There are several questions everyone should ask themselves when preparing a living will, advance medical directive or other legal documents that have a direct impact on how a medical emergency should be handled by healthcare professionals. Elder law attorneys know that fewer than 70% of families actually make the correct choice when they are forced to guess at what their loved ones want done. Physicians are even more apt to make a judgment call that isn’t in line with their patients’ final wishes or religious beliefs. Before you begin to prepare an advance directive or living will with your estate…
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There is no easy way for a family to deal with a senior grappling with a cognitive mental disease like dementia or Alzheimer's. Like any health problems faced by loved ones, a family's initial reaction is to try to get the senior the help they need. However, at our Elder Law firm we understand that cognitive conditions are tricky, because the injury is not physical and often the senior may not be fully aware that they are even suffering from the problem at all. One elder law advocate recently discussed this challenge in response to a reader question explaining her…
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The Tax Relief Act of 2010, passed in December, opens a number of new estate planning opportunities – some of which may be short-lived, since the law expires at the end of 2012. Of course, with the change in the law comes the possibility that your current estate planning may need some updates, both to reflect the new rules and perhaps to take advantage of opportunities that were not previously available to you. In their article The New Rules of Estate Planning, Smart Money focused on a few of the most common issues to consider. Gifting as a Means of…
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Most experts recommend The financial consequences of failing to keep your legal and financial documents in order can be significant. As pointed out in a recent Wall Street Journal article, state treasurers currently hold $32.9 billion in unclaimed bank accounts and other assets. Additionally, some of the country’s largest life insurers are under investigation for failing to pay out unclaimed life policies to beneficiaries. Insurers say they are behaving lawfully and under their policy contracts are required to pay a claim only when beneficiaries come forward. Will your family members reap the full benefit of your estate planning efforts, or…
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The Guide is structured around 7 keys steps you can take to get your affairs in order.
Frederick, MD 
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