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What to Do When Someone Close to You Dies

When someone close to you passes away, the initial reaction is usually shock. Even when the death was expected, the actual event may leave you feeling unprepared. Often, when you receive this news, it is because you are the “responsible” person—the surviving spouse, the “in charge” child, or the executor. In any event, there are…

Estate Planning During Divorce and Remarriage

Going through a divorce versus a remarriage are generally considered two opposite experiences. These are, however, both major life stressors that can be made easier by dealing with something that seems mundane—your estate plan. No matter where you are in the divorce or remarriage process, addressing your changing interests through updating your estate plan is…

IRAs and Trusts: A Good Combination?

A recent unanimous Supreme Court decision has rekindled the debate about whether it is better to inherit an IRA in a trust or receive the IRA assets outright. The decision in this case, Clark v. Rameker, in a nutshell, held that an inherited IRA is not an exempt asset. This means inherited IRA assets can be attached to…

Medicaid and the Miller Trust (aka Qualified Income Trust)

Lately, we have received several inquires about Medicaid planning and the use of a “Miller Trust” to qualify for nursing home benefits. Since this seems weighing on people’s minds, we wanted to address the concept and provide you with some important information about Medicaid planning. Because we can’t tell you everything about Medicaid in one…

Questions to Ask Before Buying Long-Term Care Insurance Details That Affect You: Part 2 of 2

In our previous blog article, we began the discussion on long-term care insurance with some initial questions about how much insurance you need, for how long a period, and how insurance benefits may be defined. In this segment, we want to introduce you to some of the more technical aspects of these policies. Is the policy…