January 10, 2020 – 9:50 am
THE FACTS: My husband Joe and I own our house jointly. In addition to our joint checking account, Joe has a savings account with a balance of about $100,000. Joe suffers from advanced dementia and his health is failing. I do not know how much longer he will be able to live at home with […]
The Facts: My sister, Joan, suffers from mental health issues that sometimes make it difficult for her to handle her own affairs. In order to guarantee that her bills were paid on time, my sister added my brother, Joe, as a joint owner on her bank account. A few years ago Joe guaranteed a loan […]
January 29, 2019 – 2:06 pm
The Facts: My elderly aunt, Mary, has no spouse or children and is getting to the point where her heath is failing and she is forgetting to pay her bills. Mary has a will and a healthcare proxy but, she has not appointed anyone to handle her financial affairs or assets. The Question: What do […]
March 20, 2014 – 10:58 am
The Facts: When I got married in 2000 my wife named me as the beneficiary on her life insurance policy. We were divorced two years ago. Our divorce settlement provides that my ex-spouse is required to continue paying her life insurance premiums and is prohibited from removing me as the beneficiary. I was told that […]
August 5, 2013 – 12:49 pm
A question asked by many of my older clients is if the money in the joint account that they set up with their child is available to satisfy a judgment obtained against that child. In other words, can their child’s creditor remove the money in the account? While the child’s creditor cannot simply walk into […]
January 8, 2013 – 1:52 pm
The Facts: I thought that the only legal document I would need in the event of a medical emergency was a healthcare proxy. However a friend told me that a power of attorney (“POA”) can play a critical role in a medical emergency. The Question: Is this true? The Answer: Absolutely! While the person you […]
The Facts: My lifelong friend Mary recently suffered a massive stroke. She has lost the ability to speak, cannot walk and cannot handle her affairs due to the cognitive impairment caused by the stroke. Mary is currently living in a nursing home. A few years ago Mary had her attorney prepare a Will as well as […]
September 24, 2009 – 7:15 pm
The Facts: The NYS legislature created a new power of attorney form that became effective on September 1, 2009. The Questions: How does the new form differ from the old one? Is the power of attorney I signed last year still valid? The Answer: To understand how the new power of attorney (“POA”) differs from the old […]
