Every estate planning attorney can tell you stories about bad, incomplete or absent estate plans that created havoc for families. From unfunded trusts- you do know that a trust must be funded, right?- to simply outdated plans, we have seen it all. In some cases, this has led to unnecessary delay and expense but in […]
Business owners should interview attorneys when they first start up new businesses, in order to have a ready legal counsel contact. You may need this person to advise you before you act and to help you react when something happens in your business. If you are sued or have an unexpected situation, you might not have […]
Most people do not realize that their estate might have to be probated more than once: once in New Hampshire because they are New Hampshire residents and once again in Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona or wherever they may own real estate. Some of those states can have very expensive Probate costs. Florida law, for example, allows […]
Nursing homes seem to be attempting to discharge their “more challenging” residents at an increasing pace. Reimbursements rates are static, Medicaid is very slow paying, and labor costs are rising- if the facility can find staff. As a result some nursing homes will attempt to discharge residents who are heavy care, noisy, or who otherwise […]
As a senior, there is a good chance that you, or your spouse if you are married, will need long-term care at some point. The Nursing Home Costs of that care will not be cheap. In fact, if you failed to plan ahead, your long-term care (LTC) costs could deplete your retirement nest egg in […]
When a new company is formed, attorneys tell them to “Put that in your company record book,” or “Make sure you keep a copy of that in your record book.” It’s as if this record book is the most vital part of a young company (arguably it is)…but just what is a record book? First […]
Should you prepare a Medicaid nursing home application yourself or hire an attorney? For some people, it might not make a difference but for others, attempting to file the application without legal help can prove to be financially disastrous. Even worse is letting the nursing home or some non-lawyer “Medicaid Specialist” prepare the application. Medicaid […]
A properly drafted standard revocable trust can be the beneficiary of an IRA- the key words being”properly drafted”. Using a trust as the beneficiary can be very helpful if the Grantor is concerned about asset protection for his or her beneficiaries. The US Supreme Court has ruled that, unlike normal IRA Beneficiary Trusts, inherited IRAs […]
Recently someone posted on a local Facebook site looking for recommendations for an attorney to form a limited liability company for the poster. The initial LLC Formations post got a few recommendations for good local business attorneys. But the post also received lots of advice from folks that told her that she should just go it […]
As the season for enjoying our lake or beach property is winding down, the issue of dealing with those properties in an estate plan may arise. The family vacation home is sometimes a very tough estate planning challenge. This is especially true when the beach or lake home has been in the family for years, […]
