Intestate Succession in Massachusetts
Losing a loved one is often a tragic, heartbreaking event for surviving family members. In addition to the emotional pain that loss of life brings, there are also a number of logistical questions that a death yields, too. For example, surviving family members will need to make funeral and burial arrangements,...
Estate Planning During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Massachusetts
The number of coronavirus cases is still growing, with the U.S. hitting record after record for the number of new coronavirus cases in our country. While it can be morbid to think about, for those who are high-risk individuals, creating an estate plan is one of the important things they can...
Seven Common Oversights in Estate Planning
Natural disasters, like Covid 19, are not something we can plan for; they happen at the whim of the environment. However, in the work that I do with our elder law and special needs team, I have learned that there are definitely things that can be planned for so that our...
Securing Your Pet’s Future with Estate Planning
Have you thought about what would happen to your pet in the event of your death or incapacity? Approximately two-thirds of American households own a pet, and while we have many people in our busy lives, our pets have only us. Pet owners often lament that beloved animal companions don’t live...
Maximizing Social Security survivor’s benefits
Social Security survivor’s benefits provide a safety net to widows and widowers. But to get the most out of the benefit, you need to know the right time to claim.
While you can claim survivor’s benefits as early as age 60, if you claim benefits before your...
Getting paid as a family caregiver through Medicaid
Caring for an ailing family member is difficult work, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be unpaid work. There are programs available that allow Medicaid recipients to hire family members as caregivers.
All 50 states have programs that provide pay to family caregivers. The programs vary by...
Understanding Medicare’s hospice benefit
Medicare’s hospice benefit covers any care that is reasonable and necessary for easing the course of a terminal illness. It is one of Medicare’s most comprehensive benefits and can be extremely helpful to both a terminally ill individual and his or her family, but it is little understood and underutilized. Understanding...
The Importance of Keeping Your Beneficiary Designations Up-To-Date
The bulk of inheritances left to loved ones are usually not held in bank accounts, cars, and other tangible assets. Rather, they are tied up in retirement accounts (such as an IRA, SEP, 401(k) or 403(b)), life insurance policies, annuities, or employee benefit plans or stock options. A will does not...
Protecting Your House Before and After Moving Into a Nursing Home
Protecting the family home is one of the biggest issues that people worry about when discussing Medicaid eligibility. Let’s look at some of the basics:
While you generally don’t have to sell your home in order to qualify for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care, it is...
The Effects of Gifts on Medicaid Planning
Medicaid is a healthcare program designed to help individuals with limited income and assets afford needed medical care. Importantly, Medicaid covers long-term healthcare services such as nursing home costs and at-home personal healthcare.
Because Medicaid is intended...