Disability Planning FAQs
When Is The Best Time For Estate Planning? Before Incapacity or Death!
People often ask us: "When is the best time for estate planning?" The best answer to that question is: Before you die, or become incapacitated! If you can tell me when you are going to die, I can tell you the ideal time to engage in the art and science of good estate...
What Can a Special Needs Trust Pay For?
A special needs trust, sometimes called a supplemental needs trust, is designed to provide a person with a disability the funds to enhance her quality of life while at the same time allowing her to remain eligible for needs-based public...
Is Now the Time to Update Your Trust Plan?
There are several reasons why you should update your trust or perhaps your entire estate plan. While estate planning documents do not necessarily have a shelf life, they may not fulfill your goals when your circumstances change. You cannot avoid the need to update...
Guns and Dementia: Dealing With An Elderly Loved One’s Firearms
Having an elderly loved one with dementia can be scary, but if you add in guns and firearms, it can also get dangerous. To prevent harm to both the individual with dementia and others, it is important to plan ahead for how to deal with any weapons. ...
Say a Little Prayer: Aretha Franklin Had No Will, and a Child With Special Needs
According to court documents, legendary singer Aretha Franklin did not have a will when she died, despite reportedly having a son with special needs. The lack of a will opens up the intensely private singer’s estate to public scrutiny and unnecessary costs, and means...
Helpful Tips for Family Caregivers of Loved Ones with Alzheimer’s Disease
November is National Family Caregivers Month. More than 15 million American family members care for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. Here are some tips provided by the Alzheimer's Association to help those providing care for family members who have Alzheimer's...
Five Practical Uses for an ABLE Account for Disabled Children and Their Parents
ABLE accounts allow many people with disabilities or their families to establish tax-free savings accounts that won’t affect their ability to qualify for, or remain on, government assistance as long as the account balance does not exceed $100,000. But ABLE accounts...
The Complex Modern Family Requires a New Estate Planning and Elder Care Model
A new book suggests that estate planning and elder care and a loved one's death are especially important for today's complex modern families. In Homeward Bound: Modern Families, Elder Care, and Loss, the authors contend that the current approach to estate planning and...
How Estate Planning Can Help a Loved One Who Struggles with Addiction
Substance addiction is by no means rare, impacting as many as one in seven Americans. Because of its prevalence, navigating a loved one’s addiction recovery is actually a relatively common topic in everyday life. But you should also consider it when working on your...
The Top 2 Ways the Court Gets Involved in Your Estate, and How to Avoid Probate
No one wants unnecessary court involvement in their life. But without careful and proactive estate planning, chances are that some aspect of your estate will end up being decided there. With proper planning, you can avoid probate and a living probate. Here are two of...
Who Should Be Your Successor Trustee?
If you have a revocable living trust, you probably named yourself as trustee so you can continue to manage your own financial affairs, but eventually someone, as your successor trustee, will need to step in for you when you are no longer able to act due to incapacity...
Make Reviewing Your Estate Plan One of Your New Year’s Resolutions
The beginning of a new year is a good time to take a look at your estate plan to make sure it is up to date. Less than half of people in the US actually have any estate planning documents in place and many of those people may have outdated documents. Documents that...
