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Encino Trust Attorney Answers, “What Should a Special Needs Trust Pay For?”

Trustees of special needs trusts shoulder an incredible amount of responsibility. In addition to providing care for the individual with special needs, they must also make sure the assets in the trust are spent wisely and will not disqualify the person from any benefits they may be receiving.

How to Qualify for Medi-Cal – Even If You Have Too Many Assets

Medi-Cal is a needs-based program meant to help those without considerable resources access medical care and benefits. Since it is needs-based, there are significant asset and income limits attached to eligibility, which can easily lead to a disqualification from receiving benefits if the assets are not monitored closely. However, there are several ways to prevent a Medi-Cal eligibility disqualification through the use of trusts. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on how an irrevocable trust can help if a person expects to receive Medi-Cal benefits in the future and a First-Party Special Needs Trust if a person is ready to receive Medi-Cal benefits.

Encino Estate Lawyer: What Happens to Your Digital Assets After You Pass Away?

Digital assets and what happens to them after you pass away are fairly new concerns for people. However, this issue must be given significant thought, since so much of our lives are impacted by the digital age. To help alleviate these concerns and give more control to those managing estates of the recently incapacitated or deceased, Congress passed The Revised Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, otherwise known as RUFADAA. This act allows fiduciaries (executors, trustees, and agents working with a Power of Attorney) to manage digital accounts owned by others, while at the same time affording the account owner a level of privacy.

LA County Elder Law Attorney: How to Help an Elderly Parent Manage Money

A concern for many adult children with an aging parent is whether or not they can still handle money and make sound choices regarding their financial affairs. There are many reasons why an elderly parent would have trouble handling their own finances, usually due to some physical or mental ailment or the loss of a spouse who normally handled the finances, though there are other times when the parent just decides they would rather have someone else handle financial decisions, so they may focus on other things.

Encino Trust Lawyer Answers: “What is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT)?”

Family homes and other real property are usually the most valuable assets in an estate. While homeowners may want to leave these properties to children or other beneficiaries as part of an inheritance, tax burdens can throw a wrench into those plans. Unfortunately, without proper planning, most beneficiaries cannot afford the taxes that come along with inheriting property, which usually forces the sale of a family home or other property after the homeowner dies.

Los Angeles County Will Lawyer: When is the right time to sign a DNR?

Many people believe that when they create an estate plan and sign an Advanced Health Care Directive document, they’re also signing a Do Not Resuscitate order, or DNR. However, a DNR is actually a health care document and is not provided by attorneys as part of an estate plan. This means that you won’t sign a DNR in an attorney’s office; instead, it will be signed with a doctor or in a hospital. An Advanced Health Care Directive can impact a DNR, and the documents are sometimes used together to make sure your health care wishes are fulfilled.

Encino Estate Planning Lawyer: How to Store Your Legal Documents So They Stay Safe in a Disaster

Just how safe are your legal documents, should a disaster strike? The loss of those documents will cause a lot of problems after the destruction has been cleared, which is why it’s important to make sure you protect those documents.

Los Angeles Will and Trust Lawyer: How to Use Designation Documents to Make Your Healthcare and Financial Wishes Known

All adults should create advance directives at some point in their lifetime, preferably sooner rather than later. Advance directives, also known as designation documents, are documents that help you decide how your finances and health care decisions will be handled if you ever become incapacitated or decide you no longer want to be in charge of those decisions. These documents include a Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directive, and even if you already have these documents, it’s important to have them reviewed by an experienced Los Angeles County will and trust lawyer every few years to make sure they still match your wishes and your current situation.

Everything You Need to Know About VA Health Care Benefits

The United States federal government offers several different benefit programs to senior citizens who lack financial resources for healthcare. However, VA Health Care benefits are only available to those people who served our country in the armed forces. If you are a veteran who served on active duty and received any discharge other than dishonorable, you may be eligible to receive VA Health Care benefits from the Veteran’s Administration. Here is everything you should know about VA Health Care benefits…

Los Angeles County Elder Lawyer Offers Tips for Investing Toward Your Retirement

Retirement planning should be on everyone’s minds, but it’s a difficult concept for many people to correctly grasp. You have to imagine what your income, expenses, and life changes will be like years down the road while trying to anticipate what the economic landscape will look like during that time. This can be very daunting, especially if you don’t have a financial background. Fortunately, there are some basic principles of investing for your retirement that you can follow that will put you on the right path….

Southern California Elder Lawyer on How to Choose an Assisted Living Facility

Assisted living facilities are often a transitional step for senior citizens between independent living and the full care provided at a nursing home. Seniors can receive assistance with cleaning, cooking, laundry, and other tasks while still maintaining a level of personal independence and privacy not found at nursing homes. Since there’s such a wide range of services available for seniors depending on the level of care they require, there are a number of things to consider when choosing an assisted living facility here in Southern California.

Encino Trust Lawyer: How to Change a Revocable Living Trust

As circumstances change and life throws new challenges our way, it’s important to take a look at your future plans and make sure they still match your wishes. This means examining your existing estate plan and making changes if necessary, which is especially true for your revocable living trust.

Encino Elder Lawyer Offers 3 Keys to Retirement Planning

Planning early for your retirement is the best way to ensure that you can enjoy your golden years. Keep in mind that while it’s never too early to start planning, it can sometimes be too late. That’s why it’s a good idea to take a look at all your retirement options and work with an Encino elder law attorney to develop a strategy that works for you. Here are the three key areas you should consider when making your retirement plan: