When one spouse qualifies for Medicaid to pay for a nursing home stay, the spouse who is at home is often left without many resources. While Medicaid has rules to prevent community spouses from impoverishment, the protections aren’t always enough. There are steps that you can take to increase the community spouse’s income, and as Read more about Using an Annuity to Keep the Spouse of a Medicaid Applicant from Becoming Impoverished[…]

More and more, we are conducting our business on the Internet, whether that’s online banking, shopping at Amazon and other sites, uploading documents and files to the “cloud,” posting videos on YouTube, or communicating with high school classmates via Facebook. So, what happens to all of our accounts and files when we become incapacitated or Read more about Digital Assets Raise Estate Planning Questions[…]

Starting October 1, 2013, people who lack health insurance could start signing up for coverage through the new Internet-based health insurance marketplaces set up under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).  Most of those who don’t already have insurance will have to buy coverage by March 31, 2014, or pay a penalty. But if you Read more about “Obamacare” Should Be of No Concern to Medicare Beneficiaries, Although Scammers May Tell You Otherwise[…]

When you inherit property, such as a house or stocks, the property is usually worth more than it was when the original owner purchased it. If you were to sell the property, there could be huge capital gains taxes. Fortunately, when you inherit property, the property’s tax basis is “stepped up,” which means the basis Read more about Do You Pay Capital Gains Taxes on Property You Inherit?[…]