Thinking about a time when you will need help taking care of yourself is not fun. That is why most people put off discussing long-term care until it can’t be ignored. But it is better to start long-term care planning early. Here are some reasons to start planning now: People are living longer and are [...]
Many people use the terms Alzheimer’s disease and dementia interchangeably, but they have very different meanings. Although dementia is a group of symptoms that include memory loss, the term itself doesn’t explain what is causing the symptoms. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia, but here are many other causes. Dementia is a general [...]
Many people are willing to voluntarily care for a parent or loved one without any promise of compensation. Even so, a growing number of people are entering into caregiver contracts (also called personal service or personal care agreements) with their family members. Having such a contract has many benefits. It rewards the family member doing [...]
Most seniors want to be able to stay at home as long as they can instead of moving into a nursing home. The little-known Program for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) provides care and services to some nursing home-eligible seniors to enable them to remain in their home far longer than they might otherwise [...]
Retirees cannot disenroll from Medicare Part A without also losing their Social Security benefits and refunding all the money paid to them, a federal judge has ruled. The judge dismissed a case, Hall v. Sebelius , brought by three retired federal employees who have reached age 65 and are receiving Social Security Retirement benefits, but [...]
Insurance agents and financial institutions often advertise annuities as the perfect way to generate retirement income. While annuities can be a valuable retirement tool, if you are buying an annuity as part of a Medicaid planning strategy, you need to fully understand what you are getting. And whether an annuity makes sense as part of [...]
Asset protection planning is about protecting your assets from creditors – and it is not just for the super-wealthy. Anyone can get sued. Lawsuits can stem from car accidents, credit card debt, bank foreclosures, or unhappy customers, among many other things. If someone wins a monetary judgment against you, your family could become bankrupt trying [...]
Mom has Alzheimer’s and I am on her checking account. Mom is living with family but eventually will go to a nursing home. I am paying her bills from her checking account. What does Medicaid look for when the time comes to apply? Do they check every written check for the past five years? What [...]
A new mortgage product is making “reverse” mortgages more affordable. Reverse mortgages typically have high fees, but the new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Saver allows borrowers to get a reverse mortgage with lower upfront costs as long as they are willing to borrow a smaller amount. A reverse mortgage allows homeowners who are at [...]
Banks have been touting the virtues of so-called “reverse” mortgages for many years as a way for cash-strapped seniors to tap into the equity in their homes to meet their expenses, whether simply for day-to-day living or to pay for the increased costs of home care. The basic concept of a “reverse” mortgage is that [...]
