Three months after his death on July 24, the body of actor Sherman Hemsley has still to be buried. Months of legal dispute over Hemsley's will have put the actor's estate in limbo. As we've written previously, a man by the name of Richard Thornton-Hemsley's former...
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Ridgewood Estate Planning Blog
Discretionary trusts: useful for protecting vulnerable beneficiary’s inheritance
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Nov 3, 2012 | Estate Planning, Trusts
Our New Jersey readers may have heard of the troubles regarding Whitney Houston's estate, particularly with respect to her daughter Bobbi Kristina. Houston left a total of $20 million in trust to her now 19-year-old daughter, and this has been a source of contention...
Ways to avoid probate in estate planning, P.2
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Nov 2, 2012 | Trusts
In our last post, we began speaking about specific ways to keep your estate out of probate. Probate, depending on the state one is in, can be a time-consuming process and expose one's family affairs to legal battles open to the public eye.Some prefer to avoid such...
Ways to avoid probate in estate planning, P.1
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 26, 2012 | Estate Planning, Probate
Because probate can be an expensive and time-consuming process, one of the goals of estate planning may be finding ways to keep one's estate out of the probate process. Probate, as our New Jersey readers may know, is a court supervised legal proceeding in which a will...
Consulting attorney for Medicaid application a wise decision
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 24, 2012 | Medicaid Planning / Nursing Home Planning
We recently wrote about the importance of including nursing home planning within estate planning. For many people, this will include Medicaid planning.It is important to realize that Medicaid, because it is administered by states, can have a unique approach depending...
Estate Planning Awareness Week encourages thought about life goals and values
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 18, 2012 | Estate Planning
Our readers may or may not be aware, but October 15 through October 22 is Estate Planning Awareness week. Admittedly, estate planning awareness is something lawyers like because it highlights the services they can offer. But the reality is that everyone can benefit...
End of life conversations: the other half of end of life planning
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 16, 2012 | Estate Planning
End of life issues are very personal and can be difficult decisions for families to make on a number of levels. Because these issues are so serious, it is important to address them as part of one's estate planning, and well ahead of time. One good reason for this is...
Nursing home planning can preserve estate assets
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 12, 2012 | Medicaid Planning / Nursing Home Planning
With the rising costs of nursing homes and long-term care, it is critical that everybody engaging in estate planning look at how they plan to fund their own care. The reality is that the average cost for care is around $73,000 per year and is on the increase. It...
Mitt Romney to Iowa farmers: I would abolish estate tax
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 11, 2012 | Inheritance And Estate Tax
Mitt Romney, in an effort to garner support from farmers in the Midwest, promised to abolish the estate tax earlier this week during a campaign in Iowa. As our New Jersey readers may know, the Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year, and there has...
It pays to be savvy when setting up a trust
On Behalf of The Manna Helmy Law Group | Oct 6, 2012 | Trusts
Even as we age, we never stop filling out paperwork. This is especially true for parents of children with disabilities seeking to set up a trust for their child. Decisions about this process may affect the parent's own eligibility for Medicaid. To qualify for Medicaid...