One of the most important and common questions that Trustees ask is regarding the specific sorts of items that funds from a Special Needs Trust and Supplemental Needs Trust may purchase for the Beneficiary. Generally speaking, there are three important questions to keep in m [...]
For parents of a child with a disability, it is important to establish a Supplemental Needs Trust when their child is still young. Even though eligibility for many government assistance programs does not begin until a child is at least 18, it is beneficial to establish a tru [...]
America’s Health Rankings Senior Report rated Minnesota the healthiest state in the nation for adults aged 65 and over — beating out Hawaii. And that retiree and snowbird haven, Florida? It came in 28th. The report grades states on 34 individual measures ranging from the amo [...]
This question is one that many patients and their families ask. Even though a Health Care Directive and a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form deliver similar instructions, it is important to know the particulars of both. A Health Care Directive is a un [...]
Researchers from Georgetown University and Rochester University (NY) recently published the results of a study that may significantly impact a doctor’s ability to foresee oncoming Alzheimer’s Disease. Scientists tracked 525 healthy adults aged 70 years and older for five yea [...]
Estate Tax On March 21, 2014, Governor Dayton signed a tax bill (H.F. 1777; Minnesota Laws, Chapter 150) that will gradually increase the Minnesota estate tax exemption from $1.2 million for deaths in 2014 to $2.0 million for deaths in 2018 and thereafter. Minnesota and the f [...]
Effective January 1, 2013, the annual exclusion rate for gifts will increase to $14,000, up from $13,000 in 2012. What does this mean? This means that a person can gift $14,000 per year to any individual without having to file a gift tax return. So I could gift $14,0000 to e [...]
With the current cost of long-term care services, may people choose to purchase long-term care (LTC) insurance policies to help subsidize these costs. While LTC policies are integral to many life care plans, LTC claims are often denied, leaving the insured in the difficult p [...]
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life. 2. Challenges in planning or solving problems 3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work or leisure. 4. Confusion with time or place. 5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships. 6. New problems with wo [...]
A Trust Protector is neither a trustee of the trust nor a beneficiary of the trust. Generally, they should also not be the grantor, the grantor’s spouse or any other person who has contributed or will contribute funds to the trust. The Role of a Trust Protector The Trust Pro [...]
