General

Asset protection planning is an important aspect of estate planning that must be considered by everyone. Asset protection planning refers to proactive legal steps to protect your assets from divorce, judgments, lawsuits, future creditors or expensive long-term care costs. This involves a series of legal techniques that can be effective at deterring a lawsuit as …

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VA Needs-Based Benefits Eligibility Has Officially Changed Authored By: Kendra R. Rozboril The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has been hinting for some time that the eligibility rules for needs-based benefits must change. VA Estate Planners across the nation have been waiting with bated breath to see how these changes will affect our clients. The …

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Can someone contest the validity of your will?  Authored by: Anisha D. Rutkowski While most wills are carried out as intended without conflict, there are circumstances in which a will may be contested. Will contests generally occur amongst family members.  Typically, the circumstances involve an unexpected beneficiary or devisee named in the will, a close …

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The “College Three” – a must for every college student’s back-to-school list Authored by: Michael L. Rutkowski  If you are sending a child off to college this Fall, this Summer brings a delicate dance of transferring key responsibilities from yourself to your child. Those responsibilities may require your child to care for their own health …

THE “COLLEGE THREE” – A MUST FOR EVERY COLLEGE STUDENT’S BACK-TO-SCHOOL LIST Read More »

What is Institutional Medicaid? What are the requirements to be eligible? Authored by: Kendra R. Rozboril With rising health care costs and increasing life spans, more and more people are concerned with how they will be able to afford nursing home stays when the time comes. Currently, the average cost in Michigan for nursing home …

WHAT IS INSTITUTIONAL MEDICAID? WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE ELIGIBLE? Read More »

Formal or Informal Probate – what’s the difference? Authored by: Anisha D. Rutkowski We have discussed in previous posts when probate is necessary and how to avoid probate. But another key topic to cover is that when a deceased person’s assets must go through the probate process, the process can be either “formal” or “informal.” …

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 Co-Personal Representatives, and what you need to know.  Authored by: Kendra R. Rozboril During the Estate Planning process, you will get a chance to choose who you want to become Executor, or Personal Representative, of your Probate Estate should your assets pass through Probate Court. You can appoint just one person, or even multiple people, …

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Should you use a Joint Tenancy to avoid probate? Authored by: Anisha D. Rutkowski You may have heard that to avoid probate, you can simply add your child’s name to the ownership of an asset, such as real estate. It is true that by creating a “joint tenancy with right of survivorship,” you may own …

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Without an Operating Agreement, your business is left at the mercy of Michigan’s LLC default rules, which may not be ideal for you -Authored by: Linda Isho Your business outlook may seem promising when you initially contemplate starting a business with a close friend or relative. You set up a Limited Liability Company (LLC), a …

Without an Operating Agreement, your business is left at the mercy of Michigan’s LLC default rules, which may not be ideal for you Read More »