Videos
These videos are for informational purposes only and do not provide legal advice.
FAQs About Naming Assets To The Trust
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. After our clients sign their revocable trust, there’s another phase. When they come to our office, we...Smart Watches vs Pendants
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. We’ve all seen the commercial with the lady saying, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” I...Medicaid Eligibility For Married Couples
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Medicaid for married couples I want to explain the basic rules. Everyone needs to check with their...Know What’s Possible
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. In Massachusetts, we have no gift tax. If I have a client and they have over $2...CPR? If Frail or Seriously Ill
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Advance Directives in Massachusetts is called a MOLST form. It stands for “Medical Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment.”...Most Vets Don’t Know They’re Eligible
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. For all of our veterans who come through our office, whether they’re wartime or not, I recommend...Who Can See Your Medical Records?
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. We do a document for all of our clients that’s a “HIPAA Release” and Authorization Letter. HIPAA...Who’s In Charge When You’re Not
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Estate planning isn’t just about planning for what happens to your assets after your death. Estate planning...Confusing Terminology #1
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. In the world of eldercare, there’s a lot of confusing and conflicting terminology. One of them that...When Probate Is A Good Thing
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Generally, we counsel our clients to avoid probate. Fund your trust, name beneficiaries, stay out of probate,...When Is Assisted Living with Memory Care No Longer A Viable Option?
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. I often am asked if memory care in assisted living is the same as a memory care...Is This Missing From Your Health Care Proxy?
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Everyone needs a health care proxy. The health care proxy is a document where you name an...Running Out of Home Care Options?
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. When I’m meeting with a client if they need long-term care, meaning: 1) we’ve exhausted all of...Is Your Home In A Trust? Make Sure You Did This
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. When our clients come to sign their estate planning documents, and if they have trusts, at the...Key Considerations
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. We often get calls to our office telling us that their spouse or loved one has died,...Helping A Vet in Assisted Living
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Clients that are part of our Life Care Program, which means the entire firm is involved with...Assisted Living with Memory Care vs Nursing Home
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. I’m unsure if people know that assisted living residences have memory care units. Our clients who live...Do Your Agents Know Your Health Care Wishes?
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. Once you have a health care proxy and you’ve picked your agents and alternate agents, the most...Tap VA Health Care Benefits
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. I recommend that all of my veterans, they don’t have to be wartime veterans, apply for entry...Grandchildren Can Be Great Caregivers!
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. An interesting thing I’ve noticed in my practice over the years is that we have a lot...Ways To Protect Your Properties
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. I want to discuss the exemption under the Medicaid rules in Massachusetts for income-producing property. If I...Need $$$ Help With Home or Assisted Living Costs? VA Pension with Aid and Attendance
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. The VA Aid and Attendance benefit is a game changer for veterans, veterans with their spouses and...Reset the Value of Inherited Assets to Save Big!
THIS CHANNEL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. I want to explain what a “step-up in basis” is and how it’s beneficial to your surviving...Don’t Be Afraid of Hospice
I always counsel my clients, don’t be afraid to contact Hospice or to get Hospice involved. What I find is there’s always this hesitation and hesitation and then sometimes it’s...Elder Orphans
We have clients — they’re called “elder orphans” — and what it means is it’s someone who’s older, they might not need care right now, but they don’t have a...Probate in a Nutshell
Everyone wants to avoid probate, but what is probate? Probate means that you die and you have an asset just in your own name that does not name a beneficiary....Buyer Beware!
A lot of my clients ask me about Medicare Advantage. What I’m finding is it’s a disadvantage to them. Here’s an example: My client is in the hospital and then...Seniors to Kids WAKE UP!
When people start needing care, they often come to meet with me, and sometimes the kids want to come. The kids main concern is the safety of their parent. And...Do This Now To Be Extra Sure
One thing that I find that my clients children fight about, it’s not the money. The money gets divided equally. It’s the tangible personal property or all of the things...How A Will Can Shortchange Animal Care
I want to address why a Will doesn’t work as well as a Pet Trust to take care of your pets. If you die and you leave provisions in your...A Surprising Detail That LTCI Policy Holders Should Know About
In Massachusetts, our Medicaid program is called MassHealth. There’s an exception under the MassHealth regulations that if the claimant or the person that is in the nursing home has long-term...MEDICAID VS MEDICARE
I often find that my clients and their children misuse and confuse the words MEDICAID and MEDICARE. MEDICAID think of it as aid from the government versus MEDICARE which is...Just Say No!
I want to talk about Medicaid and the “spousal refusal strategy” with Nursing Home Medicaid. When I have a married couple and if it’s a second marriage, this couple has...Little Known Medicaid Rules for Children, Siblings and Others
I want to talk about Medicaid exceptions. In Massachusetts, Medicaid is called MassHealth. There are a lot of exceptions. People need to know about them because it can protect a...Homeowners, Please Understand This!
The number one misconception with Nursing Home Medicaid involves the house. If you own a home, you can be eligible for Nursing Home Medicaid. They allow that as long as...Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs)
A lot of my clients have life insurance. We use these Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, they’re called ILITs, to move the life insurance death benefit proceeds out of their taxable...Afraid Your Family Is Too 😝 For Estate Planning?
Are you hesitating to do your estate planning because you think your family’s too dysfunctional? I just want to tell you this. Don’t hesitate. Because every single family is dysfunctional....Why Medicare Advantage Is a DISADVANTAGE!
