to realize the individuals are in need of help caring for themselves. A recent article on the website CareConversations.org, though, provides three very specific early signs that it’s time to take action. These are: Writing checks or withdrawing […]
For those of you who plan to file your 2014 tax return timely so that you can get your refund promptly, you should probably postpone your shopping spree. According to article by Stephen Ohlemacher of Associate Press, Congress again passed a tax bill this year just before shutting down for the holidays, extending more than […]
You’ve got plenty to do this time of year. Buy presents. Get a turkey. Decorate the house. But there’s one more thing that you should add to the list – update your estate plan. Your estate plan needs to change as often as your life changes, says an article on savannahnow.com. Maybe there is a […]
The estate tax exemption for 2015 has jumped to $5.43 million per person, up from $5.34 million, due to an adjustment for inflation, the IRS has announced. For a married couple, the combined exemption increases to nearly $11 million, notes a story in the Wall Street Journal. The annual gift exclusion, however, will remain at […]
Even though many people think so, retirement accounts are not included in wills. A story in Forbes points out that who gets the money invested in a retirement account such as an IRA depends on who is named on the account’s beneficiary form. Lots of people make mistakes when it comes to retirement accounts. They […]
Seniors often say, practically without exception, that they wish to grow old in their own homes. But, as a recent Huffington Post article by Rachel Adelson points out, the elderly also need to ensure they don’t sentence themselves to isolation and loneliness by doing so. “Although folks want to stay in familiar surroundings to be […]
Reverse mortgages seem like a good idea and it is in the right set of circumstances. They allow older homeowners to borrow against the value of their homes and the money doesn’t have to be paid back until they move or die. As a result, they have money to provide for themselves during their later […]
