Legal

Life insurance for seniors is essentially a contract where an insurance company pledges to pay a designated amount to beneficiaries upon the death of the insured, offering a financial safety net in exchange for premiums paid during the policyholder’s lifetime 1. This type of insurance is pivotal, offering not only peace of mind but also… Continue reading Buying Senior Life Insurance: A Complete How-to Guide

As we age, the possibility of needing assistance with daily activities becomes increasingly likely. Long-term care insurance can provide financial support in these situations, ensuring that you receive the care you need without exhausting your savings. In this guide, we’ll delve into the specifics of long-term care insurance, offering you the knowledge you need to… Continue reading Comprehensive Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance

As seniors navigate through the later stages of life, they often encounter legal issues that require professional help. Unfortunately, the cost of legal services can be prohibitive, especially for those on a fixed income. Luckily, various organizations offer free and low-cost legal services for seniors. This comprehensive guide will explore the available resources to ensure… Continue reading Comprehensive Guide to Free Legal Services for Seniors

A Comprehensive Guide for Retirement Planning Retirement planning is a crucial aspect of life that requires careful consideration and strategic planning. For many, the legal aspects associated with retirement planning can be complex and overwhelming. This is where the expertise of Elder Law Attorneys becomes invaluable. These legal professionals specialize in navigating the intricate landscape… Continue reading Elder Law Attorneys Can Help in Retirement Planning

Things you should ask before you buy Times are changing.  Fifty years ago, long-term care insurance wasn’t even really thought of.  For one thing, few people lived past their late 60’s and so long-term care wasn’t as much the norm as it is today.  The second thing is that extended families tended to stay closer… Continue reading Before You Buy Long-Term Insurance Coverage

Life Insurance Made Simple In all its forms life insurance has one core benefit – it pays an income-tax-free death benefit directly to your beneficiary when you die. Life insurance also gives you options that can reduce taxes immediately, build tax-advantaged income for retirement and/or provide assets to offset estate taxes. The two major types… Continue reading Life Insurance Types Explained

Age discrimination is against the law and employers have often tried to get around age discrimination claims by holding severance pay as a hostage to signing an age discrimination waiver. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued regulations regarding severance agreements that are signed by people who could file an age discrimination claim.  The employee now has an easier… Continue reading Filing an Age Discrimination Claim 

Contract Elements – Contract Formationby: Fran Przyblewski   An introduction to contracts  The term “contract” can sound a bit ominous to many people.  Because of this, salespeople often use the term “agreement“, instead of the word “contract” because it is less intimidating.  However, whether you are signing an agreement or a contract, it still boils down to the same thing. … Continue reading Elements of a Written Contract

WHEN IS A PERSON COVERED FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY CLAIMS? By: Pitt Dickey – Attorney Social Security Disability Eligibility – This column will examine how the Social Security Administration determines the time period during which a person is eligible for Disability Insurance Benefits.  Previous columns have looked at the medical criteria used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to determine disability resulting from illness and… Continue reading Social Security Disability Eligibility

Senior guardians over minor children Grandparent guardians – Thirty years ago, there was probably little concern over whether seniors should have to name guardianship for minor children in their will.  Today, many grandparents are raising grandkids and even have full and legal custody.   Often the child’s parents are incapable of raising the child(ren) for one reason… Continue reading Naming a Guardian for Minors

The Death Tax Not Gone  The death tax? Sounds funny, but it’s anything but.  There are still a great number of questions about estate taxes.  Unfortunately, many people believe the sound bites that have pronounced the death of the death tax.  These have been greatly exaggerated, to say the least.  Many people have the mistaken impression that the federal… Continue reading Is The Death Tax Gone?

Settling Legal Wills The last will and testament will not settle over night.  Beneficiaries often find themselves at odds over the disbursement of property after the death of a decedent.  Sometimes it’s over the property or the value of the property itself.  Sometimes it’s just that fact that it cannot happen immediately.  Most beneficiaries think that once the… Continue reading Last Will & Testament 101

Terminating your rights under a will for the better statutory provisions Why would you renounce a will?  If there is a Will, the surviving spouse can renounce it and the inheritance it contains (if any), and instead elect to take a share of the estate specifically provided by state law.  This is a legal device originally intended for… Continue reading Renouncing a Will

When a person has a “life estate” in a piece of property (most commonly, a house and the contents within it), he/she enjoys almost the same rights in that property as would an “absolute” owner – but only for his/her life.  The idea of a life estate is best illustrated with a typical example, the “subsequent marriage”… Continue reading The Basics of a Life Estate

Last will and testament and legal considerations  How does a will and the law treat an estate when both people die at the same time?  The answer, of course, depends on whether any planning has been done. The most important planning, however, is practical, not legal. First, have you found a capable and willing guardian… Continue reading How Does a Last Will and Testament Treat Simultaneous Death

Fraud is arguably the most prevalent scourge against seniors today.  That’s a pretty strong statement and there are certainly those that would argue that such a dubious honor more aptly belongs to any one of a number of various diseases or medical conditions.   All arguments aside, fraud is perpetrated at various levels on thousands of seniors a… Continue reading Fraud Against Seniors

By: Pitt Dickey – Attorney Preface: Since Social Security Disability is directed under Federal law, the information in this column will apply anywhere in the United States.  However each Office of Hearings and Appeals and District Office have their own ways of doing things as does the various Federal District and Circuit Courts.   I have kept this… Continue reading Social Security Disability Claims and ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Requirements of a will A will is a legal instrument that will direct a court or other administrator as to what your wishes are with regard to your property after your death.  A will is your words and in most cases, these words are binding on the administrator unless there is a law that supersedes your will, the will… Continue reading Last Will and Testament

Filing an age discrimination claim  By: Roger Braddock Age discrimination is against the law and employers have often tried to get around age discrimination claims by holding severance pay as a hostage to signing an age discrimination waiver. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued regulations regarding severance agreements that are signed by people who could file an age… Continue reading ADEA Waivers and OWBPA Laws on Age Discrimination

Elder Abuse – From time to time, news reports will chronicle large cases of elder abuse where there are particularly heinous cases or a given nursing home is suddenly thrown into the spotlight because of a serious elder abuse situation or where there have been some recent deaths.  Other than that, few cases of elder abuse make the headlines and the news media… Continue reading Nursing Home Abuse and Elder Abuse at Home