by Christine | Nov 13, 2011 | Business Succession Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Planning |
As the end of the year approaches, small business owners need to meet with accountants or tax preparers to review tax-planning strategies. “Every accountant is going to be sitting with their entrepreneur clients in the next few weeks to see what they can do, both on...
by Christine | Nov 11, 2011 | Elder Law |
U.S. long-term health-care costs rose as much as 5.6 percent this year, led by assisted-living expenses, and are climbing at a steeper rate during a weak economy, MetLife Inc. said. Are you planning for your old age or perhaps the old age of a loved one? If yes, then...
by Christine | Nov 10, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning |
We ask older Americans to make complicated financial decisions about Social Security, Medicare, retirement distributions and more—just when they are losing their fastball. Regardless of gender or education level, Americans become considerably less literate about all...
by Christine | Nov 9, 2011 | Estate Planning |
Unlike financial assets, which can generally be divided easily amongst heirs, tangible personal property is unique. And the complexity of distributing a lifetime’s worth of possessions is something that many people overlook. Sometimes, planning for the money and...
by Christine | Nov 8, 2011 | Dementia, Elder Law |
What my family didn’t know at the time, because the doctors did not tell us, was that this frightening transformation was a classic case of hospital delirium — a brain dysfunction characterized by sudden confusion and inattention. It’s one of the most common,...
by Christine | Nov 7, 2011 | Estate Planning, Guardianships |
As it happens, parents would rather talk about pretty much any other part of their personal life than answer this question. But when they finally do start talking, almost everyone has the same misconceptions about the process. In fact, most folks are letting four...
by Christine | Nov 3, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Medi-Cal Long Term Care, Probate, Trust Administration |
Social Security recipients will get a cost-of-living adjustment of 3.6 percent in 2012, a welcome boost after two years of no increase. Although it’s been two years since Social Security beneficiaries saw some additional respite from rising inflation, finally we’ll...
by Christine | Nov 2, 2011 | Estate Planning |
The new figures, from fund researcher Morningstar Inc., show that investments in 529 plans fell an average of 9.5% in the third quarter and are now down 5.9% this year through Sept. 30. That isn't as large as the broader market's drop. Whether you’re a parent...
by Christine | Nov 1, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning |
The latest trend in gravestones is to change “here lies” to “here links.” Barcodes much like the ones being slapped on advertisements and billboards are being affixed to headstones to provide mourners ways to connect with the dead online. Forget-me-nots and pansies...
by Christine | Nov 1, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Tax Planning |
Perry and Cain, both contenders in the race to be the next Republican candidate for president, are proposing massive overhauls of the current progressive income-tax We’ve been glued to the news for the past few years trying to figure out what Congress is going to do...
