Elder abuse is a disturbing (and often underreported) issue that will eventually impact all of us—if not on a personal level then most likely by touching the life of someone we know and love. Elder abuse is something that is difficult for most people to consider, not only because the idea is such a disturbing one, but also because it is so insidious.

Elder abuse can be either physical or financial; it can happen to seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia as well as seniors who still have all their mental faculties; and the perpetrators can be strangers, nursing staff, or even family members. Once you begin to learn about it, it seems that the opportunity for elder abuse can be lurking around every corner.

This recent and disturbing article from PBS Frontline brings to light some of the ways that the medical community itself has managed to overlook or ignore elder abuse whose evidence is right under their noses. “Autopsies of seniors have become increasingly rare even as the population age 65 or older has grown. Between 1972 and 2007, a government analysis found, the share of U.S. autopsies performed on seniors dropped from 37 percent to 17 percent.” What this means is that “coroner and medical examiner offices, which are responsible for probing sudden and unusual fatalities… — hampered by chronic underfunding, a shortage of trained doctors and a lack of national standards — have sometimes helped to send innocent people to prison and allowed killers to walk free.” This may be especially true in cases of elder abuse. It’s clear that something needs to be done.

USA Today reports that not everyone has their heads in the sand. “There is a genuine recognition by those who are concerned by the abuse of elders that there need to be appropriate safe houses for them to get them out of immediate harm’s way… Nationally, we’ve been aware of the need for elder abuse shelters, but they’ve been slow in coming into fruition.” Furthermore, public figures (such as Mickey Rooney) coming forward with their own stories and experiences has helped raise awareness of elder abuse.

For more information about elder abuse and what you can do to prevent it, you can go to the National Center on Elder Abuse website, or contact our office.

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A family vacation home—whether it’s a summer house on the beach or a winter skiing bungalow in the mountains—can be just the thing that brings a family together. Unfortunately, it can also be just the thing that tears a family apart when parents pass away and the time comes to decide what to do with this wonderful family treasure. This article in the Wall Street Journal mentions that “Tensions often mount when a family figures out what to do with a property that could be a lightning rod for sibling rivalries—not to mention a sizable chunk of an estate.”

There are a number of issues that can be brought to the surface when adult children or grandchildren try to share a family property. “One big friction point in such an arrangement is how to pay the costs involved in maintaining a home—including taxes, insurance, utility bills.” But that’s only the beginning. “Other factors to consider: How the family gets along, where they live, what happens when the children who inherit a home get married and who is going to use the property.”

Fortunately, this is one family fight that can be prevented (or at least softened) by a little bit of forethought and planning. One of the first suggestions in the WSJ article is to leave family property to the next generation in a trust funded by life insurance. “That way, a professional trustee can manage the property, and the insurance proceeds can cover expenses.” A Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT) or a Dynasty Trust can both be useful for this purpose.

Another beneficial safeguard is to form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) for the property. An LLC can help establish an operating agreement to “cover rights of use and property management,” as well as shield heirs from estate taxes.

Having a good plan in place for your family vacation home can be the determining factor which allows the property to continue to serve as a place where your entire family can come together, to create happy memories that will last a lifetime.

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Many of our clients who are 70 ½ or older have chosen in the past to give a certain portion of their required IRA withdrawal to charity each year; doing so has allowed them to take the required withdrawal, keep their taxable income down, and give to a cause they care about all at the same time. Unfortunately, the individual-retirement-account donation rule expired at the end of 2011 and has yet to be restored by Congress.

This recent article in the Wall Street Journal explains that “under current rules, the first dollars out of an IRA count as the required withdrawal. So if an IRA owner makes a withdrawal before Congress extends the law, he or she can’t redeposit the funds and make a donation of IRA funds after lawmakers act.”

The expiration of this rule may not be a big deal for many of our readers who intend to make charitable donations as they always have, regardless of retirement-account donation benefits; but for some, not knowing what Congress may choose to do is making it hard to design a financial plan for the year, and causing increasing stress. “The problem arises for IRA owners [who are] over 70½ and must take an annual payout from the account. They want to withdraw as little as possible in order to let the assets expand but also want to donate some or all of the required payout directly to charity.”

Your best bet right now may be to consider your ultimate goal both for your IRA payout and for your charitable giving for the year, and then talk to a trusted advisor. One thing any estate or financial planner will tell you is that there is almost always more than one way to accomplish your goals. We cannot stress enough, however, how important it is to stay on top of any legal requirements or changes in the law when it comes to IRAs and retirement savings.

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Do you already have an estate plan? Or perhaps you don’t have an estate plan per se, but over the years you’ve collected all of what you feel are the necessary documents to provide security and protection for your family and your assets after your death? Well, you may want to take a moment to review that existing estate play of yours. According to this recent article there are five common mistakes made in estate plans, and just one could end up derailing your goals for yourself or for your family.

