In the News: What Does it Mean to Have a Health Care Directive?
There seems to be a lot of fear around President Obama’s proposed healthcare reforms, most of that fear centering on the end-of-life planning included in the proposal. As a firm that deals with elder law issues, it is important to us that our clients be informed about their choices as to health care and end-of-life […]
Read more A Daytime Solution for Working Caregivers
I just returned from a week-long legal conference in Chicago. Several classes attended were focused on long term care planning and the available options. According to a study done by the AARP over 34 million people provide care to ill or disabled adults aged 50 or over, and with the aging baby boomer population (and […]
Read more Back to School: Emergency Contacts Lead to Thoughts of Guardianship
August is upon us, the summer is drawing to a close, and the school year is about to begin. For many parents this means it’s time to fill out the beginning of school paperwork again: health, release, and emergency contact forms. Although many parents look upon these forms as a time-consuming necessary evil, they can […]
Read more Mom Passed Away and I’m Her Executor… Now What?
Dealing with the death of a family member—especially when that family member is a parent—can be fraught with confusion and emotion even under the best of circumstances. Being named as the executor of the deceased’s estate (although often considered an honor) means that you have to have a clearer head and more patience than everyone […]
Read more A Living Will Is Good For You, Good For The Country
President Obama’s pet project of health care reform seems to have a lot of people worried. His talk of living wills encouraging people to specify their end-of-life wishes in particular are the topics bandied about most often in tense (or downright frightened) conversations. Some people seem to think that the very act of specifying your […]
Read more So Happy Together…
Many of our clients come to our firm not just for an estate plan, but as part of a larger goal to get serious about their finances and protect their assets and family. An estate plan is a HUGE step toward that goal, but it is only one step. Other steps include being proactive about […]
Read more “Second Childishness and Mere Oblivion”
Shakespeare wrote about the seven ages of man, in which he describes the human journey from helpless child to adult and back to helpless child again: “…Infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childhood, ‘sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything’”. Anyone who has had to watch as their parents age knows how […]
Read more Medicaid (Medi-Cal) Fact and Fallacy
Health Care is one of the Obama Administration’s pet projects, and ever since President Obama took office there has been a lot of media attention and speculation about the national health care system and what changes (for good or ill) may be in store. Of course, the backbone of our national health care program is […]
Read more Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Many of our clients provide care for their elderly loved ones; some even providing constant, around the clock care. Care-giving is a demanding, overwhelming, and often grossly under-appreciated job. In addition to giving up their own time, needs and interests, caregivers have to watch someone they love slowly regress and lose the ability to do […]
Read more Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Wills and Trusts
It is human nature to want to be as informed as possible before making big decisions, and although we all know how important it is, the decision to create an estate plan is a BIG one. Most people like to do a little research and asking around before putting themselves at the mercy of an […]
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