Planning for the future is something many people postpone until it is too late. In New Jersey, when an individual becomes unable to manage their own...
Eldercare Lawyer Blog
Why a Power of Attorney Matters More Than You Think
Few legal documents offer more practical protection than a Durable General Power of Attorney (POA). It ensures that someone you trust can manage...
Why a Revocable Trust Can Save You Headaches
When people hear the term “trust,” they often think about taxes, wealth, or complicated legal maneuvers. But the most practical reason for creating...
The Hidden Tax Break
When it comes to real estate, most people focus on the obvious—mortgage rates and neighborhood values. But there’s a quieter financial reality...
Putting Your House in Trust: A Key Step in Medicaid Planning
When it comes to protecting assets from the high cost of long-term care, few strategies are as powerful—or as misunderstood—as placing your home in...
Why Every Adult Needs an Advance Health Care Directive
One of the most essential documents every adult should have—regardless of age or health status—is an advance health care directive, also commonly...
Putting Your House in a Trust for Long‑Term Care Planning
When it comes to Medicaid planning, the sooner you start, the better. A large part of my legal practice focuses on helping clients qualify for...
How Delayed Medicaid Decisions Can Affect Long‑Term Care
A colleague of mine recently won a Medicaid appeal that highlights an increasingly common problem: excessive delays in processing applications....
How Medicaid Protects the Spouse at Home
When a family member needs long-term care—such as care in a nursing home or assisted living residence—it can be devastating. It is emotionally...
Legal Documents Every Parent Should Have
All three of my children are in college and over eighteen. Though I still think of them as kids, the law sees them as adults. The moment a person...
When Financial Incentives Start to Influence Care Decisions
This week, I came across three separate articles on nursing homes. While each offered a unique perspective, together they painted a troubling...
Do I Really Have to Pay Mom’s Credit Card Bills?
“My mother died recently. She had about $20,000 in credit card debt. I am the executor of her estate. Do I have to pay that credit card debt or did...
Can I Sell My House for a Dollar?
“Can I sell my house to my son for a dollar? Would Medicaid question that?” Clients have asked me these questions many times. My answer is, if you...
A Reasonable Flat Fee
I have been practicing elder law for twenty-five years. Most of my practice is transactional law, as opposed to litigation. I draft estate planning...
When Timing a Medicaid Application Matters More Than You Think
Filing for Medicaid benefits is a complicated process. Medicaid is a federal and state health payment plan for needy individuals. In order to be...
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Recent Posts
Your Will Isn’t the Product. Getting It Right Is.
Like you, I've seen the ads for online wills and other estate planning documents. Watching them, I find myself asking the same questions you probably ask: What does hiring an attorney actually add to drafting these documents? Is it really fine to use one of these...
Long Term Care Planning and IRAs
The cost of long-term care in New Jersey has reached levels that most families are simply not prepared for. Over the past five years alone, costs have risen dramatically, and they show no signs of slowing down. A nursing home in New Jersey now costs between $14,000...
The Step-Up in Basis Myth Can Be Costly
After more than 26 years practicing elder law in New Jersey, I have noticed that misconceptions tend to arrive in waves. The same misunderstanding will surface from multiple clients in a short span of time, often with near-identical wording. Recently, a new wave has...
The Medicaid Spend Down
When a family faces the staggering cost of long-term care, Medicaid often becomes the only realistic way to pay for nursing home, assisted living, or in-home care. But qualifying for Medicaid requires meeting strict financial limits, and that is where the Medicaid...
Not All Trusts Protect Assets the Same Way
When clients come to my office asking about living trusts, they often arrive with the assumption that a trust is a trust. That any trust will protect their assets, simplify their estate, and spare their family from the headaches of probate. The reality is more...
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Sea Girt (732) 974-8898 Middletown (732) 706-8008