Unfortunately, financial exploitation of older individuals is an all too common occurrence in our country. The National Council on Aging estimates that as many as 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 60 has experienced some sort of elder abuse. And what many people don’t realize is that a large portion of those incidents […]
Grandparents may be tempted to leave an IRA to a grandchild because children have a low tax rate, but the “kiddie tax” could make doing this less beneficial.An IRA can be a great gift for a grandchild. A young person who inherits an IRA has to take minimum distributions, but because the distributions are based on the […]
Online bill paying has become a popular way to make paying bills easier, and now you can pay your Medicare premiums online too. If your bank allows customers to pay bills online, you can use that service to pay your Medicare premiums.To set up online bill paying, contact your bank. To make sure your bank […]
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced changes to the federal reverse mortgage program. Citing the need to put the program on better financial footing, HUD will raise reverse mortgage fees for some borrowers and lower the amount homeowners can borrow.A reverse mortgage allows a homeowner who is at least 62 years old […]
Thanks to Seattle-based documentary filmmaker Evan Briggs, a national lens has been placed on a program local to her that works to enhance the lives of those young and old. The Intergenerational Learning Center is for children ranging from 6 weeks to 5 years old and it is housed within the retirement community of Providence […]
In the design work we perform for our clients, we often use various types of trusts. There are many things a trust can do including helping to address issues related to incapacity, protecting your assets from creditors, and avoiding or minimizing hassles related to the probate process after you die. But one aspect of trusts […]
Country performer Glen Campbell was a longtime celebrity, known in the public eye for his hit songs. In 2011, Campbell decided to make his journey as a man living with Alzheimer’s disease another major part of his legacy. Like legendary basketball coach Pat Summit, who passed away in 2016, Campbell and his family spoke out […]
Alzheimer’s disease is a formidable, national epidemic. The non-profit Alzheimer’s Association, and its sister organization, Alzheimer’s Impact Moment (AIM), estimate that $259 billion is spent per year and that 5.5 million Americans are living with this disease. AIM seeks to advance public policies, research, and overall care and support required to best meet the growing […]
Long term care planning is complicated. When we help guide our clients through that process we must consider many factors, including things like amounts of current and future assets and income, likely expenses, health conditions of various family members, and other family dynamics. So when a client has a long term care insurance policy it […]
When we ask our clients if they would ever want to be artificially kept alive on a machine or the like, they almost invariably answer NO. We have all seen too many horror stories of individuals who end up living a sad existence in a vegetative state for a prolonged period of time. Almost all […]