The phrase "life estate" often comes up in discussions of estate and Medicaid planning, but what exactly does it mean? A life estate is a form of joint ownership that allows one person to remain in a house until his or her death, when it passes to the other owner. Life estates can be used to avoid probate and to give a house to children without giving up the ability to live in it. They also can play an important role in Medicaid planning. In a life estate, two or more people [...]

Preventing a Will Contest Emotions can run high at the death of a family member. If a family member is unhappy with theamount they received (or didn't receive) under a Will, he or she may try to contest the Will. Willcontests can drag out for years, keeping all the heirs from getting what they are entitled to. It maybe impossible to prevent relatives from fighting over your Will entirely, but there are steps youcan take to try to minimize squabbles and ensure your intentions are carried [...]

On March 23rd, LG&T Elder Care Coordinator, Maria Motsavage presented to Home Instead on "Dementia Care Concepts." Thank you for sharing this important knowledge!

A recent Executive Order calls for a review of the so-called “fiduciary rule,” which was intendedto prevent financial advisers from steering their clients to bad retirement investments byrequiring advisers to act in the best interests of their clients. The order delays the rule, which wasscheduled to go into effect in April 2017, and the rule may ultimately be repealed.Prompted by concern that many financial advisers have a sales incentive to recommend to theirclients bad retirement [...]

Tax day, which is April 18th in 2017, is approaching and it is time to begin crossing T's anddotting I's in preparation for paying taxes. As tax time draws near, you want to make sure youfile all the proper forms and take all deductions you're entitled to. Following are some things tokeep in mind as you prepare your tax form.Gifts. Did you give away any money this year? The gift tax can be very confusing. If yougave away more than $14,000 in 2016, you will have to file a Form 709, the gift [...]