Our managing partner, Lynn St. Louis, was featured in the Journal of Business talking on the SECURE Act and what could it mean to you! "The new federal SECURE Act makes it harder to sock away generational wealth on a tax-deferred basis, which creates the need to plan...
Probate is the legal process of settling your estate once you die; paying your creditors and transferring your remaining assets to your heirs and beneficiaries. In Washington State, probate is a well-defined and orderly process prescribed by law. If you have an elder...
The Community First Choice Option (CFC) is a program offering personal care and other services that was authorized by the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The purpose of creating this program was to make it easier for individual states to offer community and home-based...
The federal government imposes additional barriers to fiduciaries and some of its agencies, including the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Veterans Administration (VA) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Operations (OPMRO), refuse to honor...
From time to time our blog will address topics posed by Elder Law Group clients. This month’s post addresses settling an estate that includes a timeshare or other vacation ownership property. The first thing to determine when an estate includes a timeshare or other...
Life is full of the unexpected. As we get older it may seem that unexpected events become more common, but we can anticipate and plan ahead for the help we may need. Every adult should have a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Affairs. In this document you name a...
Do you know how much a nursing home costs today? Hold onto your hat. According to a recent report by Genworth Financial, the median cost for a private room is now $91,250 annually. Costs have been increasing steadily for the past five years at 4% each year according...
A revocable living trust is a popular Estate Planning tool, mainly to avoid probate. The trust instrument is a written document created by the grantor (also commonly referred to as the settlor) during lifetime and is effective upon signing. This trust holds the...
When considering Estate Planning, many people think having a Will is enough to ensure their estate will be distributed as they wish and meet the needs of loved ones who survive them. A Will indicates your desires regarding certain types of real and personal property,...
Many people assume if you are married, your entire estate will simply go to your spouse according to your Will once you pass away and your Will is probated. However, you may have “non-probate” assets that will pass, instead of by Will, to a beneficiary you designated...
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