In a decision issued September 30, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia agreed with AARP and told HUD to find a way to shield surviving spouses from foreclosure and eviction. A recent Elder Law Answers article, titled "Feds Move to Protect Some Surviving Spouses of Reverse Mortgage Holders,"…
Death is emotionally difficult enough without discovering that you have no idea what digital assets a person had or what they wanted done with them. A growing concern among those wishing to properly manage their digital estate is "digital death," which questions what is an asset or special relationship—and how…
The most important thing for any patient with a long-term illness is to focus on his overall health and mental outlook. Having financial plans in place allows a patient to set other worries aside. How do you plan for future illnesses or tragedies? The "what ifs" of life are all…
Lauren Bacall's loss of husband Humphrey Bogart when her children were young does point to some of the issues surviving spouses face when there is a difference of age of 20 years or more. Of course, May-December marriages don't only happen in Hollywood, and the resources and circumstances can be…
David Cutner, partner at Lamson & Cutner, attorneys for the elderly and disabled offered the following tips for both estate planning and long-term care for boomers. A recent Fox Business article reported that the majority of seniors are completely in the dark on one of the biggest financial risks they are…
Constantly in the news, it seems like there is a new scam making headlines. One surprising area in which scams are becoming more common is estate planning. Each year, more people fall victim to unscrupulous and unqualified sellers of ineffective estate planning documents. Often, these scammers are door-to-door salesmen or…
If for no other reason, you need a will to name an executor (or executrix). So, do you really need a will? Yes. Really. A recent Forbes article titled "Do I Really Need a Will?" recommends that you should have a will to at least designate an executor or executrix…
Today, ordinary income plus various other taxes could boost the effective tax rate on those second-level RMDs well over 40%. Who knows what tax rates might be in effect when current clients eventually pass their IRAs to future generations? Some individuals choose to have partial Roth IRA conversions so they…
After traveling to Mexico for spring break, Alex developed a severe intestinal bug that landed him in the college infirmary. Franc rushed to visit him there, only to find that doctors refused to discuss his son’s condition, citing privacy concerns. If you have a college-aged child, you may need to…
…As with hard drives, our limited shelf life requires that we make the most of each day while also planning for a peaceful transition. Having loved ones struggle with managing unorganized financial affairs with no assistance only prolongs grief and blemishes fond memories. Why do most of us give more…