Trusts are great tools for leaving assets to your heirs while maintaining control over their access to those assets. In many cases, you would tell your beneficiaries that you have made a trust for them. However, this is not always [...]

A power of attorney is a document that grants various powers and responsibilities to a trusted third party or “agent” who can act on your behalf. This document usually only allows an agent to make non-medical decisions on your behalf. [...]

When people pass away, their assets go through probate — a legal process that distributes the person’s assets after death. The parties to an estate are the people involved in the probate process. Although not technically a party to the [...]

Many people delay the conversation or thoughts of having to prepare a will. Confronting the possibility of one’s death is not easy. However, as the recent death of Anne Heche shows us, not having a will can place a significant [...]

About 19 million individuals requested an extension – until October 17, 2022 – for filing their 2021 taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If you’re among them, there is no need to hold off until mid-October to file. Filing [...]

On August 17, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids. Devices for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss will be available in October 2022. The FDA’s rule follows President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in [...]

Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff work hard to care for their patients when they are sick or hurt. However, even when a procedure is done to save a patient’s life, a hospital cannot act without patient consent. If a patient [...]

Many seniors find themselves in need of Medicaid to pay for their long-term care but are surprised to learn that their modest monthly income may disqualify them. The reason for this is that Medicaid is a “means-tested” benefit. In other words, [...]

Older adults have access to hundreds of federal and state benefits programs. Many retirees meet the requirements for these aids, yet do not know they are eligible and miss opportunities to receive assistance. Others can feel overwhelmed by complex application [...]

Seniors who rely on Medicaid and live in nursing homes receive a personal needs allowance — a monthly stipend the Medicaid recipient can use to pay for needs that Medicaid does not cover. Medicaid restricts the amount of the allowance [...]