The Medicaid definition of “income” comes from federal law and reads as follows: Income is “[a]nything a person receives either in cash or in kind that can be used to meet the person’s basic needs of food, clothing, or shelter.” [Read More]
The Biggest Mistake You Shouldn’t Make Before Turning 65
We are about to experience – some say we’re already experiencing – the biggest workforce shift from full time work to retirement in United States history. If you’re a Baby Boomer, you are a part of this generational transition. If you can see retirement on the horizon, then I have a warning for you: there’s a train following close behind retirement that you absolutely must plan for: nursing home care. [Read More]
3 Myths About Medicaid for Nursing Home Care
Nursing homes are incentivized by the state to perpetuate the hoax because the daily nursing home rate paid by the state is lower than the private pay rate. Lawyers who don’t know anything about the Medicaid regulations are telling people they have no options for planning for Medicaid eligibility. How do you overcome misinformation or a lack of information? You get educated. Here are three myths, rooted in the Medicaid Planning Hoax, that are all wet. [Read More]
101 Death Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Arranging Your Affairs Before You Die [Part Five]
Keeping it Current Update your fiduciaries’ contact information (see number 78) every time their information changes Your family and your estate planner (see #20) will need to find your executor and/or successor trustee, so make it easy by keeping your list of contact info current. Review your life insurance beneficiary designations every year Plans change. Family members change. Your life … Read More
101 Death Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Arranging Your Affairs Before You Die [Part Three]
Up to this point in the 101 Death Hacks series, we’ve mainly focused on the philosophy behind your estate plan. Starting today, we’re going to get much more practical about making an estate plan by focusing on ways to communicate your wishes and how to do that efficiently and effectively. Read on to learn about what to write down in your will and trust to make them more effective and how your estate planning can help manage the emotional transition caused by your death. [Read More]
The Shocking Truth About Iowa Estate Recovery
Many people believe that they’ve protected their house/retirement/savings by adding a child to the title or creating a life estate. If you’re planning ahead for the cost of your long-term care, the nursing home’s not the one you need to worry about. It’s not Medicaid, either. Not really. The monster in the closet, the creature under the bed is the state Estate Recovery Program. For many people – including most lawyers – Estate Recovery is something straight out of their financial nightmares. [Read More]
Northwest Iowa Estate Planning Lawyer Discusses Estate Planning for Women
The needs of women have been changing dramatically over the past several years. Gone are the days when a woman was expected to stay home and live on an “allowance” if her husband chose to give her one. Instead, so many women today have their own jobs, their own finances, and their own desire to protect their assets. In addition, women typically live longer than men. [Read More]
Estate Planning for College Graduates in Iowa
Now that you’ve earned your college degree, you may not feel like you have anything to “protect” through estate planning. After all, the stereotype of the “starving college student” got started for a reason! But, even if you leave college with a load of student loans and an entry-level job (or hopes of one), you will do yourself a favor by spending just a little time doing some basic estate planning here in Northwest Iowa. [Read More]
Estate Planning for Generation X
GenX-ers are no longer angst-ridden youth trying to figure out where they fit in this world. Instead, they’re adults with real jobs, real retirement plans, life insurance and real health problems. And they’re people who need to do their estate planning. [Read More]
