Planning for Adult Children with Disabilities Childhood Disability Benefits assist disabled children and adults who became disabled prior to age 22. Most begin with Supplemental Security Income, which is a monthly cash payment for individuals with limited income and few resources. Because a parent’s income and resources are usually deemed available to the child, SSI […]
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Many people think that estate planning is just having documents prepared. They have a lawyer prepare a Will, get it signed and they’re done. As Lee Corso says on Game Day, “Not so fast!” The hardest part of stepping into someone else’s shoes, whether its as an agent under a power of attorney, or as […]
From time to time we re-post David Hultstrom‘s Financial Foundations. Mr. Hultstrom, who is a co-founder of Financial Architects, had the following observations regarding recent stock market highs: As the U.S. stock market (as measured by the S&P 500) hits all-time highs, I thought some historical perspective on it might be useful. Over the 98 […]
There are a number of laws protecting your privacy and the privacy of your information. This page describes several of them, but it is not meant to be comprehensive. If you have specific questions regarding privacy laws, you should consult with an attorney. Georgia does not have any specific “state” privacy laws. Still, in Georgia, […]
The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2021 (now “of 2024”) may have taken on new life recently as Kamala Harris promised, if elected, to make housing affordable. That promise has to be funded somehow and the “how” of it seems to be rolling back the estate and gift tax exclusion amounts significantly. At […]
Review Account Statements and Notify Law Enforcement of Suspicious Activity As a precautionary measure, remain vigilant by reviewing all of your account statements and credit reports at least monthly. If you notice any suspicious activity, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You also should promptly report […]
On July 19, 2024, the IRS published final regulations regarding required minimum distributions (RMDs) from qualified plans. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are the minimum amounts you must withdraw from your retirement accounts each year. You generally must start taking withdrawals from your traditional IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, and retirement plan accounts when you reach […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model on July 1, 2024. It is a voluntary nationwide model test that aims to support people with dementia and their unpaid caregivers. The GUIDE Model is an attempt to provide Medicare funded comprehensive, coordinated dementia care to improve quality […]
On June 11, 2024, the Gerontologist published an article on Medicaid enrollment and Intergenerational transfers of wealth among older adults. The article was based on a review of data from 2008 through 2018 analyzing estate planning and family wealth transfers of older adults aged 65 and older who became Medicaid recipients. There were 8,347 respondents […]
The following is a re-post of David E. Hultstrom’s Financial Foundations April 2024. You can reach Mr. Hultstrom at  770-517-8160. It’s tax season once again and time for the annual summary of the state of the fisc. I have no political point, this is just data. The causes of the numbers below are thoroughly bipartisan. […]
We’ve posted some of David Hultstrom’s thoughts before and here we go again since he says “Feel free to pass this along.” The following, from his November, describes why he doesn’t try to predict movement in the financial marketplace: You may have noticed that I rarely comment on the market or economy in this monthly […]
Warren Buffett The following video clips are from Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings where Warren Buffett fielded questions regarding estate planning: 2013 Annual Meeting: 2023 Annual Meeting:
Sometimes you just have to say No “No” isn’t a four-letter word. Saying “no” isn’t necessarily bad and you shouldn’t feel bad when you say it. Part of saying no means taking a stand. It can mean standing up to injustice. For example, our legal system is, for the most part, dependent on people saying […]
Some people want to control others. This reminds me of the Bible story in Genesis 27 where Jacob stole Esau’s blessing. We’re not going to focus on Jacob. Instead, we’re looking at his mother, Rebekah. That’s why this is under the heading of control, not greed. Isaac and Rebekah were unhappy when Esau married two […]
Fear is a powerful motivator. The Bible tells us to fear not. Stonewall Jackson (and others) are attributed as having said “Never take counsel from your fear.” Nonetheless, people act based on fear. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had executed all of the false profits leading Israel astray. King Ahab whined to his wife, Jezebel. […]
Tradition can be a powerful motivator. Traditions can be like laws, meaning the group following them will not accept any change or departure from their custom. Traditions can also be a way of acting that varies with life changes. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul urged the Church to stand fast and hold to the traditions. […]
This is the first in a series of posts exploring why people do what they do. In this post, we’re discussing certainty. When I was a young lawyer, I worked on a corporate team where Fortune 500 companies paid tens of thousands of dollars for certainty. When they signed a contract, they wanted to know […]
If you’re concerned about protecting your resources, here are a few thoughts on how to protect Inherited IRAs. First, define the risk you’re planning to minimize or avoid. Some States might treat all retirement accounts as exempt resources for Medicaid eligibility purposes, while others do not. If you’re worried about nursing home expenses, find out […]
David E. Hultstrom, President of Financial Architects, recently explained why past-performance is not a great way to evaluate financial advisors. Essentially, no one has a working crystal ball. Hultstrom wrote the following in the May, 2023 edition of Financial Foundations. Why would I leave out past performance in selecting an advisor, or current performance for […]
Today the Office of Financial Research announced that it added a third data source to it’s Financial Instrument Reference Database. The full press release is below: WASHINGTON –The Office of Financial Research has added a third data source, the Financial Information eXchange (FIX) Protocol, to its Financial Instrument Reference Database (FIRD), an important enhancement that will allow […]
It really doesn’t help to worry. The simple answer is “don’t do it.” In Matthew 6: 25-34, Jesus said: Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regularly records and posts informational workshops on a variety of subjects. For example, the workshop recorded on August 2, 2022, regarding Social Security addresses a range of retirement issues for students. To participate live, or to hear a previously recorded program, you will need to create a […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
The answer is, yes, maybe. At USA.gov, there are tips for caregiver support including links to programs that could pay you to serve as a family caregiver. That site offers the following insight: A caregiver helps a person with special medical needs in performing daily activities. Tasks include shopping for food and cooking, cleaning the […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
Retirement accounts that qualify under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) are generally protected from creditors, bankruptcy proceedings and civil lawsuits. Ordinarily, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) of 2005 extends similar federal protection to IRAs up to $1 million (though money rolled over from an ERISA-qualified plan into an individual […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
*** Note: This issue is abbreviated due to the July 4th Holiday *** We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]
