Money

Could You be Required to Pay Nursing Home Costs of Family Members?

No federal law requires you to pay for the care your elderly relatives need. But before you breathe easily, some states do have such requirements. They’re called “filial responsibility statutes,” or “relatives’ liability” and they vary by state.

Is Estate Planning Irrelevant Since the New Tax Law Passed?

The bottom line is, things are changing so don’t roll the dice by failing to pull out whatever insurance policies and trusts you have in place to make sure they still protect you and represent how you want to protect your assets and your beneficiaries.

Potpourri: Stuff You Should Know to Protect Your Benefits and Other Assets and Keep Track of Your Money and Where It’s Going

Believe it or not, many people believe they can pull out an existing will and using a pen, scratch out part of it, initial it, and … done deal. Imagine the satisfaction of doing that the next time Cousin Edna insults your lasagna noodles, right? Wrong.

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A holographic will has a tough time getting through probate. Picture your chihuahua trying to swallow peanut butter. Yeah… it’s a lot like that.

Supporting Your Elderly Parent? What Medical Costs Can You Still Deduct, for Them and For Yourself?

If you’re supporting an elderly parent, you may know that, beginning this year, you can no longer claim a dependent exemption for a parent as both the personal and dependent exemptions have been eliminated.

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It may pay to move any elective medical expenses that you can into 2018. Order that new pair of glasses, schedule that dental work that you were putting off till next January and get it done this year instead, refill expensive prescriptions in December if you can.

Reining in the ‘Spendthrift’ Kid’s Behavior While Still Receiving an Equitable Inheritance

You can include language that directs your trustee to divide the assets of the trust into equal shares among your children, with each of your “responsible” children receiving their respective shares outright and your “irresponsible” son having his share held back in trust on his behalf.

In Search of Long-Term Care Insurance? Avoid the Scammers

Agents selling fraudulent LTC policies are well trained to express sympathy for would-be customers who haven’t been able to find coverage or can’t afford the coverage they do find. To an unwary senior, that’s endearing.

Managing Money for Someone Else Friendly Help or Fraudulent Abuse?

The CFPBs Office for Older Americans provides tools that help senior make informed financial decisions and improve their financial security, as well as resources to help protect them from financial exploitation.

Potpourri: Stuff You Should Know to Protect Your Money and Benefits from Scams, Pitfalls and Unexpected Expenses

He robbed them of the ability to live normal lives, and bilked Medicare out of nearly a hundred million dollars. The employees shared in the proceeds of theft in the form of bonuses for keeping quiet, which allowed him to keep up the fraud for years.

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According to a website called Clark.com you may still be able to get a bereavement fare at one of these airlines: Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, Lufthansa and WestJet.