Yesterday the United States Supreme Court upheld the healthcare reforms commonly called “Obama Care.”  But, the Court did say that states should have the option to expand their Medicaid rolls without facing any penalty.  A key component of the law was insuring many uninsured people by reducing the Medicaid qualification limits. Medicaid already covers over […]

If the current proposal before congress to eliminate the stretch IRA provisions from the tax code go into effect, it presents an even more compelling reason to convert traditional IRA's into Roth IRA's.  While most people are reluctant to pay taxes now on a tax deferred account, the ability to pay taxes now under current […]

The most recent proposed transportation legislation before congress has a provision that removes the ability of inheriting beneficiaries of traditional IRA's to take out the inherited funds over their lifetimes (because that has a lot to do with transportation infrastructure).  The so-called Stretch IRA provisions that have been contained in tax code for close to […]

The first cost-of-living adjustment since 2008 has recently been made, bringing a 3.6% increase in pension benefits for aid & attendance recipients.  The new payments are effective December 1, 2011, for benefits payable January of 2012.  The new A&A pension payments are as follows: Single Veteran: $1,704 Married Veteran: $2,020 Surviving Spouse of a Veteran: […]

Alzheimer’s not only affects the individual and his/her family, but their finances as well. A recenbt article lays out some planning methods to carry out once an individual has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer patient needs a team of individuals to help make sure their planning goes the way they intended. A certified Elder […]

In addition to more traditional estate planning documents like wills and trusts, a prenuptial agreement can be another estate planning tool. These agreements are not only for the rich and famous.  Anyone getting getting married who has already accumulated a separate estate should consider executing a prenuptial agreement prior to marriage. This document can help […]

No matter how old or young you are you should have some kind of estate planning in place. A collegue in Florida accounts a recent encounter with a young couple who did not plan.  The couple was young and a second marriage, and had a young child.  The two of them executed identical wills and […]

The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that a lifetime transfer of property to a spouse is not presumed to be because of undue influence.  Typically, the law provides that transfers of assets to a person with a confidential relationship to the giver are presumed to be due to undue influence by the reciever.  So, for […]

The Mississippi Court of Appeals recently ruled that real property that is "exempt" from creditor claims within a probated estate, are not subject to Medicaid's recapture rights.  Federal law requires all staets that participate in the Medicaid program to recover the costs of care of a beneficiary against that beneficiary's estate.  This practice is commonly […]

President Obama is proposing to save the federal government $100 billion over the next decade by making changes to the way the federal government aids states to pay for their elderly and disabled. This proposal in the end could lead to the states cutting back on services that they provide to the elderly and disabled, […]