Recent Blog Posts
Disabled Veterans Can Utilize Special Needs Trusts to Protect Pension Benefits
An unfortunate reality of serving in active duty during a period of war is that many veterans return from their service in places like Iraq and Afghanistan with significant long-term disabilities and mental health problems. Statistics show that the majority of these...
How Trusts Can Protect an Inheritance for an Adult Child Who Struggles with Substance Abuse
Statistics show that 21.5 million adults in the United States battle with some kind of substance abuse disorder. Whether the addiction is alcoholism, drug abuse, or even behavioral addictions like gambling, leaving an inheritance to an adult child who is struggling...
How to Settle a Probate Estate in Florida
Settling a probate estate requires quite a lot of time, patience, and organization. The probate process has the potential to be long and drawn out depending on the deceased’s state of affairs and, realistically, how easy the probate court makes it to work with them....
Tampa Will Attorney: How to Encourage Your Elderly Parent to Plan Their Estate
“In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” as Benjamin Franklin once said. Indeed, we cannot escape the reality that we will all die someday. And consequently, we will certainly have to pay taxes. This reality can hit exceptionally close to home for...
The SECURE Act Becomes Law: What It Means for Your Current Retirement Account and Your Future Beneficiaries
As a surprise to most financial professionals across the country, the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) has been approved by Congress following its last-minute inclusion into a bipartisan appropriations bill that would avert a...
In Case of Emergency: Take These Steps to Let Authorities Know You Have a Child with Special Needs At Home | Brandon Special Needs Lawyers
The possibility of unexpected death or incapacity is something no parent likes to think about, but as Brandon special needs lawyers, it’s our job to ensure that families are legally prepared for the worst. With that said, imagine being involved in a serious accident...
The “Katie Beckett” Waiver Medicaid Waiver Program Can Help Children with Serious Disabilities Receive Care at Home | Tampa Special Needs Attorneys
Tampa special needs attorneys know all too well that when a child has significant special needs that require round-the-clock medical and long-term care, the options for receiving such care are often limited. Traditionally in the past, children with severe disabilities...
Tampa Will and Trust Lawyer Answers, “Can Minors Inherit Assets?”
Although it is possible for a minor to inherit assets, the individual to whom an asset goes cannot claim it until he or she reaches the age of maturity. In the event that both parents die, a court-appointed judge will designate a legal guardian who will be responsible...
Brandon Special Needs Lawyer Answers “What Happens If My Adult Child’s Legal Guardian No Longer Wants the Job?”
Most parents who have adult children with special needs will need to go through a court process to become their child’s legal guardian once he or she turns 18. Doing so will allow the parent to continue to manage financial affairs and make medical decisions for their...
How to Properly Liquidate a Loved One’s Home
Liquidate Your Home (or a Loved One's) When a loved one will no longer be returning to their home the family needs to secure the assets of their loved one in the newly abandoned home. The family has a number of responsibilities, among those are: Immediately secure the...
How is the Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Decision Good for Senior Citizens?
Is the Supreme Court's gay marriage decision good for senior citizens? The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on June 26, 2013 stating that a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional means that same-sex couples (in states that legally recognize...
Social Security – A Safety Net
Social Security – A Safety Net for Retired Americans, their Survivors, and the Disabled June 5, 2013 - By the NCPC Our council is dedicated to helping families recognize the need for long term care planning and to help implement that planning. All elderly people,...
Planning for a Special Needs Child
Quite often, I receive phone calls from parents of a special needs child concerned about how to plan for that child should something happen to them. For every phone call I receive, I know there at least ten other families out there who have not thought about planning...
Medicaid: Transitioning from skilled nursing to assisted living
Medicaid: Transitioning from skilled nursing to assisted living If you have a loved one who is being cared for in a skilled nursing facility and is receiving Medicaid benefits, and that person no longer needs to be in skilled nursing (but cannot live on their own or...
Beware “Medicaid Planners” who call themselves “experts”
Beware "Medicaid Planners" who are not attorneys You should NEVER have an attorney tell you that they can guarantee your Medicaid application is approved. You should NEVER have an attorney tell you they are an “expert” in elder law or special needs planning unless...