As size of estates increase, so do the number of challenges. However, success isn’t easy to come by. As the number of wealthy estates increase, both the U.S. and Canada find themselves in challenges brought about by people who believe they didn’t get their fair share, according to The Globe and Mail in “Left out of […]

Since a plan is required when a Medicare patient leaves a hospital, it is best if the patient and family check into their potential options and the accuracy of information they have received. Medicare requires that a plan for care be developed with a social worker when a patient is about to be discharged and […]

Hundreds of scammers face charges of defrauding elderly. Local law enforcement and elder law attorneys are sympathetic when they hear of scams aimed at the elderly, but they are often unable to do much. The government has a plan to bring the scammers to justice, according to a recent FBI announcement “Law Enforcement Action Aimed […]

A challenge can be created when one child is responsible, and others aren’t. Varying degrees of financial responsibility by children can be a challenge to creating an estate plan, according to Market Watch in “My son is responsible, my daughter is in debt — how do I split my estate?“. A common way to meet […]

You can’t necessarily prevent being incapacitated. However, you can make plans, just in case it should occur. There are no age requirements for disabling accidents or illnesses, so it would be wise for everyone to plan for what would happen if they were to be incapacitated. It is not difficult, according to TC Palm in “Be […]

Create a second trust and the first is revoked? It doesn’t work that way. A common question was presented to a column about trusts, according to the NWI Times in “Can an individual establish more than one trust?“. The question was if a second trust wipes out the first trust. The confusion over trusts is […]

New scams continue to increase, as well as old scams. Among the most common scams aimed at the elderly, involve their grandchildren or the IRS, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in “As senior population grows, so do scams targeting their money.” A common one is for an unknown person to call a grandparent and […]

In trying to avoid probate, people can find themselves getting the opposite results. Many people do not realize that probate courts handle more things than just wills and can’t always be avoided, according to WLTX19 in “Man spends thousands in probate costs to help wife with dementia.” Consider the case of one elderly couple in […]

Estate planning is one of those things that is better done now, rather than waiting until later. That can actually be too late. The question comes up about finding the right time to set up an estate plan as life marches forward. However, the one certainty is that you will always be better off with […]

11 years after his death, the singer’s estate remains unsettled. Soul singer James Brown passed away in 2006, leaving millions to poor children in Georgia and South Carolina. However, none of the money has been given to the children because the estate is bogged down in numerous lawsuits, according to The New York Times in […]