The Shore Law Firm Blog
THE TIMES THEY ARE A’CHANGIN’:
TSLF is Winding Down to Retirement
When we started our elder law practice in 1999, 60s sounded old(ish) and far away from our own ages. We accepted without question the notion that someone 62+ was an “elder” under the definitions of government assistance programs. Fast forward a bunch of years and now that we are in our 60s ourselves, 60 doesn’t…
Read More A MESSAGE TO OUR CLIENTS AND FRIENDS:
We are open and ready to help
Remember when the term “social distancing” was not part of our vocabularies? Those days now feel like a lifetime ago. In our new normal, people all over the country are joining in a communal effort to cope with the onslaught of news about Covid-19, and to do our parts to flatten the curve and keep…
Read MoreLEARNING ESTATE PLANNING FROM CELEBRITIES
Celebrities as role models. That concept drives the sales of billions of dollars of print, television, movies, and online media. For better or worse, we keep an eye on what celebrities do … and then (depending on what they do) either try to do the same or tell ourselves “I would NEVER do that!” When…
Read MoreTHE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL
No one wants to think about a time when we might not be here. And that is especially true for those of us who have minor children. There is no one in the world who can take care of our children as well as we can (right?), and the thought that our kids might have…
Read MoreIN THIS SEASON OF THANKSGIVING: THANK YOU!
Part of my job as an elder law and estate planning attorney is to help my clients make important decisions about what will happen to their assets, and who in their lives will accept the challenges of helping my clients with their finances and health care matters, both while they are living and after they…
Read MoreTRUST PLANNING: IF NOT A CURE ALL, WHY DO IT?
In the past few weeks, I have had two trustee-clients ask me the same question: “What was the point of all of the planning if I still have to deal with all of this drama from my sibling [or child] now that my parent has passed away? Wasn’t Mom/Dad’s Trust supposed to avoid all of…
Read MoreMASSHEALTH MIRACLES: HOW CAN YOU GET ONE OF YOUR OWN?
A large part of our practice is educating our clients and their families about long term care opportunities, helping them access the care most appropriate for their needs, and then helping them figure out how to pay for that care. For many clients, the answer to “how do I pay?” is the Medicaid program, known…
Read MoreESTATE PLANNING IS REALLY NOT THE BEST PLACE FOR “DIY”
I am a big fan of “DIY” (doing it yourself) in certain situations. Home renovations and decorating, for example. Heck, there is a whole TV network dedicated to people fixing up their homes by themselves, filled with videos and step-by-step instructions. But you may have noticed that there is no TV network dedicated to DIY…
Read MoreFULL FRIDGE DOES NOT MEAN FULL BELLY: OUT OF THE BOX SENIOR FOOD OPTIONS
A couple of weeks ago, I took off my lawyer hat and put on my daughter hat as my brother and I helped my almost-84 year old mom get through a sudden medical crisis. Mom is cognitively completely well, is financially stable, lives independently in a one-floor condo in a retirement community, still drives locally…
Read More“SPRINGING” DURABLE POWERS OF ATTORNEY AND THE WIZARD OF OZ
I was recently contacted by a local daughter whose dad’s health is declining. Dad (who lives out of state and is not my client) has begun to receive some long term care services, and the bills are coming in. Dad still believes he is able to manage his bills, but the children were concerned that…
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