Estate Planning
Having “The Talk” With Your Family
Did you know that less than half of Americans have an estate plan in place? If a loved one should become ill or pass away without an estate plan, it could lead to added emotional strain and stress during a difficult time. And it could have financial implications for the entire family. Talking about estate…
Read MoreWhen Should You Trust Facebook Legal Advice?
Unless the advice is being given by an attorney, or recommending seeking counsel from an attorney, probably never. This week I saw a Facebook post making the rounds among my friends on the importance of estate planning. It was a pretty good post that had some good advice. However, it didn’t come close to explaining…
Read MoreHow Much Can You Give Away and Still Qualify for Vendor Medicaid?
There are pros and cons to gifting your assets to loved ones, especially if you need long term skilled nursing care in the future. The Vendor Medicaid rules on gifting are more favorable for married couples. However, single applicants may benefit from certain gifting strategies as well. Proper nursing home planning may help save you…
Read MoreProtecting Your Home from the Nursing Home
You may be afraid of losing your home if you have to enter a nursing home and apply for Medicaid. While this fear is well-founded, transferring the home to your children or other family members before consulting and elder law attorney is not always the best way to protect it. You generally do not have…
Read MoreKeeping the Family in “Family Farm”
“73% of American farmers haven’t identified a successor or created a succession plan!” – Farm Life Succession planning is a lot like raising a crop. It takes time and starts with planting a seed. Congratulations! Being here means you’ve already taken the first step of planting the seed. This journey is more than just planning…
Read MoreYou Don’t Know What You Don’t Know Until You Wish You Would’ve Known!
ALL ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS ARE NOT EQUAL. I Google a lot of stuff about the services we provide to see what other people are saying to get ideas to share with you. So naturally, the marketing algorithms on my social media platforms show me all kinds of ads for free or steeply discounted estate…
Read MoreHow to Avoid Financial Exploitation
One of the more frequent calls we get go something like this: Me: “Good morning, Joplin Elder Law, how can I help you?” Caller: “Hi, I need to get power of attorney for my (insert loved one’s relationship here.)” Me: “Can I speak to your (loved one) to get their permission to speak to…
Read More“If only I had done this…”
I love working in an Elder Law practice! We get to meet some extraordinary people and help them every day. When people ask me where I work and what I do, the most common response is, “What is Elder Law?” I am passionate about what we do and the services we provide. I usually…
Read MoreDo I Need an Attorney to do My Estate Planning?
Remember when you were a kid and you let your best friend, sibling or cousin talk you into letting them cut your hair? Or maybe you tried cutting it yourself. Sure, your hair got cut, but you may not have gotten the results you wanted. Fortunately hair grows back and the results of a bad…
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