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What Does “Do Not Resuscitate” Mean toYou?
January 29, 2010
Everybody seems to know (from popular TV shows, if nothing else) that DNR means “Do Not Resuscitate”, but do you know what “Do Not Resuscitate” means in your own personal healthcare directive or living will? Too often, when talking with clients about the healthcare documents in their estate plans, they don’t know the extent of their own (or their parent’s or grandparent’s) instructions.
“Do Not Resuscitate” can cover a wide array of options, which is why it is so important to define what “life-saving procedures” means to you, and exactly when you would like your DNR to go into effect. Here are some examples of “life-saving procedures” that you (or your elderly relatives) should talk about with family, medical staff, and your estate planning attorney:
Artificial Nutrition and Hydration When grandma decides to stop drinking fluids orally and begins to dehydrate, does the nursing staff have permission to keep her hydrated via IV fluids? What about if you are in a non-reversible coma and unable to drink liquids on your own?
Antibiotics or Other Medicines Do you include antibiotics in your definition of “life-saving procedures?” Do you still if you have been declared irreversibly brain-dead by two independent physicians? When you are 102 and confined to a bed in a nursing home, do you want to be given medicines to combat pneumonia or other illnesses?
Chemotherapy A point similar to the paragraph above; if you are 102, afflicted with dementia and confined to a bed, do you want to receive expensive and painful chemotherapy treatments if the doctors discover cancer?
Blood Transfusions Blood Transfusions are fairly universally considered “life-saving procedures”, and they should be addressed in your healthcare documents. Do you have religious reasons for refusing a blood transfusion? Do you still want one if you are severely and irreversibly disabled?
Organ Donation Though obviously not considered a “life-saving procedure”, organ donation is a topic you should discuss with your family, medical providers, and estate planning attorney to prevent any misunderstandings or delays in treatment if and when the situation arises.
A healthcare directive is one of the most important documents in your estate plan. State-specific healthcare directives or living wills can often be found for free online or at your doctor’s office, and in a pinch these will work; but they cannot take the place of a conversation with a knowledgeable estate planning attorney who will ensure that all aspects of your decision-making process are addressed and put down in writing.
Your Estate Is Ready For The Kids, But AreThe Kids Ready For Your Estate?
January 27, 2010
Many parents spend a lot of time and money ensuring that their estate will go to their children exactly when and how they want it to; they work with the best advisors to create a plan that will transfer their assets as smoothly as possible to their children and grandchildren when the time comes. Ninety-nine percent of the time these parents have in mind that the inherited estate will be used responsibly to help their children and grandchildren pay for schooling, make it possible for one parent to stay home with young children, be put away for retirement, etc. But according to Pamela Black at financial-planning.com, “while estate planners are 98% effective at preparing these assets to be passed on, that preparation goes to waste in 70% of the cases… [because] no one is preparing the heirs for assets.”
When considering how to pass your estate on to your heirs, it is important to take the time to consider how your heirs are likely to handle the new responsibility. While many parents have numerous discussions with their advisors about how they would like their money to be handled, they neglect to have these important conversations with their children because they assume (often erroneously) that they and their children share the same financial values.
Death and money are two of the most uncomfortable subjects for discussion between parents and children, and many families will simply avoid these conversations. But financial advisors and estate planners have seen too many cases of families and carefully crafted estate plans falling apart in the wake of the death of a parent; we know how important it is to have these difficult discussions.
Do you need to spend more time preparing your children for their eventual inheritance? Pamela Black has included in her article a preliminary “Wealth Transition Checklist” to give you an idea of how well prepared your family is for the transition. Bring your kids in with you to your next appointment and let them share in the process of planning for their future. The more they know the better prepared they will be.
WHAT IS A POOLED TRUST?
January 26, 2010
A pooled trust is a trust where the assets of multiple disabled individuals are held in one single Trust, which includes an individual account for each disabled individual participating in the Trust. These trusts are similar to the Special Needs Trusts discussed on our website because they are both limited to individuals with disabilities, however a distinction between the two is with a Pooled Trust there is no age requirement. Therefore disabled individuals of any age can participate in a Pooled Trust. The individual accounts of the Trust are generally funded by the disabled person, his or her parents, grandparents or other family members or legal guardian. The Pooled Trust is managed by a non-profit organization. Generally, upon the death of the disabled individual, any remaining assets will be repaid to the government program (ie. Medicaid), which paid for services for that individual throughout his or her life. However, if you elect to have the remaining assets stay in the Trust after the disabled individuals death, the pay-back requirement can be avoided. The Pooled Trust is ideal for the family who would like to see the assets that remain after the death of the disabled individual go to the other beneficiaries of the non-profit organization, rather than the government.
