Although some states have state estate, inheritance or death taxes at a lower threshold, Texas follows the federal estate tax limits (the amount you can leave to your heirs without estate tax) which is estimated (based on inflation numbers) to be $5.6 million for a...
Since long-term care Medicaid (which helps pay some or all of a Medicaid applicant’s nursing home and drug costs) is “means-tested” (the government looks at the amount of assets and type of assets owned by the applicant), there are transfer penalty rules creating a certain...
Last Monday we were requested to do a Will for an 89-year-old married woman who was just put on hospice. Due to her being on hospice, we put her as an immediate priority. Her 90-year-old husband has Alzheimer’s disease and is living in an institutional...
Online notarization, whereby a notarial act is performed by means of two-way video and audio conference that meets standards for credential analysis and identity proofing as well as standards for equipment, security and certain technology, will be permitted in Texas as of July 1, 2018....
British neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli predicts in his new book entitled “In Pursuit of Memory: The Fight Against Alzheimer’s” that a drug will be developed in the next 10 to 20 years that will be given to someone years before they start experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s...
Many are under the mistaken impression that only the wealthy need trusts and that it is never needed in Texas since the probate process (the court process confirming the Will is valid) is simple in Texas compared to many other states. Although what is best for the individual may vary,...
The daughter of a Medicaid applicant came to our office in August in dire need. Her mother had to enter a nursing home around April 2017 and she had very limited resources (just a few hundred dollars and a small insurance policy). The nursing home...
Effective September 1, 2017, the “transfer of assets divisor” in Texas increased to $172.65 per day from $162.41. The increased figure applies to long-term care Medicaid applications in Texas submitted on or after September 1, 2017. When an individual needs long-term care (such as nursing...
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced several items of tax relief for those who live or have businesses affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma including the following: Postponement of certain deadlines (such as extension of a 2016 tax return due to run out on...
Through bipartisan support, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved an additional $414 million increase in Alzheimer’s and dementia research. Congress has granted approval of similar increases in recent years and if this bill is signed into law, then federal funding into Alzheimer’s and dementia-related...