Some of the common mistakes listed in the article are things that are very easy to fix once you’re aware of them—listing the wrong beneficiary on an old retirement account or life insurance policy, for example. All too often people get a new job or new policy and list the right beneficiary at the time, then that policy goes in a drawer or filing cabinet for years. During those passing years you may get married or divorced, or you may have children. Any of these big life events require changing those beneficiaries. Luckily, making that change is generally a quick and easy fix.

If you aren’t worried about your retirement or life insurance beneficiaries, consider what what will happen to your children in the event of an emergency. Many clients agonize over who to name as guardians of their minor children, but forget to review those decisions every few years. The energetic young couple you chose 7 years ago might now have children of their own, or have moved to another state, and may not be as ideal a choice as they once were. If you listed your parents 10 years ago you might decide in the intervening years that an aging couple is not quite as able as you thought to take on so much added responsibility.

The fact of the matter is that our lives are not static or stagnant, they are constantly growing and changing, and estate planning documents will need to grow and change with them. If it has been more than 2 years since you last reviewed your plan, it’s time to get out the magnifying glass and give your documents another good look. Chances are you won’t have any big changes to make, but those little details can turn into glaring problems when left neglected for too long.

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We’ve all read the disquieting statistics about girls and math: That they’re less likely to participate in math and science in school, and that they’re less likely to choose one of these as a major in college. Happily, great strides have been made by girls in these subjects in the past few decades; but apparently there is still one subject in which women continue to trail behind men—talking about finances and retirement planning.

According to a recent article in Business Insider, “when the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies asked women in their 50s and 60s if they ever discussed saving, investing and financial retirement planning with friends or family, the answer they got was a big NO from 30 percent of respondents and a tepid ‘occasionally’ from 62 percent. Only 8 percent said ‘frequently.’” Clearly women need to find a way to become more comfortable discussing their financial futures—either with their friends and families or with trusted financial advisors.

What is most interesting about this from an estate planning perspective is that in our line of work women are often the driving force behind a family or couple coming in for an initial consultation. Women may not feel comfortable talking about finances, but they are obviously very aware that—when coupled with future and well-being of their families—it is an important issue that needs to be addressed.

The Business Insider article mentioned above closes with 5 questions that might help get the financial conversation started among women; we would only add to this that a discussion of family finances, as well as personal finances, may be a good way to get the ball rolling.

We understand that not everybody has the same concerns when it comes to financial and estate planning. Contact our office today and let us know what your concerns and goals are for your future, and for the future of your family. We can help.

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Do you know who will take care of you when you are unable to take care of yourself? Studies show that most caregivers for aging seniors are likely to be women, and most likely to be your daughter or daughter-in-law. What this means is that unless parents have a plan for their future long term care, the financial burden of caring for these aging parents will fall to daughters and their families.

Serving as a caregiver for elderly parents includes more than just driving to doctor appointments or helping with the shopping, it often includes paying for food and medical costs, as well as taking time away from careers to care for family members. In fact, it’s not unusual for female caregivers to experience a significant loss of income over a lifetime in reduced salary and retirement benefits.

Many seniors think that they will have government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to fall back on, but these programs don’t always provide as much as expected or hoped. Relying on government programs can leave your children or family members footing just as much of the bill as they would without the programs. Instead, seniors may want to consider investing in long-term-care insurance, which can provide more flexible and comprehensive coverage than government programs, and save seniors and their families much time and money.

If you are a daughter of aging parents, now is the time to talk to your parents about the future. Studies show that you are the one who is likely to shoulder the responsibility of caring for parents as they age. Doing so will affect your family, your career, your finances, and even your health.

The subject of aging and elder care is a difficult one, but not one to be left to the last minute. Talk to your family about your wishes and plans for the future, then bring your estate planning attorney into the discussion. Once you have an idea of your wishes, an expert can help you feel better about your options, and put you on the right path for keeping your family healthy, happy, and financially secure in the years to come.

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Before we move away from the topic of New Year’s resolutions, there’s one more New Year’s Resolution we’d like to address—that of taking control of your destiny and starting your own business. The desire to move away from corporate America and work for oneself is not at all unusual. Unfortunately, not all who make this resolution will follow through with it. This is not because these brave entrepreneurs can’t make it, but because they get discouraged. Branching out on your own is a scary venture, especially if you aren’t sure where or how to start; but making that start is a lot easier if you have a plan and know that you’re not alone.

The following article from Kiplinger.com, Six Steps to Starting Your Own Business, can help you with the first part, and your attorney can help you with the second.

That’s right; your attorney can help you start your business, and in fact should help you start your business. Although the idea and impetus behind this new venture will be all yours, you should absolutely talk to your attorney about the formal incorporation and formation. Many attorneys are small business owners themselves, and can also help with the challenging and daunting tasks of structuring and formalizing a business plan. Once your business is off the ground and making money (as it undoubtedly will) your attorney can also help you protect it from creditors and lawsuits.

