In recent years there has been a push to alter care for seniors with dementia. Most arguments about superior elder care focus on limiting medication-only treatment options. These “chemical restraints” are still overused, with seniors in many nursing homes lulled into a near-stupor as a result of antipsychotic medication. In…
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New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
Estate Values Grow Beyond the Grave – The Marlon Brando Example
The importance of selecting a trustee to manage a trust or otherwise handle the affairs of an estate is hard to underestimate. There is a misconception that this task is always a “one-time” affair, with the individual (or individuals) taking care of various paperwork details after a death, and then…
Substitute Teacher Stands to Inherit $10 Million from Distant Relative
It is a common TV and fiction fantasy: your life changes in the blink of an eye when you discover that you’ve inherited a fortune from an unknown relative who passed away. While the dream is far-fetched and rarely based on true-life, it is not entirely without precedent. Every once…
Keeping an Eye on Upcoming Supreme Court Cases
Late September is well-known as the official start of autumn. In the legal world, it also marks the beginning of the new United States Supreme Court term. Many legal observers keep close watch of court actions at this time to figure out what major issues might be decided in the…
Free Lunches, Legal Information, & Long-term Care Insurance
A new book is being released entitled “The Adventures of a Free Lunch Junkie.” The author, an 86-year old retired man, wrote the interesting tome based on his goal of eating at 50 “free lunches” over the course of a year. Most of the lunches were obtained during seminars, explaining…
Man Tries to Kill Senior Girlfriend in Nursing Home for Financial Reasons
It is perhaps every senior’s worst nightmare: a dispute over their finances influences the care they receive in their later years. It seems self-evident that nothing should get in the way of making medical and caregiving decisions based on maximizing a senior’s quality of life–not maximizing an inheritance for others…
Death & Student Loan Obligations
Not many years ago student loans and estate planning were rarely discussed in the same sentence. That is because in decades past far fewer individuals took out student loans and, even when they did, the size of the loans were smaller. Things are changing, however. Higher education is becoming more…
Confusion, Disagreement Surrounding Painter Thomas Kinkade’s Wishes
An estimated one in every twenty homes contains a copy of the work of Thomas Kinkade–the painter best known for traditional works of gardens, cottages, streams, and small town centers. Considering the mass marking and popularity of his work, Kinkade was able to acquire a considerable fortunate over the years.…
Political Bequests in a Will
When an individual uses only a will (instead of a trust) and does not have professional advice, there is a greater chance that the intended beneficiaries will not receive the property that the testator (the person who creates a will) wanted them to receive. For one thing, the will itself…
The Bernard Matthews Case: Putting a Mistress in a Will
Last week AOL Money shared the story of yet another estate planning feud–this time involving Turkish business magnate Bernard Matthews who died two years ago when he was 80 years old. Like many others, Matthews family life did not quite fit the traditional mold. He married his wife decades ago…