The Importance of Being Earnest
January 25, 2010
Do you have a will or a trust?
Has your will or trust been reviewed or updated in the past 3-5 years?
If you answered yes to these questions then you are two steps ahead of 2/3 of the rest of Americans. But the next question is the big one:
Does your family or executor know where your legal documents are stored, and are they able to access them?
Having a will or a trust is essential, but it doesn’t do any good if nobody can find it after you’re gone. Olympic medalist Florence Griffith Joyner (“Flo-Jo”) supposedly had a will when she tragically passed away at the age of 38, but because her husband was never able to locate the original document, a neutral administrator had to be appointed by the court to execute the estate; and whether her estate was executed according to her wishes is anybody’s guess.
A will or a trust often contains sensitive and emotional information, and for that reason many people (understandably) want to keep these documents private; but spending any amount of time or money on your estate planning documents won’t help your family if they can’t locate—or don’t have access to—those documents after your death.
We suggest having an earnest conversation with your family (or one or two select members at the very least) about the existence and location of your personal documents. Although they don’t have to know what is in your will or trust, knowing where those documents are can ensure that the time and money you spent creating them isn’t wasted.
Your Will May Be a Ticking Time Bomb
January 23, 2010
The recent repeal of the estate tax is having unintended consequences for responsible husbands and wives who already had a will or trust in place to protect their spouse and family—instead of protecting them, that existing will could now end up leaving surviving spouses with nothing. Jonnelle Marte at the Wall Street Journal has this to say:
“It’s a common practice for people to use formulas in their wills designed to send the maximum amount of assets not subject to the estate tax into a trust, often for their children. The remaining assets are usually left to the surviving spouse. But this year, there’s no limit on the assets people can pass to their heirs without being subject to federal estate tax. So all of the assets could go into a trust and the surviving spouse would get zero.”
Does this mean you’ll have to get your will or trust updated every year? No. But it does mean that you’ll want to get your will or trust reviewed by an estate planning attorney this year. A review of your estate planning documents is a quick and easy process, especially if you don’t have any other significant changes to make. One thing is for sure, the small amount of time you spend making sure your documents are current is well worth the protection and benefit your spouse and family will receive from it.
Where Can Seniors Find “Home Sweet Home”?
January 21, 2010
Where you live is a defining aspect of your character throughout your life. Your “hometown” often plays a large part in the formation of your character; as adults we decorate our homes to reflect our interests, hobbies and loves; and the neighborhoods in which we choose to raise our children (city, farm, suburb) tell us a lot about our underlying values and where we feel safe and secure.
The idea that where you live is an important part of who you are doesn’t diminish as you get older—in fact, the longer you’ve lived in a place the more it seems to become a part of who you are, and vice-versa—so it’s no wonder that seniors are as choosy about where they live as any of the rest of us. What follows are some of the options for senior living arrangements. What you and your loved one will choose will depend on health, finances, community support, and of course—your family.
Most seniors would prefer to stay in the home they’ve known and loved. A senior or retirement community may look perfectly nice to a son or daughter; but mom or dad may see the retirement community as a first step toward losing their independence and being forgotten. Many senior citizens can stay in their homes for quite some time so long as they have the support of family and community and perhaps the help of an in-home caregiver.
Another option for housing is a senior or retirement community. These are often independent communities which provide age-segregated living opportunities for seniors who are still active. They usually provide social activities, regular transportation around town, and some personal care or nursing services. These communities can be the perfect solution for a still active senior who is unable to drive anymore, but be very cautious when choosing a community; with no regulation or governing body the non-social services they provide can be suspect.
A nursing home is the most drastic option for senior living, and is usually reserved for chronically ill people who need medical care and regulation in addition to help with the most basic of daily tasks. The decision to use a nursing home is a difficult and emotional one, and should not be put off to the last minute. Not only because nursing homes are expensive, and require as much advance financial planning as possible, but also because finding the right nursing facility for your loved one can take time.
Whatever housing option you are looking for, don’t be afraid to ask for professional help or advice. A Geriatric Care Manager, Elder Care Support Services, or an Estate Planning or Elder Law Attorney can help your family make and implement this tough decision.
