The Top 10 Health Care Mistakes Made By the Elderly

Americans are living longer than ever before, but many older Americans could better deal with their health problems, according to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). To help the elderly ...   more »

A durable power of attorney is one of the most important estate planning documents you can have. It allows you to appoint someone to act for you (your "agent" or "attorney-in-fact") if you become incapacitated. Without a power of attorney, ...   more »

As the economy worsens, incidences of elder financial abuse are reportedly on the rise. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to scams or to financial abuse by family members in need of money.

A recent study found that up to one ...   more »

You may be interested to know that a new combination Life Insurance/Long Term Care policy has been approved in New York State. This policy differs from other combination policies in some important aspects. They are as follows:

1. The underwriting ...   more »

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled a one-to-five star rating system for nursing homes to help consumers evaluate a nursing home’s quality when selecting a facility. The ratings appear on the agency’s Nursing Home Compare Website ...   more »

When creating an estate plan, an important decision is who to name as your fiduciary. A fiduciary is a fancy legal term for the person who will take care of your property for you if you are unable to do ...   more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs, stung by criticism that its slow action has forced some severely disabled veterans to spend themselves into poverty, has moved to implement a two-year-old law requiring it to reimburse such veterans for the cost of ...   more »

Valuation discounts (particularly of the minority and marketability type) can significantly reduce what might otherwise have been the estate and gift tax values of transferred property. In contrast, the IRS often takes the position, on audit and in litigation, that ...   more »

House Ways and Means Committee member Pomeroy (D-ND) has introduced H.R. 436, “Certain Estate Tax Relief Act of 2008,” a bill that would freeze the lifetime estate tax exemption at $3.5 million per decedent (the 2009 level) and would retain ...   more »

Many people think that estate plans are for someone else, not them. They may rationalize that they are too young or don't have enough money to reap the tax benefits of a plan. But as the following list makes clear, ...   more »

Certainly, the current economic downturn is not going to affect the needs of some seniors for help with activities of daily living. But it could affect where that help is provided -- at home, in assisted living or in a ...   more »

A recent tax law change designed to help address the financial burden facing those who have seen their IRAs or 401(k)s shrink is expected to be signed by President Bush, officially making it law, shortly. Depending on your particular situation, ...   more »

Daily benefit. The daily benefit is the amount the insurance pays per day toward long-term care expenses. If your daily benefit doesn’t cover your expenses, you will have to cover any additional costs. Purchasing the maximum daily benefit will assure ...   more »

As nursing home and long-term care costs continue to rise, the Deficit Reduction Act has made it more difficult to qualify for Medicaid to pay for nursing home costs. Long-term care insurance can help cover expenses, but long term care ...   more »

The new numbers for 2009 for Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and other figures that are of interest to the elderly and their families have been released. In an attempt not to overwhelm everyone, we will publish the updated numbers in ...   more »