A recent New York Times article tells the story of a divorcing couple who amicably divide all community property. The problem was Zoe, a Jack Russell terrier, that “Jim” brought to the marriage. Technically, Zoe belonged to him. In North Carolina, a community property state, pets are classified with “stuff”,...
The reluctance or downright unwillingness to talk to parents and grandparents about the difficult topic of end-of-life planning is one that frequently arises in our offices. It ranges from “Mom’s a terrible driver and shouldn’t be behind the wheel, but nobody will confront her” to “Dad’s health is deteriorating, and...
An article in The New York Times tells the tragic story of addiction and its effect on a Virginia coal mining town that has already seen its share of hard times. But it’s more than that. It’s about the lawmakers who had a chance to do the right thing to make...
Many of us are caring for--or know someone who is caring for--a family member, often an aging parent. With 10,000 baby boomers turning 70 every day, caring for this demographic is a growing health care matter, and it’s only time before it becomes a political issue. Let’s take a look...
If you’re creating a Living Trust, you'll need to access financial records and other important documents. End-of-life planning now will save future anxiety and stress This is important for your own family, but it may be even more critical for those who are caring for family members. A stunning 10,000 baby boomers...
We talk a lot about Living Trusts as an important part of estate planning. What we don’t talk about is a Trust and your taxes. But if you’re creating a Trust, thinking about transferring property, or naming a Successor Trustee, taxes are an important consideration. This is about your, your...
Anyone who relies on prescription drugs or cares for someone who does knows that drug prices are soaring. The average annual cost of a brand-name drug has more than tripled in the past decade. Older adults take an average of 4.5 medications each month, which can add up to a...
On August 1, New Jersey became the eighth state to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who want to end their lives. On Sept. 15, Maine will become the ninth. By October 2019, 22% of Americans will live in states where residents with six months or...
Juli Engel was delighted when a neurologist recommended a PET scan to determine whether amyloid — the protein clumps associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease — was accumulating in her mother’s brain. Her mother, Sue Engel, is 83 and lives in a retirement community in Florida. She’s been experiencing...
I had a doctor who used to tell me that a certain amount of stress was good for me. And I have to agree. I like the adrenalin rush of working on a deadline, of juggling priorities to meet objectives and the exhilaration of making it all work. Stress keeps...
Most of us know couples who drift into marriage, buy a home, start a family and find themselves looking at each other ten years later and wondering what they were thinking. You may be one of those couples. It’s easy to understand how it happens. When couples reach their 30s,...
Kara Swisher is a business technology journalist and contributor to The New York Times. In a recent article, she describes her own symptoms that led to her rush to the ER with a stroke. What saved her life? It well may have been a long-distance consult with her doctor brother...
