Recent Blog Posts
Family Caregiving Is Overrated
It is easy to idealize the multigenerational household, but if you do this, you underestimate the stress and conflict that are constantly rumbling below the surface when more than two adults live together in the same house. Orrin Onken, a retired elder law attorney, recently wrote an article on Business Insider, in which he… Read More »
A Dose Of Reality For Geriatric Scientists
Your estate planning lawyer already knows that you never want to retire. In fact, your lawyer probably knew that by the time your first consultation was finished, when you said that you worked for a university in a STEM field. People whose jobs are as intellectually and socially engaging as yours do not count… Read More »
Does Florida Law Divorce-Proof Your Estate Plan?
By now, Floridians know the cautionary tales about updating your will when you file for divorce. We all remember when Burt and Lovey Handelsman divorced after more than 50 years of marriage, and it took years for the court to divide their real estate empire. Gray divorce accounts for the largest share of divorce… Read More »
Be Honest With Yourself About Whether Your Family Can Adequately Care For You At Home
Aging in place sounds like a dream, especially when compared to the prospect of living in a nursing home where there are enough disinfectant chemicals to make the place smell unwelcoming but not enough to kill enough germs to prevent the spread of disease. Don’t get attached to the aspirational content version of aging… Read More »
New Resolutions For Your Estate Plan
The nice thing about being old is that you know better than to make resolutions that involve doing the impossible. Of course you are not going to give up junk food this year, just like you didn’t give up junk food in 1987, 1993, 2004, or any of the other years when you made… Read More »
Think Before You List Beneficiaries On Non-Probate Assets
People put a lot of thought into listing their loved ones as beneficiaries of their wills. Some people disinherit their relatives in anger and never get around to writing a new version of the will after they reconcile. Others reread their wills every time they get angry with a family member but never go… Read More »
Legal Conflict Management Measures For Inheriting A Real Estate Property Jointly With Family Members
Homeownership remains the marker of generational wealth, even as it becomes increasingly elusive. Most homeowners in the United States have parents who were homeowners, and the greatest predictor of whether Americans under the age of 40 will ever be able to afford to buy a house or condo is if their parents own real… Read More »
Is Credit Card Debt Stopping You From Retiring?
There has probably never been a time in your life when you did not see senior citizens wearing name tags at work. Before there were elderly Walmart greeters, there were elderly diner waitresses. When you were a child, your reaction was, “They’re so old!” When you were a teenager, you thought, “This is awesome! … Read More »
Should A Strategic Divorce Be Part Of Your Estate Plan?
Marriage is one of the best investments you can make in your future. Married people are healthier, wealthier, and less lonely than their unmarried counterparts. The mere existence of your spouse makes probate simpler, because whether or not there is a will, the surviving spouse automatically inherits the couple’s jointly held property. Some couples… Read More »
Is There Such A Thing As A Wrong Beneficiary For A Non-Probate Asset?
One of the most fun parts of estate planning is that you can leave your property to anyone you choose. It is exhilarating to type drafts of your will that you know you will never formalize in which you leave your entire estate to a rescue shelter for sugar gliders or to your high… Read More »
