The Snapshot Date in Medicaid Planning
The Medicaid Date The snapshot date in Medicaid planning is simply the date that the person entered the nursing home, and therefore is “locked in” to how their assets were arranged at that time. More specifically, it is the first day of the first month in which the person enters the nursing home and is […]
Top 3 Things That Overcomplicate an Estate
No Need to Overcomplicate an Estate Far too often, the general public has ideas about estate planning they get from popular television shows to the point they believe that it is mandatory to have a lawyer read the will to a well-dressed family in front of a roaring fireplace with everyone sipping brandy from large […]
Medicaid Whoopsies vol. 1
Medicaid Planning When it comes to Medicaid Planning, there are tons of loopholes that can help a family preserve a lot of assets and have a loved one still qualify for nursing home Medicaid. On the other hand, this also means there are a lot of opportunities for people to “go rogue” and make mistakes […]
Should I do a Will or Trust
This question of a will or trust comes up all of the time when it comes to estate planning. Unfortunately, many attorneys and other professionals try to cram and squish this very subjective square peg into an objective round hole with a sledgehammer. The fact is that there is no simple “one-size-fits-all” number answer to […]
Schedule A is Missing
You know a plan is broken into a thousand-piece puzzle when the pages of the trust were taken out of the binder, put back out of order, and some pages are missing. But what happens when the “all-important” (sarcasm inserted here) Schedule A is one of those missing pages? It turns out in California that […]
Andrew Tate and 2023 New Year’s Revolutions
It sounds ridiculous that it even has to be stated, but with the New Year we need to focus on fact-based solutions to our problems… and that will be considered “revolutionary.” As I usually do, I have been on my annual end-of-year break and, unfortunately, I had a chance to dig a few inches deep […]
I Want a Revocable Living Trust
I Want a Revocable Living Trust… Do I Need a Will? “Well, if you have a Revocable Living Trust, don’t you also need a Will?” the other attorney asked. “Yeah, you need a Will,” I responded. “Ah ha!” the other attorney exclaimed as if he has just made some profound and overriding point to justify […]
Should I Make My Parents Trustees?
One of the most important decisions you can make in estate planning is choosing the right trustees. A frequent question that comes up when speaking with my clients who have younger children is whether or not to name their own parents as trustees. They often believe that naming someone older than them is not a […]
How to Buy Out Siblings From a House
One of the most expensive estate assets for many families is their home, usually coming in second only to retirement accounts in terms of value. When the house ends up being far and away the most valuable asset in the estate, there are multiple children who are to be treated equally… BUT one of the […]
Legacies: What We Leave Behind
What We Leave Behind is More Than Money When it comes to estate planning, it comes down to what assets you want to pass along and how it happens. However, the legacies we leave behind are often far more than money. In this broadcast originally to The Plain English Attorney Community, attorney and author Jeffrey […]