Sally stared at the notice from the bank and frowned. “What’s that?” her husband, Bill asked. “Another bill for your dad?” Sally nodded. “But this time it’s his monthly mortgage payment. I wonder if we need to pay it. He’s only been dead five days. Maybe they aren’t aware of it.” Bill snorted. “Why pay the mortgage if he’s dead?…
This C.A.R. sponsored law creates a simple process for seniors or disabled homeowners to find information on how to apply for a parcel tax exemption. Existing law allows for the imposition of parcel taxes, which are special taxes assessed on individual pieces of property, to fund, among other things, education. Under current law, school districts may exempt seniors (65 years…
Recent changes in how real estate and real estate transfers are taxed in some California communities could have a significant impact on your estate plan. A hefty surcharge for possession of certain types of vacant properties, as well as an increased tax on real estate transactions, may require changes to the timing and method for gifting or otherwise transferring property…
If you are over the age of 55 and thinking about moving, consider this: you may be able to take your low property taxes with you to your new home. Thanks to Proposition 13, which was passed by California voters in 1978, real estate in California is no longer reassessed at its fair market value for property tax purposes every…
This is another installment in our series on Medi-Cal planning. We are focusing on the income requirements for Medi-Cal eligibility. In our last blog post we discussed income in the context of in-home care. Here we look at nursing home care. Nursing Home Medi-Cal The income calculation for nursing home Medi-Cal is slightly different from in-home Medi-Cal. There is almost…
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, Kirsten welcomes attorney Bob Gonser to the show. Bob’s practice focuses on matters involving disputes between investors and their financial advisors. Bob typically works on a contingent fee basis and has successfully handled hundreds of cases for his clients whose investement accounts have been mismanaged resulting in the loss of irreplaceable assets. Kirsten…
Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) often require new residents to pay an entry fee in exchange for lifetime housing and priority access to healthcare, in addition to a monthly fee. These entry fees can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In many cases, a sizable portion of the entry fee may be refundable to the resident if they move…
One of the things we do at Absolute Trust Counsel is assist families with a disabled senior to preserve assets and also become eligible for Medi-Cal assistance to help them pay for nursing home care. One of the tools we often use to do this type of planning is an irrevocable trust. We also sometimes have to help families who…