A lot of my clients ask me about Medicare Advantage. What I’m finding is it’s a disadvantage to them. Here’s an example: My client is in the hospital and then...Should You Have a Living Will?
Living wills are not recognized in Massachusetts as a legal document. Frankly, I don’t recommend that my clients have a living will, and here’s why. If you have a Health...What Kids Really Fight Over
One thing that I find that my clients children fight about, it’s not the money. The money gets divided equally. It’s the tangible personal property or all of the things...VA Pension with Aid and Attendance
When I meet with a client who’s a wartime veteran, whether the veteran’s married or whether I have a widow of a wartime veteran, I always talk to them about...Pet Trusts
Massachusetts passed a law allowing pet trusts. A lot of my clients have pets that they love and care about. We’ve created a lot of these trusts, and here’s how...MUST KNOW Medicaid Exceptions
I want to talk about Medicaid exceptions. In Massachusetts, Medicaid is called MassHealth. There are a lot of exceptions. People need to know about them because it can protect a...Qualifying for Medicaid with an IRA?
I have so many clients asking me, when I’m meeting with them about their estate planning, about Medicaid. But these clients have bigger IRAs. So the federal government, when they’re...Alzheimer’s, Dementia, ALS or Parkinson’s? Do This.
Alzheimer’s, Dementia, ALS or Parkinson’s? Do This. What happens if you have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia? Dr. Paul Raia from the Alzheimer’s Association, he says, “Run, don’t...A Game Changer – VA Pension with Aid and Attendance
When I meet with a client who’s a wartime veteran, whether the veteran’s married or whether I have a widow of a wartime veteran, I always talk to them about...Who Knows Your Passwords If Something Happens To You?
Who knows your passwords? What if something happens to you? How is anyone going to get into your phone or your accounts? It’s really important that married couples at least...The Best $300 – $500 You’ll Ever Spend
I often tell my clients the best $300 to $500 a year they can spend is buying an umbrella insurance policy. If an umbrella policy is over your home and...Leaving An Inheritance to Kids With Addictions
Unfortunately, many of our clients come to us and they have a child or a grandchild that has drug or alcohol problems. We address that by the use of a...Be Aware of Self Proclaimed “Medicaid Specialists”
I think it’s really important to be aware of these self-proclaimed “Medicaid specialists.” They call themselves Medicaid specialists, but they don’t work for you. They work for the nursing home!...If You Move To A New State Will Your Revocable Trust Follow You?
A lot of my clients ask me, if they move to a new state will their revocable trust follow them? And, yes, it will. As long as the trust document...Disinheriting A Child. Don’t Forget This!
What’s the one thing you need to do if you want to disinherit a child? You have to specifically disinherit them in the document. So, if you have a will,...The Truth About Safe Deposit Boxes People Should Know
One thing I talk about a lot with my estate planning clients is: Do they have a safe deposit box? And, is there a joint owner on the box? If...When & How To Invoke A Health Care Proxy
Are you the named health care proxy for someone? If you are, you really have to be aware that you often have to ask the physician or the hospitalist, if...#1 Thing People Forget To Do With Revocable Trusts
A lot of my clients have revocable trusts. The most important thing about revocable trusts is actually funding the trust. And what I mean by funding is re-titling assets into...What Are Some Easy Hacks For Minimizing Falls?
When I go out and I do a nursing assessment, the first thing I do is take a look around the environment. I look to see if they have scatter...Does Medicare Cover Short-term Rehab After A Hospital Stay?
If you’ve had a three-night qualifying stay and you need to go for rehab — whether it’s for continuation of IV antibiotics or maybe some skilled therapy — the first...What Is A Revocable Trust?
A revocable trust is an estate planning document. It’s an entity that my clients create and we title assets into that revocable trust because while they’re alive their trust owns...What Are The Different Types of Medicare?
There’s traditional Medicare — your Part A and B or Original Medicare as it’s known. Part A covers your inpatient stay in a hospital 100 percent. Part B are for...How Can Being In The Hospital “Under Observation” Cost You Big?
When you are admitted into a hospital — and even if you’re in a hospital bed — many people assume that they are an inpatient. Why wouldn’t you? You’re in...What Is A Safe Discharge?
When someone’s in a skilled nursing facility, hospital or other care setting, what does it mean to have a safe discharge? Debra Allen, BSN, RN, CCM, Life Care Coordinator, Almgren...Benefits Of Avoiding Probate
When I meet with my clients, most people don’t understand what probate is. Probate means you die, you have an individually-owned asset, and in order to re-title it to your...Do You Recommend Long-Term Care Insurance?
Yes I do. So when clients have long-term care insurance it makes a huge difference. When I’m looking at their care numbers and their assets and income, if they have...What is a MOLST order?
Debra Allen, BSN, RN, CCM: A MOLST order is a Medical Order of Life-Sustaining Treatment. It’s a form that you fill out in your doctor’s office when you’re facing a...
From Panic to Confident to Done
“This is the team to be with if you find yourself in a tough place. I went from panic to confident to done. The entire staff was professional, informative, patient, compassionate. I will always treasure their kindness toward my 91 year old mother. Thanks to attorney Paula Almgren and the entire team for their expertise and kindness.” – Linda C.
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