I find that a lot of people aren’t sure what estate planning involves or if they really need an estate plan. Let’s start with an explanation of estate planning before I go into any specifics about it. What is Estate Planning? Estate planning sounds like it’s for very rich people who have a lot of property to give away and estate taxes to avoid. The truth is that estate planning is for anyone who has reached the age of majority, which is 18 years old in Massachusetts. It has two very important parts to it. One is your incapacity documents, Read More
Category: advance directive
Respecting Aretha Franklin’s Wishes
You may have seen the latest headline about Aretha Franklin’s estate. Not one, not two, but three handwritten wills have been found and submitted to the court. There are several reasons why this news is so important. When Ms. Franklin died, it was reported that she had no estate planning. Generally speaking, that means she died intestate, and the state law where she was a resident, Michigan in this case, decides how her assets are divided. With the discovery of three handwritten wills, the court now has to decide if any of the wills are actually valid under state law, Read More
From Hospital to Nursing Home and Back
No one wants to go to a nursing home. But it’s unavoidable when patients get caught between hospital policies that require earlier and earlier discharge on the one hand, and the inability of family members to care for elderly or otherwise fragile patients who are being released from hospital care too soon for home care to suffice. So it’s particularly common for older patients who’ve had surgery or suffered serious illness to be sent from the hospital to a nursing home to recover. According to a June 13 NPR “Shots” Health News report by Jordan Rau, “Medicare Takes Aim At Read More