Estate Planning is like a road map. And while the map may be straight forward for some, for others there may be stops along the way. One thing is for sure is that it all leads to the same destination: peace of mind!
A lot of people put off...
Can I Exclude my Spouse from my Estate?
Sometimes for various reasons, a person doesn’t want to leave any property to his or her spouse. Massachusetts like most states has a law designed to protect a surviving spouse from being impoverished. The law allows a surviving spouse to claim a portion of the estate despite the provisions of the deceased...
End-of-Life Documents We All Need
When you’re a young adult or middle-aged, it may seem unnecessary or impractical to think about end-of-life documents when the probability of your death seems far away. Nonetheless, when you contact your Massachusetts estate planning attorney to begin protecting your assets and preparing for retirement, she or he will no doubt...
The Sandwich Generation: How to manage if you find yourself here
Did you know that a staggering 47% of adults in their 40s/50s are providing care to a parent 65 + years old while also raising their own small child or helping to support their young adult child? This increasingly common group has been coined the “sandwich generation” to describe adult children who...
Legal Planning for Individuals with Memory Loss
Creating a plan for your future in the early stages of the disease to ensure your wishes are met can be empowering. The sooner legal plans are established, the better prepared you and your family will be! It is nor-mal to feel overwhelmed by the details of legal planning, but remember that...
ElderLaw Answers Article: Medicaid Recipients Have a Little More Time to Spend Down Their Stimulus Money
The one-year deadline for nursing home residents on Medicaid to spend down their first round of stimulus checks is here, but they may have a little extra time.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized $1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans, including Medicaid...
ElderLaw Answers Article: Caregiver Contracts: How to Pay a Family Member for Care
Although people are willing to voluntarily care for a parent or loved one without any promise of compensation, entering into a caregiver contract (also called personal service or personal care agreement) with a family member can have many benefits. It rewards the family member doing the work. It can help alleviate tension between family members by...
Advanced Directives
Though many of us would prefer to avoid it, recent events have increased our awareness of the importance of Advanced Directives, also known as Living Wills.
An Advanced Directive is an expression of your wishes regarding your health care in the instance of incapacity and/or end-of-life decisions. If you...
Taking Care of your Aging Parents
It eventually happens to all of us: in some capacity or another, we find ourselves needing to help our parent’s. Some adult children are more hands on because of proximity and some adult children are long distance and therefore do more coordinating behind the scenes. Whatever your involvement may be, here are...
5 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Attorney for MassHealth Planning
Hiring an attorney to assist with MassHealth, or Massachusetts Medicaid, applications can save individuals significant time, money, and stress. Many older Massachusetts residents assume that they can quickly complete their MassHealth application. Unfortunately, the MassHealth application can be incredibly challenging. At Surprenant & Beneski, PC, our skilled elder law attorneys have extensive...