Written by an elder law attorney with over 23 years experience, this book will help anyone with a family member faced with a long-term stay in a nursing home who wishes to preserve at least some of their assets by qualifying for the Medicaid program. You dont have to be broke to qualify! For the first time ever, the inside secrets of high-priced estate planning and elder law attorneys are revealed. Includes a summary of all income and asset rules for both married and single individuals, together with numerous examples and several case studies, which take the reader through the same thought processes that an experienced elder law attorney would go through when analyzing a real-life clients situation. The book includes tips on: how to title your home so you do not lose it to the state; how to make transfers to family members that wont disqualify you from Medicaid; how annuities make assets disappear; smart tricks for spending down your assets; what to change in your will to save thousands of dollars if your spouse ever needs nursing home care; avoiding the states reimbursement claim following the nursing home residents death; and much more. Completely up-to-date, the book includes the massive changes made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 as well as the December 2006 Tax Relief and Health Care Act amendments.

Have you ever considered the advantages of creating a living trust? Avoiding probate through the use of living trusts is a well-known solution, but author Evan H. Farr takes this issue one step further. In Protecting Your Assets from Probate and Long-Term Care, Farr explains the need to consider both probate and the expenses of long-term care when you create a living trust. A revocable living trust, the main tool used for protecting your assets from probate, does not protect assets from the catastrophic expenses of long-term care. A very useful and popular estate planning tool, revocable living trusts are recommended by tens of thousands of attorneys across the United States and are used as the central estate planning document by millions of Americans. However, what most Americans don’t realize is that assets in such a trust are not protected from lawsuits or from the limitless expenses associated with nursing homes or long-term care. In order to help readers protect themselves from both probate and long-term care, Farr delves into the many details you should know when creating a living trust. He also outlines his Living Trust Plus™ Asset Protection Trust, which is the only type of self-created asset protection trust that allows you to avoid probate and retain an interest in the trust while also protecting the assets from being counted by state Medicaid agencies. He details the process of avoiding probate and securing assets, including: Joint ownership problems Special needs planning How to pay for the nursing home Why Medicaid planning is ethical The ten most common Medicaid myths Finding the right lawyer Protecting Your Assets from Probate and Long-Term Care will help to ensure your family does not have to reap the consequences (and expenses) of improperly creating a living trust.

The failproof way to pass along your estate to your heirs without lawyers, courts, or the probate system.

Expert advice on planning for your own or a relative’s future care needs As we live longer and healthier lives, planning for the long term has never been more important. Planning gives you more control, but it’s not easy to find accurate information and answers to your questions. That’s where AARP’s Planning For Long-Term Care For Dummies comes in. This comprehensive guide gives you questions to ask yourself and others about how best to achieve your goals, whether you have immediate needs or can take some time to sort out the possibilities. The book Covers home modifications so that you can stay at home safely for as long as you like Lays out the opportunities and costs associated with independent living, assisted living, and other options Gives you a range of driving and transportation alternatives Sorts out the various sources of care at home Helps you navigate the healthcare system Reviews the legal documents you should prepare and update Helps you determine whether you need long-term care insurance Offers checklists and other resources to help you make decisions Gives you guidance on how to talk to your family about sensitive issues If you're looking for trusted information on how to prepare for the future care needs for yourself or a relative, this sensitive, realistic, and authoritative guide will start you on the right road.

Why do some people age so "gracefully"? They're the people whose lives seem to fall into place easily as they age. Their physical needs are met, they have plenty of resources with which to enjoy their "golden years"...and when they pass, their children and heirs manage what's "left behind" with seemingly instinctive skill and grace. But we also know far too many people in the opposite place: facing physical needs that overwhelm them, financial obligations that necessitate selling off personal possessions or even their very homes, and stress from children and heirs arguing about "who's going to get what" even before they're gone. How to have the first in your life, and not the second? It all comes down to a plan. The Law of Aging is chock-full of information designed to help you take the important first (and subsequent) steps toward making that plan...and implementing it to suit your needs, your family situations, and your future. With this as your road map and guidebook, you'll be well on your way to that "graceful" aging-and priceless peace of mind-we all want.

Discover the ins and outs of planning your own or your loved one’s last wishes with this easy-to-understand guide to estate planning. No one likes to talk about death, but being prepared for any unexpected tragedy can help your loved ones navigate your loss more easily in the long run. From creating your advanced medical directives to designating your beneficiaries, estate planning can ensure that your wishes are carried out when you are no longer around. With Estate Planning 101, you can get your affairs in order before any unfortunate incident occurs. This easy-to-understand guide comes with detailed information on what needs to be done to protect your estate. With information on creating a living will, minimizing estate taxes, choosing an executor, and more, you will be prepared for the future, no matter what it brings. Estate Planning 101 offers you step-by-step instructions and checklists to keep you organized for whatever life throws your way.

You will be introduced to these new approaches in our informative and comprehensive new book Estate Planning for What Matters Most: Pass on Your Wisdom and Priceless Moments. This book goes far deeper than most guides to estate planning, while still introducing new ways of thinking about your legacy in an easy-to-understand and readable fashion.If you are not 100% sure you have put the right plans in place to fully protect your assets and autonomy while addressing the needs of your modern family, this book is for you.

"Elder Law Estate Planning" is a niche area of law which combines the features of elder law and estate planning that pertain most to the needs of the middle class. In 1991, AARP published a "Consumer Report on Probate" concluding that probate was a process to be avoided. That marked the end of traditional will planning and started the "living trust revolution." Since then, millions of people have set up trusts to: * Save time and money in settling the estate * Avoid legal guardianship if they become disabled * Avoid having their personal and financial matters made public * Reduce the chance of a "will contest" * Keep control in the family and out of the court system By 1990, the field of elder law also emerged to help people navigate the increased complexity of state Medicaid rules and regulations, the soaring costs of nursing home stays, and the fact that people were living considerably longer. Elder law and estate planning continue to grow independently of each other, sometimes to the detriment of clients. Estate planning lawyers are of little value when the estate plan to avoid probate fails to prevent a nursing home stay consuming all of the assets, because the lawyer is unfamiliar with elder law. On the other hand, elder law attorneys often protect assets but overlook basic estate planning issues such as saving taxes and keeping assets in the blood. The practice of Elder Law Estate Planning means: * Getting your assets to your heirs, in the best possible way, with least amount of taxes and legal fees * Keeping those assets in the blood for your grandchildren, and * Protecting your assets from the costs of long-term care and qualifying for government benefits available to pay for care. Middle class clients today need an "elder law estate planning attorney" to address their estate planning needs as well as to help with long-term care, disability and Medicaid issues as they arise.