Elder Law

Fiduciary Duties & The New Rule for Financial Advisors

Published on: November 22, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

The New Rule

When consulting a financial advisor, we all assume that they would have our best interest in mind when determining where our portfolio should be invested and what investments best suit our interests, however, this has not always been the case. This year, the Labor Department issued new regulations that require industry professionals dealing with individual retirement accounts and 401k accounts to act on the best behalf of their clients.

Before this new standard was issued, financial advisors only needed to meet a suitability standard, meaning that the financial advisor only has to choose what is suitable for the portfolio, which is not always what is in the client’s best interest. A financial advisor under this standard could invest in a fund he found suitable, but may be more risky or expensive, although a similar option is available with a different fund. This suitability standard led to many advisors investing in funds they were personally interested in, sparking a need for change.

The Importance of Vetting Your Elder Law Attorney or Trustee

Published on: November 16, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Recently, in Ocean County, New Jersey, a well known elder law attorney was arrested and charged with stealing money from his clients. The attorney, considered an older adult himself, is charged with stealing over 1.2 million dollars over the course of five years from a number of elderly clients he served. A court order allowed officials to freeze the firm’s numerous bank accounts, seize billings records, and a number of other records implicating his crimes.

This attorney had a particular target on the elder population, however, he did not discriminate who he took money from when it came to clients. Notably, the attorney stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients suffering from dementia, clients who had elected him power of attorney (or so he had claimed) which allowed him to write checks from their accounts, depositing annuities proceeds into his account instead of the client, and misfiling legal fees. His behavior did not go unnoticed by some family members of clients, and when confronted, he claimed there were administrators errors and would issue repayments.

Important Questions to Ask Your Elder Law Attorney

How to Disclaim Inheritance

Published on: October 4, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Claiming inheritance upon its distribution is something that many individuals welcome and conversely is the source of many family disputes. There are many reasons why someone may want to refuse their bequest however, in a process in estate planning referred to as disclaiming inheritance. Some beneficiaries seek to disclaim their inheritance due to their personal wealth, whether wealthy or poor, for tax reasons, or to pass the gift on. In estate planning, if you decide to disclaim your gift or bequest, you will be treated as if you died before the grantor did, and your share is redistributed according to the terms of the will.

Examples of Why You May Consider Disclaiming

Estate taxes can be particularly hefty and if disclaimed, the gift or bequest would pass to the next of kin, who may be more willing to take on the potential tax burden. In years past, disclaimers have been used a stopgap measure after the estate tax expired in which the first million in assets valued from an estate is exempt and assets thereafter is levied at 55%. Once the tax expires, there are sometimes unintended consequences which end up negatively impacting the estate of the beneficiaries.

The Emergency Preparedness Rule

Published on: September 29, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a rule recently in light of the most recent natural disasters in Louisiana that compromised the safety and well being of many Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries throughout the affected area. Unfortunately, this rule came as a direct response not only to the devastating natural disasters we have experienced within the last decade, but the man made disasters as well, including terrorist attacks and health care scares. The rule was established in order to provider coordination for federal, estate, tribal, regional and local systems, that will now be required to comply with a unified system of emergency preparedness.

The need for additional support was realized when several patients who received treatment covered under Medicare or Medicaid were not able to obtain their care in light of the disaster, which furthered their need thereafter for additional care. Some of the organizations that provide care have complied with other emergency preparedness measures in order to receive accreditation, many residential mental health centers do not have a plan established, leaving a very vulnerable population without help in times of need.

In an effort to individualize emergency preparedness requirements, the new rules will apply to all 17 provider types, but will be different for each in order to receive certification. In order to comply with the rules, an annual training program will be implemented in order to ensure compliance and staff will be subject to drills and exercises to demonstrate their knowledge of the emergency rules.

Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts

Published on: September 12, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Estate Taxes

When the proceeds from an estate are being distributed after death, many beneficiaries are surprised to find that they receive a substantial amount less than anticipated due to the federal estate tax or the state tax that must be paid on these proceeds. Specifically, life insurance proceeds tend to account for a significant portion of an estate’s worth and are thus included when calculating estate taxes.

When combining what will be taxed from an estate, the executor of the estate must include any of these when reporting on an estate’s proceeds: funds in bank accounts, value of investment accounts, any property including cars and personal assets, life insurance proceeds, retirement accounts or funds, and the value of any business owned.

