Author Archives: Andre O. McDonald
An Estate Plan Should Not Be a Set-It-and-Forget-It Endeavor
As we all know, life happens. There is really nothing we can do about it. However, some of the most common life events can have a dramatic effect on your estate plan. If you think your estate plan is like a slow cooker and you can set it and forget it, you and your… Read More »
Estate Planning Lessons We Can Learn from Encanto
Not only is Disney’s award-winning animated film Encanto hugely entertaining, it also contains the following valuable estate planning lessons: Leaving a family legacy is important and can have an impact beyond your immediate family. Be sure to consider the significance of multigenerational planning. Treating each beneficiary as a unique person is essential. Naming the… Read More »
A Senior’s Guide to Estate Planning
Most older adults acknowledge that estate planning is essential. Yet, nearly half of Americans age 55 or more do not have a will, and even fewer have all the elements of an estate plan, including designated powers of attorney, a living will, or health care directives. These documents help guide your representatives to provide… Read More »
Medicaid Planning Protects Your Home from Rising Health Care Costs and Capital Gains
Your most valuable property may be your home, which is true for many people. You want your children to inherit that value when you pass. However, you are also concerned about planning for the future, declining health, and the potential need for expensive long-term care. You have heard that Medicaid can pay for that,… Read More »
If I Give My Home to My Child in My Will, Can They Take My Home While I Am Still Alive?
Here’s an interesting estate planning question: “I’m planning on leaving my house to my child in my will. However, does this allow them to take my home while I’m still alive?” The short answer to this question is no. Naming your child as the recipient of your home in your will does not give… Read More »
Does a Domestic Partner Have the Same Rights as a Spouse When It Comes to Estate Planning?
The short answer to whether couples in a domestic partnership have the same rights as married couples when it comes to estate planning is … probably not. To a large extent, the state in which you live, and maybe even the city or county, determines domestic partners’ rights. What Is a Domestic Partnership? Everyone… Read More »
Electronic Wills: What are they, and should I use one?
What Are Electronic Wills? It was not very long ago that all legal documents were printed on paper and signed with a pen. But in today’s world, where we sign commercial contracts, form and run businesses, and buy everything from groceries to cars online, it seems almost prehistoric for state laws to require that… Read More »
Using Beneficiary/Transfer-on-Death Deeds
What Is a Transfer on Death Deed? If you own real property, such as a home, in your sole name but you have not created a trust and transferred your property’s title to the trust, it is virtually guaranteed that your beneficiaries (or heirs) will have to deal with probate after your death. If… Read More »
Do Personal Injury Settlements Affect My SSDI or SSI?
The answers to many an important questions about the effects of personal injury settlements on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) monthly benefits you currently receive, or whether you should apply for SSDI benefits and pursue a personal injury claim simultaneously, are all situationally dependent. However, there is a general short… Read More »
Claiming guardianship of an elderly parent
More often than not, guardianship congers images of a minor child in the care of a designated adult family member or friend. However, you can employ the process to obtain legal rights over elderly or aging adults, usually parents, who are losing their physical and mental health capacities. While the process is similar, there… Read More »
