Keystone Blog
Gifts and the Season of Giving
After Thanksgiving, crowds emerge from their homes with their bellies freshly stuffed with turkey and stuffing to seek out gifts to stuff into stockings. Now is the season of giving. After spending time reflecting upon the people in our lives who we are...
How Does an Old Lion Die?
A room full of people gathered with one thing in common. Every one of them has a loved one with dementia. Looking for answers, they took action and attended a series of seminars presented by Dr. Rollin Wright, a geriatric medicine specialist at Penn State...
Inheriting Debts
When doing estate planning, most people think about who will receive all of their property after they pass away. There is an expectation that some of your hard-earned savings will pass on to help bolster the next generation’s finances after you are no longer around to...
Advocacy For Your Loved Ones
When illness, disability or the frailties of aging strike, even the most independent individuals may feel vulnerable when faced with navigating a complex health care and/or long-term care system for themselves or their loved ones. A recent cancer diagnosis for my...
Disinherit Your Spouse?
“You’re out of the Will!” is something someone might shout at a family member who they feel has wronged them in some way. While it is unfortunate when relationships fall apart, you do have the right to disinherit a child, a parent, or a more distant relative. You...
There Are Some Things You Shouldn’t DIY
I am a big fan of Pinterest. I have boards and boards of pinned recipes, canning and freezing instructions, craft projects, crochet patterns, gardening tips, and more. I learned how to crochet and to do some other miscellaneous projects from online video...
A Second Marriage With Children Part II
Last week’s column (https://keystoneelderlaw.com/a-second-marriage-with-children/) described Diane, whose second husband, Jack, is in skilled nursing care. Jack and Diane did many things right after losing their first spouses and deciding to remarry. ...
A Second Marriage with Children
Diane tearfully describes how her step-children alternate between yelling at her and convincing her husband, Jack, that Diane is spending all of his money. Diane is especially upset because she and Jack had a plan for their marriage. The plan did not, however,...
Nursing Homes, Medicaid, and the Middle Class
You or someone in your family has probably said it: “I will never go into a nursing home.” The problem is that nursing homes are full of people who were never going to enter a nursing home. Two out of every three people will need a higher level of care in the...
A Reverse Mortgage Can Back You Into A Corner
Every once in a while, someone asks me if they should consider a reverse mortgage. Maybe they saw a familiar celebrity talking about reverse mortgages on a television commercial or a telemarketer called and told them a reverse mortgage could solve all of their...
