» Estate Planning

You May Lose Consciousness My client came to me asking for an estate plan because her husband was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She wanted to make sure they had powers of attorney and patient advocate designations in place, anticipating Husb… Read More

You are not a United States Citizen You probably thought that because you are in the United States, abiding by all of our rules, blissfully married to your U.S. citizen spouse that all of your spouse’s assets will transfer to you seamlessly upon yo… Read More

You Mean My Rotten Relatives Will Get My Stuff? I had a couple come into my office to discuss estate planning last week. The husband has six children and twelve grandchildren. He does not have a relationship with three kids and four grandkids. He bel… Read More

You may remember our earlier posts about the importance of powers of attorney and patient advocate documents for your children once they turn 18. At age 18, parents can no longer access their child’s medical, school, or financial records and inform… Read More

I want to know if your adult children are productive citizens or drains on your bank account. Are they employed or underemployed? Are they shrewd investors or spendthrifts? Are all of your kids similar, or do their financial situations and personalit… Read More

Michigan’s lame duck legislature passed another notable statute that attempts to abolish dower in our state. “Dower” is about as obscure as it sounds, and it has little relevance in today’s society. It’s a legal concept borrowed from Britis… Read More

Individuals with disabilities who receive financial assistance from needs-based governmental programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) must meet strict income and asset limit eligibility requirements in order to qualify for ben… Read More

Michigan is newly positioned to become a major player in the asset protection arena. With the adoption of the Qualified Dispositions in Trusts Act (the “Act”) last month, Michigan joined 16 other states that permit the creation of domestic asset… Read More