7 Medicare Changes You’ll See in 2025
Expensive medications? You’ll save thousands. Dementia or mental health care? More options Key takeaways Changes from Inflation Reduction Act will take effect next year. Lower out-of-pocket limit in Part D…
Your Social Security Benefits for 2025: COLA Update
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has officially released its annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) figures for 2025. These newly issued numbers will have an impact on monthly Social Security benefits payouts…
Court Considers How a Will Must be Proved for Probate
Mississippi law addresses two methods to determine the validity of wills. A “holographic” will is written entirely in the willmaker’s handwriting and signed at the bottom, with authenticity of the…
When Can a Lost Will Be Probated
The Court of Appeals of Tennessee holds that a woman failed to rebut the presumption of revocation when attempting to admit a copy of a missing will to probate. In…
Children Stood to “Gain or Lose” in Will Contest and Therefore Had Standing (Mo. App.)
An August 2024 court opinion pointed out the importance of understanding who will inherit assets that are handed down through families and of taking specific planning actions to assure those…
POA’s Duty to Act in Principal’s Best Interest Is Not Waivable; Choose Your Agents Wisely!
We have often been asked to advise the fiduciaries appointed by estate planning clients about their legal duties. An agent under a power of attorney has a legal duty to…
New Rental Assistance Rule May Expand Benefits for SSI Recipients
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has published a final rule simplifying and expanding its rental subsidy program for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Effective September 30, 2024, the new rule is…
Does Divorce Affect Social Security Spousal Benefits?
More than 50 million Americans receive Social Security retirement benefits. Most of these recipients are retirees who worked and paid Social Security taxes. But millions of dependents and survivors of…
Disinherited Daughter Takes Estate Under Inheritance Rules
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court finds that an estranged, intentionally disinherited daughter inherits under the intestacy statute because the will’s sole beneficiary predeceased the testator. In Estate of Giguere (Me.…
What Is the Difference Between a Will and a Trust?
Wills and trusts are foundational estate planning tools. While each is used to distribute assets to beneficiaries, they do so in different ways. Each also has its own distinct uses…