Governor Christie Signs New Law to Cover Digital Assets
On September 13, 2017 Governor Christie signed a new bill into law, the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (“UFADAA”). The new law becomes effective 90 days from the date of signing, December 12, 2017. The issue of accessing digital assets has become an increasingly troublesome one over
What Seniors Can Do to Protect Themselves From Identity Theft (Part 2)
Last week I told you about what you can do to monitor your credit report to keep an eye out for identity theft that may have occurred as a result of the recent Equifax data breach. This week we’ll talk about a more proactive approach, trying to stop theft
What Seniors Can Do to Protect Against Identity Theft
You may have heard about the most recent data breach that occurred earlier this month. The credit reporting agency, Equifax announced that their supposedly secure computer system was hacked. As many as 143 million Social Security numbers, names and addresses were accessed.
Preparing for a Natural Disaster
With all the news stories about Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the destruction caused to Texas, Florida and Caribbean islands, and their aftermath, one story caught my eye. The deaths of 8 nursing home residents in Hollywood, Florida highlights the especially vulnerable position that the elderly face in
Medicaid and Annuities (Part 2)
In last week’s blog, I started to tell you about annuities and how unique they are when we are considering Medicaid. In order to achieve Medicaid eligibility, I must spend down my assets to below $2000 (married couple rules permit assets up to, in some cases, $120,900).
Medicaid and Annuities (Part 1)
The topic of annuities comes up regularly when we get a call regarding the need for Medicaid benefits to pay for long term care. Sometimes the caller has questions about whether it is a good idea to buy an annuity in anticipation of Medicaid. Other times someone
What to Do with Your Pet After You’re Gone (Part 2)
Last week I was talking about options when considering estate planning for pets. One is to leave your pet to someone or some organization along with a sum of money to provide for the pet’s care. I leave my dog Casey to my friend George, for example, with $15,000
Estate Planning for Your Pet (Part 1)
Everyone loves their pet. We spend millions in pet products and vet bills each year and that number seems to increase every year. A question I increasingly am asked is what happens to my pet when I pass away? What are my options in terms of providing a safe
Health Care Directives and HIPAA Releases
It’s a common mistake, confusing a health care directive and a HIPAA release. Both are necessary but they are not identical. First let’s look at a health care directive. There are actually two types of directives, an instruction directive and a proxy directive, both of which are important. An
Medicaid’s Confusing Treatment of Trusts (Part 2)
Last week I wrote about trusts and how they are treated by Medicaid. Specifically, I am talking about irrevocable trusts. Most people assume that if they have placed their assets in an irrevocable trust, that by itself is enough to protect the assets from having to be spent down