When she died, Ellen left an equal share of her $500,000 estate to her irresponsible daughter. Here’s how she did it. Like most parents, Ellen wanted to treat her three children the same – to the penny. But Ellen worried about Kathy, who had a spectacular talent for wasting money. In her last days, Ellen [...]
Do you have an unfunded trust? Planning for the preservation and transfer of a person's property after their death is called estate planning. A good estate plan includes a Will, powers of attorney, a Living Will (Health Care Directive in Utah(, and often a Trust. The Unfunded Trust Trusts avoid the expense and delays of [...]
Since his stroke last year, Rick (age 75) has needed constant medical care. He and his wife, Helen, have exhausted their savings and plan to sell their home (worth about $240,000) to pay for Rick’s care. Now, Rick needs to be in a nursing home at a cost of about $6,000 per month. Question. What [...]
Few people value their property more than they value their family, yet they fail to plan for family peace. These Utahns likely shed tears in heaven when they realized their poor planning turned their children against each other. (Names have been changed.); 1. Vince accumulated bank accounts large enough to support himself for several years,and [...]
Beware of these six used car scams. In tough economic times, seniors can become targets for unscrupulous car dealers. Be careful and beware of these six car scams in Utah: 1. Payment packing. The car dealer avoids discussing the price of the car and commits the shopper to a specific monthly payment. The car is [...]
What does an Elder Law Attorney do? "Elder Law" is a rare specialty for attorneys. It focuses on the needs of senior Americans who face the maze of government disability, aging and retirement laws and programs. They need help, lots of help! The National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the first professional group, was [...]
Libby is a fun and energetic 62 year old woman. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with Alzheimers, but few of her friends know about Libby’s disease. Usually she is fine, but sometimes Libby gets confused or can’t remember what she was doing. Last week, Libby purchased a $9,000 home security system she doesn’t want [...]
Every family crushed by the devastating diagnosis of dementia – usually Alzheimers – should read The 36-hour Day (4th ed., Johns Hopkins Press) by Nancy L. Mace, M. A., and Peter Robins, M. D. With their fascinating description of the medical and social tornadoes of memory loss, the authors urge families to get early and [...]
Patty is happy, but her three children are upset because she and Sam are planning a wedding. “Mom, he’s so unlike dad. Are you sure?” Patty’s sure. Patty has been lonely since Jim died. Sam is very unlike her first husband, who was always calm, logical and frugal. Sam vacations to tropical islands, with two [...]
Yes, you can fight a guardianship! Stan is a bright, distinguished, active and engaging Utahn in his mid-eighties. This last year he has had serious medical problems and financial losses from a prior business. When he went to surgery, he asked his married daughter, Emily, to help him manage his bills for awhile. That was [...]
