Some seniors simply want to downsize.  They either can’t afford to live in a large home, or they don’t want the maintenance and upkeep.  Or, they would like to move closer to family.  In addition, as the multitude of Baby Boomers continue to age, there are oftentimes a shortage of traditional living facilities and care...Read More

According to a US Census Bureau report, couples in which one or both spouses are foreign-born account for 20% of all marriages in the United States. Of these foreign-born spouses, approximately 60% are naturalized and 40% are noncitizens. The Bureau links this trend to both the growth of the US immigrant population and the increased number of Americans traveling...Read More

On May 23, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1994, also known as the SECURE Act, by a vote of 417 to 3. The SECURE Act is now headed to the Senate, where a nearly identical bill (the Retirement Enhancement Savings Act, aka RESA) is pending. Due to its overwhelming bipartisan support, experts...Read More

It is challenging for families to make the decision to enter a loved one into a long-term care (LTC) facility. It is wonderful when families are prepared for the financial costs of this transition. Hopefully, families are proactive and prepared, but unfortunately, not all have planned for the possibility of an extended-term living situation at an...Read More

The United States Supreme Court rarely addresses trusts and estates issues. The purview of the states, issues arising in intergenerational wealth transfers, are generally outside federal jurisdiction. To reach the U.S. Supreme Court, trusts and estates cases typically involve federal preemption or the constitutionality of a state’s law; the latter has brought the most recent...Read More

Sixty to eighty percent of folks with a disability want to work. However, only 32.3% of workers with a disability are in the workforce. It is no secret that employment rates among individuals with disabilities are suffering. While many disabled individuals want to gain employment and contribute to the workforce, related barriers prevent all too...Read More

Woods’s Wednesday Wisdom is officially 50 blogs old!  In celebration of this milestone, we have selected our Top 5 Articles from the past year. Check them out below!Read More

Grantor Trusts can be a source of confusion for elder law attorneys and their clients alike. That’s because they are not a typical type of trust. The biggest difference to note about a Grantor Trust is that it is about how the trust’s income is taxed rather than who receives the income or assets of...Read More

When it comes to helping clients who may be the victim of undue influence, it can be difficult, if not seemingly impossible, to recognize the signs of its existence. This is mostly because undue influence is a process rather than a single event, and one that occurs in private between the influencer and influenced person. While...Read More

It is tough enough to make the decision to enter a loved one into long-term care – but then throw in complicated contracts, lack of legal understanding, and a whirlwind of emotional turbulence and you can easily be overwhelmed. What happens when the loved one doesn’t qualify for Medicaid, or cannot pay for services through...Read More