Can I Transfer My Grandmother’s Car to My Name Without Causing a Medicaid Penalty Period?

An elder law attorney suggested the purchase of a vehicle as a way to protect some of my grandma’s assets. While this would be excluded during the Medicaid spend-down, what can we do to prevent the car from being taken by estate recovery after she passes? I was told to do a title transfer from her name to mine after she is qualified for Medicaid. Is it really that simple?

Biden Administration May Spell Changes to Estate Tax and Stepped-Up Basis Rule [2/27/2021]

President Biden’s administration will usher in, two possibilities are that it will propose lowering the estate tax exemption and eliminating the stepped-up basis on death. The first would affect only multi-millionaires, but the second could have an impact on more modest …

A Final Retirement Account Distribution Must Still Be Made After Death

By Susan P. Bakalar, Esq. and Raymond A. Piccin, Esq. Federal law requires that beginning on April 1 of the year after you reach age 70 1/2, you must begin withdrawing a minimum amount from your non-Roth individual retirement account (IRA) …

Drafting a Power of Attorney that Lessens the Chances of Abuse

By Susan P. Bakalar, Esq. and Raymond A. Piccin, Esq. A power of attorney is one of the most important estate planning documents you can create, but it is also one that can be misused.  While it isn’t possible to …

Costs of New Long-Term Care Insurance Policies Vary Considerably

By Susan P. Bakalar, Esq. and Raymond A. Piccin, Esq. We’ve all heard the advice “It pays to shop around,” but this has never been more true than with the current market for long-term care insurance. Accordiing to the the latest …

Choosing the Right Power of Attorney

By using a power of attorney, it allows you to appoint an individual who you trust to act as your agent or “attorney-in-fact.” In most cases, it is used so that they have the ability to handle financial matters if …