eniors with estate planning needs have a limited time to take advantage of the current estate tax law options. Under the current estate tax law, certain options will disappear by December 31, 2012. The federal estate and gift tax system currently in place includes a number of options for gifting and transferring wealth without extreme […]
This summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), though consumer concern had already prompted many companies to drop BPA from both food and beverage containers. BPA was a standard component in the plastics that made up baby bottles and sippy cups. Studies suggest that repeated exposure to BPA, […]
Close to 70 percent of people over age 65 need some long-term care; therefore, looking ahead and preparing for the possibility of needing long-term care is prudent, as there is a high likelihood that you or a loved one will need some form of services. The need for long-term care hits all economic levels and […]
recent voluntary recall of pre-sliced apples potentially tainted with listertia has raised the issue of food safety in the news again. The food in question is pre-sliced apples, distributed through grocery and fast food chains in 36 states, including Burger King, McDonald’s, Wawa and Wegman’s stores, and sold packaged with ‘‘Ready Pac’’ and ‘‘Safeway Farms’’ […]
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) launched an awareness campaign in May to educate members of Congress about elder law issues. Their campaign is called District Days and it focuses on events in the home districts of Congressional members. NAELA members joined Representatives and Senators to discuss issues important to seniors such as […]
As baby boomers transition into retirement and their golden years, their adult children are becomingcaregivers and counted on to provide financial support. More than 32 percent of adult children helped out with $5,000 or more of their parents’ expenses in the last year, and more than 75 percent are concerned about the impact it could […]
Federal officials recently stopped plans to implement the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program. This government-run long-term care insurance model has been the subject of an intense evaluation by Health and Human Services (HHS) since the health care law passed in 2010. But after numerous studies and redesign plans, the CLASS program was […]
The miracle medical breakthroughs of the 20th century (I limit these breakthroughs to the 20th century since any breakthrough made in the current century is still pending approval by the FDA) have made living longer, healthier lives possible. It has also made living longer unhealthier lives possible. One-hundred years ago our minds would falter and […]
BY JACOB A. HALE So you weren’t born a millionaire, huh? Neither was I, but my grand kids might be and so can yours. The IRS—yes, that IRS—has recently made it relatively simple to accomplish. I’m talking about the “Stretch IRA.” The term probably sounds familiar to you because it has been bandied about over […]
BY JACOB A. HALE How do you break down a life well spent? We spend our early years charging through bushes and mapping exotic creek beds near our backyards. As we grow older we winnow our list of potential careers from the more fashionable fields of shark wrangling and astronautics to lowly careers in lawyering […]