Our senior clients suffered a big disappointment in January – after years of getting a “raise” in their social security benefit, alas, there was no cost-of-living increase for 2016. And just why was the cost-of-living adjustment withheld this time? As Jonathan...
Month: June 2016
Are Retirement Withdrawal Calculations Different for Same Sex Couples?
With the legalization of same-sex marriage, there have been many changes with regard to estate and retirement planning for same sex couples. While married couples have certain estate rights and obligations by law, unmarried individuals in committed relationships with...
Elder Abuse Earns Headlines, Not Always Court Time
Elder abuse has changed from a subject rarely discussed to a national dilemma that gains media headlines, Jonathan Golding writes on the National Consumer Law Center website. Unfortunately, Golding notes, when an elder abuse case reaches the courtroom, a juror’s task...
Can Responsible Party be Held Rosponsible for the Bill?
If a son or daughter signs a nursing home admission form for a parent as “Responsible Party”, does that mean the adult child is responsible for paying the bill if the patient runs out of money? An interesting 2014 ruling in the Indiana Court of Appeals provides a...
Good Estate Planning Helps Keep it All in the Family
A recent trip to the Clabber Girl museum and restaurant in Terre Haute, Indiana reminded me just how fine an example the Hulman family is of succession and estate planning gone right. “The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 brings inevitable questions about the...
Sisters Versus Daughter in Heirship Dispute
There’s nothing like a true story when it comes to teaching a lesson, we believe, and a recent case that reached the Indiana Court of Appeals is a good example. If only the father in the story had executed a will spelling out his wishes, there probably would have been...
The Indiana Long Term Care Insurance Program
“Has a long term care insurance policy been put into place?” At Geyer & Associates, we know the answer to that question is going to make a big difference in our clients’ overall estate planning. “While most Americans don’t believe they’ll need long term care,”...
Trusts Can Be As Complex as ABC
Married couples had better learn their alphabet as they create estate plans designed to keep assets in the family and away from the tax man. Alphabet-savvy trust planning is particularly important if spouses have different sets of final beneficiaries in mind. Many...
Elder Lawyer Cautions Clients About Elder Scams
There’s a reason why, as far back as 2013, TV stations, including WTHR in Indianapolis, were warning their viewers of senior scams. (The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel network database contained almost 124,000 individual consumer complaints that year alone...
In Estate Planning, Reasonable Assumptions May No Longer Be Enough
“Times have changed. Make sure your planning has changed, too,” New Jersey estate planner Martin Shenkman advises financial planners. Estate planning, Shenkman says, is much too often built upon assumptions that may no longer be true. Charitable giving What continues...