Another Kind of “Bucket List”
January 19, 2010
Among the many changes in tax law to go into effect in 2010 was the change in cost basis for inherited assets. Previously, all inherited assets were “stepped-up” from their original value at date of purchase to their fair market value at date of death. In this way, if inherited assets were sold shortly after death, no capital gains tax was owed. However, in 2010 inherited assets do not receive this automatic “step-up”; instead they will be valued at the lesser of the decedent’s basis or the fair market value as of date of death. The result is that for decedents dying in 2010, the decedent’s tax basis and the fair market value as of date of death will have to be determined for every asset. As you can imagine, this will cause paperwork nightmares for heirs.
What we suggest is making a list of your assets and their values and tax basis information now, while you are still alive and your memory is fresh. This is not a list that has to be shared with anybody until after your death, but the mere existence of your list of assets will save your family and heirs hours of headaches (and heartache) later on.
If the thought of taking the time and energy to sort through files and records to gather this information makes you want to run for the hills, imagine how your heirs will feel! To ease the burden, try making your list one asset at a time, over the course of many days. However you choose to create your list, you can be sure your heirs will thank you.
(Note: There is an exemption amount of $1.3 million of gains from this carry-over basis rule, and another $3 million exemption applying to assets inherited from a spouse.)
What Does Medicaid Mean by Activities ofDaily Life
January 18, 2010
In determining whether an applicant is eligible for benefits one of the diagnostic tools a Medicaid case workers may use is the Activities of Daily Life test. In short the case worker will be examining whether or not the applicant is unable to carry out several of the activities of daily life. The next logical question is what do they consider the activities of daily life?
While the rules vary slightly from state to state there are generally six or eight items considered in making and eligibility decision.
• Eating;
• Toileting;
• Transferring (moving from a bed to a chair);
• Bathing;
• Dressing; and
• Continence.In states that examine the eight critical needs they would examine:
• Eating;
• Meal Preparation;
• Medication Management;
• Dressing;
• Transferring (moving from a bed to a chair);
• Ambulating (this includes activities such as walking, using a wheel-chair or walker, etc.);
• Toileting; and
• Bathing.As a general rule in order to be eligible for Nursing Home Assistance, the applicant would not be able to complete three or more of these activities.
Will You Take Advantage of New Roth RolloverRules?
January 14, 2010
January of 2010 has brought with it a lot of change that is keeping financial and estate planners on their toes. In addition to the repeal of the estate tax (discussed in a previous post), we have been presented with new Roth IRA rollover rules that took effect January 1st, and which now allow anybody, regardless of income, to convert their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. The question now is: Is it worth it?
The answer to that question will be different for everybody, because the amount that will be taxed upon conversion depends entirely on the kind of contributions you have made to your traditional IRA in the past. If you have made more non-deductible contributions than tax-deductible contributions to your traditional IRA you will almost definitely want to take advantage of the conversion opportunity. If you have made fewer non-deductible contributions you may be looking at a higher tax bill. However, the fact that the tax bill can be spread out over two years (but only if the conversion is made this year) should give even those who have made mainly tax-deductible contributions reason to consider the switch.
If you think you may want to make the switch, talk to your advisor. Your financial specialist can tell you the pros and cons of switching based on your personal IRA history. The nice part is that if you do decide to take advantage of the new rules, the decision doesn’t have to be permanent. Those who convert their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2010 will have until October 15, 2011 to change their minds and switch the account back to a traditional IRA.
IF I NEED TO START PLANNING FOR MEDICAID, AMI LIMITED TO ONE TYPE OF TRUST?
January 12, 2010
Older Posts »No. There are many different types of trusts available for individuals looking at estate planning options. In addition, the trust you decide best fits your situation can be unique and individual to your family’s situation. There are three basic types of trusts: the revocable living trust, the irrevocable living trust and the testamentary trust. Each of these trusts provide varying levels of asset protection benefits for the grantor when it comes to Medicaid planning. Many of my clients find the irrevocable living trust the best option when planning for long term care. The irrevocable living trust allows the grantor to receive the traditional benefits of a living trust, for example, income from assets, preservation of assets and avoidance of probate. In addition, a well constructed irrevocable living trust will prevent the trust assets from being counted as an available resource for the purposes of Medicaid eligibility. However, an irrevocable trust is an advance planning tool, and generally not advisable in a crisis planning situation. To determine which trust bests fits your situation, it is best of do a full evaluation of your assets, income, insurance and anticipated future needs. The professionals at Jones Elder Law can sit down with you and your family, to discuss which options are available to your family.
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