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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

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.

Monday, January 16, 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.