Private Equity and PACE

Published on: September 1, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Providing reasonable care for the rising number of senior citizens continues to be issue of concern for our health care system. What constitutes providing adequate care differs depending on the situation; many senior citizens have expressed concern regarding their ability to stay in their homes and receive care versus moving to a nursing home in order to receive adequate health care under Medicare. In response to this issue, Medicare enacted a program that will pay to keep elderly and disabled citizens out of nursing homes by providing in home care specialist teams to treat the patient.

Program for All Inclusive Care

PACE, or the Program for All Inclusive Care, is a program for elderly adults who seek comprehensive medical and social services, wish to stay in their community, and in most situations are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. To be eligible, the individual must be 55 years of age or older, live in the area of a PACE organization, be eligible for nursing home care, and be able to live safely within the community. PACE is program administered by Medicare, but must be elected at the state level to provide the optional benefit to Medicaid beneficiaries. Once elected, the program will be the only source of Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the beneficiary, but is much more comprehensive.

The Law – Charitable Trusts

Published on: August 27, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

An Overview

A trust is established by an individual, referred to as a settlor, who seeks to have their property held for the benefit of another party. When it comes to charitable trusts, the settlor intends to have their property or assets transferred for the benefit of one or more charities.

Charitable ‘split interest’ trusts have a number of benefits, not only because they allow the settlor to give to both charitable and noncharitable beneficiaries, but they also reduce the amount paid in estate taxes, they eliminate capital gains, provide an income tax deduction and also provide for and benefit charitable organizations versus paying the IRS. There are two different kinds of charitable ’split interest’ trusts available, which differ depending on the property or assets you seek to donate to the charity, how you want the property to be distributed, as well as any wealth preservation measures you seek to have followed.

New York Medicaid Law – Pooled Trusts

Published on: August 23, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Pooled Trusts Eligibility

Pooled Trusts are a type of trust applicable to those individuals who are seeking public assistance benefits, such as Medicaid, to become eligible financially by setting aside funds in a trust for additional needs. The trust allows its beneficiaries to preserve a specified amount of money in a trust to pay for supplemental care not covered by public assistance programs. For the elderly, many need public benefits assistance as they continue to age but do not qualify based on higher income. In these situations, a pooled income trust will benefit an elderly person by allowing them to continue their lifestyle, which is usually seeking to stay in the home, while also obtaining homecare services and paying for what their budget requires.

New York Medicaid Rules

The Housing Issue and The Elderly

Published on: August 18, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

There are many factors that go into maintaining a budget in a family while also trying to save for the future. For Americans, the cost of maintaining a household has gotten continuously more expensive; the average cost of raising a child born in 2013 now costs roughly $245,000 for a middle income family in the United States, with housing for the child accounting for about 30% of those costs. This is compared to a study done in 1960 by the United States Department of Agriculture that stated middle income families could expect the average cost of raising a child to be a little more than $25,000 until age 18. Interestingly in both studies, housing accounted for the largest expense for the families surveyed. The children once focused on in these 1960s studies have now become the focus of our article, and one thing remains the same, housing is still the biggest expense they must account for.

As the aging population refocuses their priorities for housing, they must consider factors such as accessibility to stores, services, transportation, medical care if they experience chronic conditions, as well as access to social settings and connections. The worry of many aging people is that they will be forced to leave their home and instead reside in an assisted living or nursing home in order to retain government assistance with healthcare. There will also need to be a refocus on the ability to provide for a more diverse population of elderly people; with the thousands of individuals turning 65 years old daily over the next two decades will come a much more diverse population that has had drastically different housing situations.

Possible Solutions

Common Estate Planning Mistakes

Published on: August 15, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Planning how your assets are going to be distributed and for your health care needs is an important tool all adults, not just elders should utilize. However, over 60% of Americans have not made a basic will. There are many misconceptions about estate planning and the reasons for it, which has led many Americans to shy away from the process.

Common Mistakes & Misconceptions

Estate planning is for the elderly or the wealthy. Determining how you want your property distributed or what you would like to happen to you in the event you can no longer speak for yourself are tasks everyone needs to think about. Even the most simple finances can become complicated when there are multiple parties involved.