The Golden Years May Have a New Name: The Bankrupt Years In the past month or so, a number of articles in the news have come out showing that seniors are declaring bankruptcy at an increasing and alarming rate. The debt burden on seniors is going up due to student loans, credit cards, and lack of retirement savings. Often, the…
“I’ll tell you, Marge, my attorney is a wizard, a downright magician. When the time comes and my kids stick me in a nursing home, I am going to be ready. She has created a plan that protects my assets and will enable me to qualify for Medi-Cal quickly.” Lynda smiled triumphantly as she sipped her coffee. Marge frowned. “I…
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed at the end of 2017, significantly alters many of the deductions to which we have become accustomed. CPA’s and financial planners continue to unravel the new laws but one of the new changes is clear. The new tax law will reduce the tax benefit of charitable giving for many individuals. However, the changes…
Lisa studied her late son’s will and frowned. “To my mother and father, George and Lisa Cummings, I bequeath the contents of my wallet, to be found at Coinbase.” “George, you ever heard of a place called Coinbase?” George shook his head. “No. What about it?” “Well, according to Danny’s will, he left his wallet there and we inherit the…
There are many different kinds of revocable living trusts out there. It’s not really important that you understand much about all the difference kinds, but it is important that you understand what kind you have. This article is focused on trusts for married couples, and in particular on what the trust says must happen when the first spouse dies. There…
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…
Once a trust becomes irrevocable, either because it was originally created that way or because an event has occurred, such as the death of the grantor, that causes the trust to be irrevocable, we are pretty much stuck with that trust as it is, right? I mean, irrevocable means irrevocable, doesn’t it? Not necessarily. Trusts that are irrevocable can sometimes be…
Mary read the trust document again. “This can’t be right,” she said, shaking her head. “Why would Grandpa change the terms of his trust and leave such a large amount of money to this religious group? I’ve never even heard of this organization. Our kids were supposed to benefit from his trust. He always made that clear. This makes no…
All attorneys will agree with me that if there’s one thing we wish our clients would do it would be to talk to us before they act. It’s much better for the client, and less expensive in the long run, to have your attorney review that lease or contract before you sign it than to be surprised later. We find…