New Jersey residents can expect to live longer lives than ever before. Unfortunately, residents who live longer lives will also be exposed to the staggering costs of long-term care. This necessarily means that there will be less money to pass on to the next generation. As a recent article explains, however, this will likely not[...]
As a recent article explains, the Obama administration has recently announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs would begin to provide spousal benefits to the spouses of gay and lesbian veterans for the first time. This announcement came despite a current federal statute that limits the receipt of veteran spousal benefits to spouses “of the[...]
An important facet of elder law is determining how your potential long-term care needs will be addressed. While many people consider long-term financial needs, few consider long-term emotional needs. As a University of California study reports, feelings of isolation and loneliness in senior citizens may cause a deterioration of their physical health. In extreme cases,[...]
As women continue to give birth later in their lives, and more and more same-sex couples want to conceive children of their own, the use of artificial reproductive technology (“ART”) is becoming more and more prevalent. As a recent article explains, those who use ART, even if they never conceive a child, must factor it[...]
Most pre-death transfers of wealth consist of transfers of money or other assets from parents to their children. As a recent article explains, these transfers can occur in many different formats, and have various impacts on those involved. Children often ask parents to give them a portion of their would-be inheritance while the parents are[...]
The New York Times is chock-full of good material this weekend. Here is an article showing what happens when parents don’t discuss their financial affairs with their kids. Much of the article focuses on problems after death (although there is one section that follows a child dealing with their parent’s Alzheimer’s condition. The point is[...]
Often while creating estate plans, parents struggle with determining how to leave their assets to children who perhaps are not responsible enough to handle them. In many cases, leaving money for children with no strings attached is simply not a good idea. A recent article in The Star-Ledger discusses options for parents facing this difficult[...]
When I heard about Steve Jobs resigning as CEO of Apple, I was in the middle of running rehearsal for the a cappella group of which I am the assistant musical director. I found out the news because my friend, Mark Merenda, had texted me with a simple, “Steve Jobs resigns as CEO”, and I[...]
The project looked simple enough. I had no reason to believe that, in 2008, I would set a chain of events in motion that would find me across an examination table, in full moon, awaiting the business end of a hypodermic needle filled with steroids.Plants had begun to grow over my air conditioning condenser, threatening[...]
One of the joys of having some success in life is your ability to do things for people you love — probably your children, first of all. For some New Jersey parents, that might include the ability to buy an apartment in the City (New York City) for their kids. What, you may be wondering,[...]