Facebook User's Death Can Cause Estate Planning Problems

What happens to a Facebook account when the user dies? I previously wrote about how protecting your "virtual assets" is an important piece of estate planning, and this issue is proving to be important as Facebook is bearing the brunt of some complaints from unhappy or frustrated family members of deceased users.

Steve Eder of the Wall Street Journal writes in "Deaths Pose Test for Facebook":

As people's online personas become an increasingly important part of their lives, families and friends are encountering confusion and frustration in trying to manage the Facebook, Twitter and email accounts of their deceased loved ones.

What Are The 2012 VA Aid and Attendance Pension Payment Rates?

For 2012, there are brand new VA Aid and Attendance Pension rates. These updated payment figures reflect an increase in Basic pension, Housebound, and Aid and Attendance rates and are in effect as of December 1, 2012, which means the larger checks were first issued on January 1, 2012.

Does A Revocable Living Trust Protect My Assets From Nursing Homes?

One of the most repeated questions I hear in client meetings or at presentations is "Will a revocable living trust protect my assets from the nursing home?"

In the Medicaid Planning world, misinformation seems to swirl around the public.  It seems that many of the families I speak with were specifically told at a seminar that their revocable living trust would protect their life savings from the costs of long term care, and that they would not have spent the money on such a trust otherwise.

How To Discuss Money With Mom & Dad

Do your mom & dad have enough money to last through retirement? Many children are worried that due to market losses over the past few years, their parents may not have enough to live comfortably through their "golden years".  Does this mean that son's & daughters will need to pitch in to keep them afloat? How do you have the "money talk" with mom & dad?

Be On the Lookout for Financial Fraud of the Elderly

It seems that calls to my office that paint a picture of financial fraud of the elderly are increasing. Apparently, the statistics show that 1/5th of Americans older than 65 have been the victim of some sort of financial swindle.  That's 7.3 million seniors!

Elder financial abuse is becoming the crime of the 21st century as the growing senior population is increasingly targeted. - Fred Joseph, President of the North American Securities Administrators Association