Jean opened the envelope that contained her aunt’s will and began to laugh. “Oh, Aunt Sarah. You and your post-it notes.” She shook her head. Jean pulled out the document. The entire front page was covered in small yellow squares of paper. “Guess she changed her mind, a few times.” Her sister, Joan, frowned. “What a mess. How are we…
“What a mess,” Leona muttered as she picked through the contents of her deceased father’s garage. “How does one person collect all of this stuff?” She pulled a trunk out from under a pile of rags. “This looks interesting.” She jiggled the padlock that held it closed and it came off in her hand. “Geesh, so much for safeguarding the…
Elder abuse is a common topic and we hear frequent warnings about scams by caregivers, email and telephone scams, and even being taken advantage of by children or grandchildren. While marrying for money is not a new concept, it is quickly spreading into the area of elder abuse. Caregivers, or people wanting to get close to an elderly person with…
Estate planning is usually viewed as a sea of paperwork that, once completed, sits on a shelf to collect dust. You have peace of mind that it is complete and that your family will now be harmonious upon your death because they have a well-thought-out plan to follow when executing your last wishes. However, the big issues that tend to…
It starts out innocently enough, you bank with Chase, but your new mortgage is through Bank of America, and they offer you a half a percent discount on your mortgage if you open a new account with them. Then a local credit union offers a great rate on a car loan, so you open an account with them and become…
Betsy slowly lowered herself into a kitchen chair and buried her head in her hands. Since her husband, Bill, had died three days ago, she had been swept up in a whirlwind of activity. Between planning a funeral, notifying relatives, and nonstop condolence calls, she hadn’t had any time to grieve, much less think. Her gaze swept the room and…
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…
This is another installment in our very occasional series on estate planning lessons learned from celebrities. By now you all have heard the sad news that Aretha Franklin has died. She left behind a rich legacy of music she recorded for our enjoyment over her long career. But what she apparently did not leave behind is an estate plan. A…
We know lots of people don’t like to think or talk about dying. We can see how our own clients often put off doing their estate planning until something happens that they see as a wake-up call: a friend dies suddenly without a will, leaving a mess for the family; or our client has to serve as their parents’ estate…