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Estate Planning Articles

VA Nursing Home Care

Many veterans may be eligible to receive nursing home benefits from the Veterans Administration. The VA currently provides nursing home care to veterans through three national programs: VA Community Living Centers (CLC), state veterans’ homes that are owned and operated by the states, and the contract community nursing home program.
Community Living Centers offer [...]

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The VA Basic Pension Benefit

The Veterans Administration’s Improved Pension Program (IPP) includes a basic benefit that is open to many low-income United States veterans or their surviving spouses. Many veterans are simply unaware of this benefit, or think that they do not qualify because the benefits of this program are dramatically different from other VA programs. This is because [...]

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Plan for the Care of Parents

According to the Pew Research Center, currently around 30% of adult children in America contribute financially to the care of parents. Expenses range from medical care to assisted living care to simply making sure the household contains enough food. As a result, plans for one’s own future care may need to include plans for the [...]

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Name Alternate Beneficiaries

When drafting a Will or trust document it is always important to consider multiple contingencies. One such contingency is the possibility that the primary beneficiary of your estate will not survive you. If a new beneficiary is not named, by default the state will decide how assets and property are to be distributed, according to [...]

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Restrictions on IRA Conversions to Change in 2010

Starting January 1, 2010, the rules governing conversion of traditional IRA or 401(K) accounts to a Roth IRA will change. Through the end of 2009, only people with a modified adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 are eligible to convert traditional accounts to a Roth IRA. The income restriction will be lifted in [...]

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Tax and Estate Planning: The Fate of the 2010 Estate Tax Remains in Question

Until the end of 2009, the inheritance tax, also referred to as the estate tax, stands at 45 percent for estates over $3.5 million. The tax will sunset at the end of the year, for one year only. It will then be reinstated in 2011 at the rate of 55% with an exemption of $1 [...]

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Tax and Estate Planning for 2010, Tax Credit Extension Lingers in Senate

In early December, the House voted to extend $31 billion in tax breaks that are due to expire at the end of 2009. The package of 45 deductions includes measures such as an income tax deduction for sales and property taxes, and credits for business to fund research and development.
The tax breaks are [...]

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A Lesson in Contrast: Did Steve McNair Engage in Estate Planning?

The unexpected death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair has raised a lot of questions about fidelity and domestic violence. Putting McNair’s personal life aside, however, we can use his situation as an example of what can happen when one does not engage in estate planning.
We have commented on Michael Jackson’s death and the professional [...]

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Revoking a Power of Attorney

A durable power of attorney is one of the most important estate planning instruments available. It is extremely important that a trusted individual be named to make financial decisions on your behalf should you become unable to speak for yourself. Since this is such an important decision, it is also important to understand that if [...]

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Nothing in an Estate Plan Is Set in Stone

An estate plan is made up of living documents. Legal documents such as Wills, trusts, and powers of attorney are flexible and, therefore, can and should be reviewed on a regular basis. Most estate planning professionals advise that an estate plan be reviewed, and if necessary, updated every three to five years, or more frequently [...]

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