With a clear plan, and a friend in your corner, starting a business seems almost too easy.

If you’ve ever considered starting your own business, this could be the year to do it. Make a plan, call your attorney, and take control of your own destiny.

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Once you’ve worked with your attorney to create the perfect trust to protect your family, you’ll need to re-title any assets you’d like to be protected into to name of your trust. This is called Funding. Funding a trust is not difficult at all, but when you don’t know where to start it can seem daunting. The result is that even the best of us may be tempted to procrastinate, sometimes to the point of negligence.

Here are a few tips to get you started on the process. Each trust will be different, but the following suggestions are a foundation to begin funding just about every revocable trust:

* Bank Accounts: For this you will need your Certification of Trust. This is the document your bank will require to put your account(s) in the name of your trust. With this document it’s a quick matter to stop by the bank some afternoon and ask them to make your trust the owner of your accounts. NOTE: You should NOT be required to change the name on your checks or bank cards!

* Real Property: Check your records to make sure your home is in the name of your trust. Even if you know you transferred your home into your revocable trust, refinancing will often result in your home being taken out of it. If your home is not owned by the trust, contact your attorney to have it put back in.

* Stocks and Investments: Contact your broker, financial advisor, or transfer agent to change the title of the investment accounts to the name of the trust. For stocks owned outside of an investment account, ask for the certificate to be re-issued in the name of your trust.

* Personal Property: Tangible personal property such as antiques or artwork often cannot be titled in the name of a trust. But you can tell your attorney you’d like to sign an Assignment of Personal Property, sometimes called a Comprehensive Transfer Document. This states your intention to hold all of your tangible property in the name of, and for the benefit of, your revocable trust.

Don’t let your trust turn into an empty shell. The funding process is much easier than you think. Once you get started you’ll gather momentum quickly. Before you know it your assets and your family will all be safely protected, and you can truly heave that big sigh of relief.

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We all want to ensure our loved ones are protected and provided for, but sometimes the process of doing so can appear overwhelming, and prevent you from even taking the first steps. When it comes to protecting your family and your future with an estate plan, the process can actually be as easy as 1… 2… 3…

1. Assessment. The first step to creating a plan that can protect your family, your future, and your family’s future begins with simply taking stock of what you have and where you are. Begin by making a list of all your assets, including your house, stocks, investments, bank accounts and personal property. Next consider your responsibilities and goals: what are your plans for the future or for retirement? Who do you wish to provide for in your will? Do you have a spouse or children who might benefit from a trust?

2. Implementation. Now it’s time to put all that information you gathered in step one into play. The particulars of your estate will have a great impact on how you build your estate plan: A small estate and straightforward inheritance plan may require only a well-drafted will, while a larger estate may benefit from the asset protections found with a trust. Your goals for the future and your wishes for your family will have an equally large impact on your choice of estate planning strategies as well, including whether to include an education trust for young students, a pet trust for your furry family members, or a retirement trust to protect your own investments. An estate planning attorney can help you understand your options and implement the strategy you feel works best for your family.

3. Follow-Through. Once your estate plan is drafted, signed, and tucked safely away you’ll want to ensure that it continues working as you intend it to. The best way to do this is to review your plan with your estate planning attorney every 2 or 3 years. Your family and financial situation is likely to change over the years—estate taxes and laws change as well—and all the hard work you put into creating your plan can be undone if you don’t keep up with the changes.

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Parents of young children always seem to be busy, and we know that it can be difficult to find the time to think about something that you hope will never happen. With all the “To Do’s” and distractions out there, too many parents simply avoid thinking about a will, trust, or guardianship for their children; hoping that it will never be needed. But your children deserve more than good luck and crossed fingers, and we recommend making 2012 the year that you take the (sometimes difficult) steps necessary to ensure that your minor children are protected no matter what the future may bring.

1. Create a nomination of guardians for your children. The single-most important step you can take to ensure the well-being of your children is to execute a nomination of guardians. This is the document that names who you believe are the best and most loving people to parent your children if something should happen to you. This document is your children’s best protection against unqualified guardians or the foster care system.

2. Talk to your attorney about protecting your children’s inheritance (and in some cases protecting your children from receiving an inheritance too soon) with a trust. With a trust you can ensure that your children will be provided for financially until they reach adulthood, as well as leave a legacy for your children which includes your financial, philanthropic, and educational values.

3. Invest in your child’s higher education. Education is more important than ever in our current economic situation, and parents can resolve in 2012 to secure their child’s education by setting up a 529 education savings plan. This is something that parents can contribute to regularly, as well as grandparents, aunts and uncles, and more. A 529 plan that you set up today will be there even if you can’t be. After all, protecting your child’s future doesn’t stop when they reach 18.

If you have other questions or concerns about how to protect your minor children please contact our office today. We can help ensure your children will be provided for—and that you will have the peace of mind you deserve.

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