Medicaid Spend Down – More Involved Than First Meets the Eye – Part 1
In this week’s post I return to Medicaid and a call we received a few weeks ago. Mary called concerning her mother who is in a nursing facility. Her long term care policy will be exhausted in a couple of months and Mary said she has no other assets. Her reason for calling
Selling Real Estate of a Deceased Owner (Part 3)
In this third post of three I continue with the story of a call we received about an unmarried couple who owned real estate together. The woman passed away first and a year later the man died. As I explained last week, the administrator of the man’s estate found a buyer for
Selling Real Estate of a Deceased Owner (Part 2)
In my post last week, I told you about a call I received about an unmarried couple who owned a home together. The woman had died a year before the man. I explained that New Jersey has an inheritance tax that is payable 8 months after death. The tax is based on the
Selling Real Estate of a Deceased Owner (Part 1)
I have written several blog posts about problems that arise when selling the real estate of a deceased owner. Here is another one that came to our office. An unmarried couple purchased a home together, which they held as tenants in common. While they referred to each other as fiancées, they never did
Estate Administration – Do It Yourself or Not (Part 2)
In my blog post last week, I began a discussion about what role an attorney can play in the estate administration process. More specifically, how much involvement we have in any case depends on the complexity of the matter and how much our clients want to take on themselves. As I
Estate Administration – Do It Yourself or Not?
A common question I am asked when talking to someone about hiring us to help with estate administration after a loved one dies is whether they need the assistance of an attorney or not. My general answer is that it depends on the specifics of the particular matter as well as
2025 Estate Tax Changes
In my last blog post of 2024, I discuss changes to estate and gift taxes for 2025. As with Social Security and the Medicaid and VA programs which I have already detailed here in past weeks, inflation adjustments have changed some numbers applicable to estate and gift taxes. Estate tax is due
2025 VA Aid and Attendance Numbers
In this week’s post I will review the updated numbers for 2025 for the VA program that provides a benefit to wartime veterans and their spouses. Known as the VA Aid and Attendance program, this benefit provides a special pension to eligible applicants who need long term care. The maximum pension amount
2025 Medicaid Numbers
In a blog post in October, I updated you on some of the new Social Security and Medicare numbers for 2025. The recently announced cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 2.5% follows a 2024 increase of 3.2%. Many other federal programs are tied to the Social Security COLA. These include Medicaid and the
Real Estate and Medicaid (Part 3)
In this third post of three, I discuss the impediment to qualifying for Medicaid when an applicant owns two homes. To review, only the primary residence is an exempt asset as long as the applicant or spouse is living in it. The second home is countable towards Medicaid’s asset limit. Selling the home