Style & Living

Often, when I work with children who have elderly parents, or the senior individuals themselves, I find them struggling with long term care planning concepts, including Medicare and Medicaid.

No one likes to think about the possibility of their own disability or the disability of a loved one. However, as the statistics below demonstrate, we should all plan for at least a temporary disability. This article examines the eye-opening statistics surrounding disability and some of the common disability planning options. Disability planning is one area where we can give each and every person and family we work with great comfort in knowing that if they or a loved one becomes disabled, they will be prepared.

 As we approach the 21st century, more people are purchasing services and items on the Internet that they can put together themselves. Although the idea of saving money is attractive at first, many of us find that either the instructions don’t exactly work, or a piece may be missing, leaving the object unstable at best, and subject to rapid deterioration. With the advent of online legal services, some people compromise themselves and risk the loss of their family’s financial security by utilizing services that offer a cheap alternative to professional legal counseling and proper legal documentation. If you’re considering a do-it yourself estate-planning kit, it’s a bad idea for you and the people you love.

Most married couples who prepare their estate plans typically leave everything they have to their surviving spouse. If the couple has minor children, they rely on the survivor to provide and care for their young ones. Although it’s not easy, planning for the possibility of both parents passing away simultaneously, or one shortly after the other, is a very important component of planning, particularly when the couple has minor children.

A comprehensive estate plan can protect the things that matter most. When we say “what matters most,” we’re talking about the ones we love most – our family. Not only is planning about passing things on, but it also can provide protection. One of the most important protections involves planning for minor children and providing for legal guardianship just in case tragedy strikes. Knowing this is taken care of can provide tremendous peace of mind.

If you’ve read some of my articles, you have found that for most of you the best way to plan is to use trust-based planning. A will is vital to express your needs, but if that is all the planning you do, your family will have to go to court to distribute your belonging to your loved ones. That can be expensive, your information is public for all to see, and is often very time-consuming. A trust, on the other hand, allows for your belongings to be immediately and privately distributed by the trustee you choose according to the terms of the trust.