Non-Borrowing Spouses of Reverse Mortgage Holders Receive Expanded Protections
The federal government has expanded access to protections for spouses of reverse mortgage holders who are not named in the loan document, allowing more such spouses the ability to stay in their home if the borrowing spouse dies or moves to a care facility.
A reverse mortgage allows homeowners...
Medicaid’s Home Care Waivers Can Help You Avoid a Nursing Home, But the Line May Be Long
Medicaid long-term care benefits traditionally pay mainly for nursing home care, but the federal government can grant “waivers” to states allowing them to expand Medicaid to include home and community-based services. The downside is that receiving care in a nursing home is an entitlement, while getting care at home is not.
Thousands of Elderly and Disabled SSI Recipients Accused of Owning Property That Isn’t Theirs
In December 2018, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had a nasty surprise for Laura Marshall (not her real name), a 74-year-old woman just scraping by in senior citizen housing in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood: The agency demanded that she repay more than $10,000 in benefits, claiming that she owned two properties...
Younger Adults Now More Likely to Have a Will, According to Survey
A new survey has found that motivated in part by the coronavirus pandemic, younger adults are now more likely to have a will than middle-aged adults. Nevertheless, the overall percentage of Americans with a will has dropped over the past several years.
Caring.com’s 2021...
Court Case Illustrates the Danger of Using an Online Power of Attorney Form
A recent court case involving a power of attorney demonstrates the problem with using online estate planning forms instead of hiring an attorney who can make sure your documents are tailored to your needs.
Mercedes Goosley owned a home in Pennsylvania. In 2013, she named one of her...
How You Can End Up in Medicare’s Donut Hole, and How You Get Out
Medicare prescription drug (Part D) plans can have a coverage gap—called the “donut hole”–which limits how much Medicare will pay for your drugs until you pay a certain amount out of pocket. Although the gap has gotten much smaller since Medicare Part D was introduced in 2006, there still may be a difference...
Saying Medicaid Estate Recovery Keeps Families in Poverty, Advocacy Groups Call for Abolishing It
To qualify for Medicaid coverage of long-term care, you must satisfy very complicated financial eligibility rules—rules that often can be traps for the unwary. One of the most significant traps is Medicaid’s right to recover its expenses from your estate after you die – a practice known as “estate...
How an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Can Be Used to Avoid the Estate Tax
With the federal estate tax exemption possibly about to be lowered, it may be time to think about steps you can take to keep your estate from being taxed. An irrevocable life insurance trust allows you to pass on money to your heirs while avoiding both the federal estate tax, as well...
Senators Propose Sweeping Changes to the Taxation of Estates and Inherited Gains
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation that would require more estates to pay estate tax and that raises the amounts they would pay. Another proposed law would eliminate the step-up in basis that inherited assets currently enjoy.
Taken together, the changes would “rock” the estate planning world,...
