It is a very personal decision to determine whether to share your estate plan with your family. Except for the most extreme of circumstances, you will never be required to share the plan while you are alive. So, when the question of whether to share the plan is asked of me as an estate planner,… continue reading

If you have worked with an estate planning attorney before, it goes without saying that your primary focus was on the documents themselves – a will, maybe a trust, powers of attorney, etc. And hopefully when you concluded the process and your estate planning documents were signed, you also received some instruction on the next… continue reading

It is commonly understood that a single person or couple can keep their home and still be eligible for Medicaid benefits to help with the cost of assisted living or skilled nursing care. But what about your adult child’s home? It is not uncommon for a parent to help an adult child by giving them… continue reading

Recently Andy Mulder and his wife, Lois, have been selected by Resthaven’s Board of Directors as the recipients of 2018 Good Shepherd Award. Attached, you can find the lovely article from Resthaven’s newsletter detailing the extent of the Mulder’s service. The Holland community has been blessed with the service and leadership of Andy and Lois… continue reading

Terror is not a word regularly associated with a trust but there are times when the two terms meet. A “terror clause,” “in terrorem clause,” or “no-contest clause” can be used in both wills and trusts to warn someone to think twice about contesting the terms of a will or trust. The clause usually states… continue reading

Over the last few years, if you have read any articles in this space about estate planning or have taken the steps to create your own estate plan, then you are probably aware of the importance of having a general durable power of attorney and a healthcare power of attorney in place. These are the… continue reading

The Probate Court has authority to enter orders to protect the families of individuals who need benefits to pay for their long term care. The Department of Health and Human Services that approves Medicaid applications is bound to adhere to the court order when it comes to income and asset eligibility limits. How can the… continue reading

I am always relieved when I can explain to a grieving spouse that there may not be too many details to take care of after the loss of their spouse. Here are some of the key points that I always review in this situation. 1. Does the surviving spouse’s health care and financial power of… continue reading

Financial assets have to be spent-down to a certain level in order to become eligible for Medicaid benefits to pay for skilled nursing. But with no funds left to pay the monthly care expenses the approval of the Medicaid application is very critical. Pre-planning with an elder law attorney can avoid these most common reasons… continue reading

The “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump right before Christmas, serving as the most drastic change to the Internal Revenue Code in recent memory. So as we focus in on fulfilling our New Year’s resolutions and trying to keep our heads above the snow here… continue reading