An executor is the person responsible for managing the administration of a deceased person’s estate. The executor (also called a personal representative) is either named in a will or appointed by the court, if there is no will. Executors are responsible for making sure the deceased person’s wishes are carried out and that the estate […]
One important reason to have a will is to be able to name your executor (also called a personal representative). An executor is the person responsible for managing the administration of your estate after you die. If you don’t choose an executor, the court will choose one for you. The first decision is whether to […]
An executor is the person responsible for managing the administration of a deceased person’s estate. One of the executor’s main jobs is to pay people or institutions to whom the estate owes money — the estate’s creditors. This can be an overwhelming task, especially when dealing with the death of a loved one, but it is […]
If you are in the hospital, the last thing you want is for a family member or a trusted friend to be denied information about your condition or prognosis. But this could happen if you haven’t already given authorization about who can receive details of your medical condition. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act […]
Funerals rank among the most expensive purchases many consumers will ever make. A traditional funeral costs about $6,000, although “extras” like flowers, obituary notices, acknowledgment cards and limousines can bring the total to well over $10,000. Moreover, people often “overspend” on a funeral or burial because they think of it as a reflection of their […]
Many retirees look forward to traveling in their retirement, and more and more are actually retiring overseas, in part as a way to stretch savings. But what happens to retirees’ federal benefits while they are out of the country? The short answer is that although Social Security benefits are available to retirees in other countries, […]
Medicaid’s RulesIn order to be eligible for Medicaid, you cannot have recently transferred assets. Congress does not want you to move into a nursing home on Monday, give all your money to your children (or whomever) on Tuesday, and qualify for Medicaid on Wednesday. So it has imposed a penalty on people who transfer assets […]
Some 29 states currently have laws making adult children responsible for their parents if their parents can’t afford to take care of themselves. These “filial responsibility” laws have rarely been enforced, but six years ago when federal rules made it more difficult to qualify for Medicaid long-term care coverage, some elder law attorneys predicted that nursing homes would start using […]
Back in the year 2000, a series of profiles of American centenarians debuted on National Public Radio (NPR) called “One Hundred Years of Stories.” Producer Neenah Ellis later translated those profiles into a book called If I Live to be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians. Ellis recognized that there are more 100-year-olds alive now than […]
Here in the great state of Connecticut, there have been several new communities opening and marketed to the older adult population. Communities designated as “Independent Living” (IL) and “Assisted Living” (AL) can be very successful in combating the negative stigma associated with getting older and going into “the home.” They are often very welcoming, well […]