The traditional senior housing market is undergoing a profound change. In 2018 senior housing occupancy fell to an eight-year low, even as the senior population continues to increase, as competition for the younger baby boomer market is ramping up and forcing a change to more traditional indepe...

The baby boom generation is comprised of those Americans born 1946-1964, and according to the US Census Bureau (Bureau of Census), their numbers are estimated to be 73 million strong. This number represents nearly 20 percent of the American public. As they enter their 60, 70, and 80th decades...

Your parent recently had a stroke and is returning home after a long stay in the hospital and in-patient rehabilitation. The care providers assure you that your parent will be fine returning home, but you still worry. How can you make sure your parent is safe at home? A medical alert system ...

While most people have heard of a basic Last Will and Testament, they may not know what a Pour-Over Will is and how it works with a Living Trust. As a Marietta will lawyer, I'd like to explain this estate planning tool. Essentially, a Pour-Over Will is used in conjunction with a Living Trust, ...

Kevin stands at the door of Winnie's nursing home room, tears streaming down his face. The medical staff just finished inserted a feeding tube into Winnie – an act Kevin knew she didn't want. Unfortunately, Winnie couldn't express her wishes due to advanced dementia, and she had no legal docu...

This is a common question we often hear as Marietta Living Trust Lawyers. Read on for information to help figure out whether you need a trust and, if so, what kind fits your specific situation.  For example, maybe you have a disabled child and you want a trust to permit that child to inherit...

It's become more and more common now to see clients come in with probate cases that need to be dealt with in multiple states. Many seniors today are “snow birds,” meaning they spend their winters in states with warmer climates while keeping their actual residency in the state they've spent most o...

Families who have members with special needs have a variety of concerns that most of the population doesn't deal with on a regular basis.  Whether you're traveling to occupational therapy appointments, choosing the most effective medical devices, or contemplating whether to “mainstream” your sp...

An unexpectedly common problem that Georgia estate planning lawyers encounter is how the proceeds of an estate are handled when the beneficiary gets divorced. We don't want to think of our children dealing with the pain of a divorce, but losing the inheritance you left behind would certainly pour...

Twenty years ago, Jim and Sandy, age 45 at the time, went on their first vacation without their kids since they were married.   They had no planning documents in place, and had to scramble quickly to get a simple will and a power of attorney to make sure their kids would be taken care of should...

It is a challenge to keep up with US Military benefits as they are always changing, and many veterans miss out on what can be life-changing aid. Many wartime veterans receive a disability pension due to injury. But did you know that wartime veterans age 65 or more may qualify for a VA Pension w...

Congratulations to Georgia Estate Plan: Worrall Law LLC Founding Attorney Stephen M. Worrall for Selection as 2020 Georgia Super Lawyer in Estate Planning! The Super Lawyers list recognizes no more than 5 percent of attorneys in each state. This is the fourth year of his selection in that pract...

Anyone can become either temporarily or permanently disabled. Some projections are estimating that Americans in their 20s today have an approximate 30 percent chance of experiencing a disability profound enough to cause them to miss three or more months of work before retiring. Despite the risks,...

Researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University recently announced that pharmacological "chaperone therapy" can prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mice. Alzheimer's is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that currently has no cure. Abnormal clumps (amyloid-beta plaques) a...

Believe it or not, in the U.S. it isn't easy to disinherit your spouse. But the same is not true for other family members – generally, you can use your estate plan to disinherit your brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews, or even your very own children and grandchildren.  However, in...

Are you like the groundhog…occasionally we stick our heads out of our warm, protected, cave of ignorance to think about what would happen to our family if something unexpectedly happens to us. In regard to estate planning, are you the type to peek-out, see your shadow, and go back into your safe and warm bunker and hide type of person? Or do you step out and face the day and charge full steam ahead?

On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the SECURE Act Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement), which was surprisingly included a last-minute appropriations bill designed to avert a government shutdown before the end of the year. The new law will now affect how individuals are able to save money for their retirement, and how heirs will eventually be able to use those funds once the account holder has passed away. Key changes under the SECURE Act include the following:

For many people, real property, including their home, is a big part of their overall net worth.  How the home and other pieces of real property is titled deserves careful consideration. Real estate constitutes the land and any structure, including vegetation, livestock, crops, and other natural...

A trustee is legally required to administer a trust solely in the interests of the beneficiaries.  So, what can you do as the beneficiary if you feel the trustee has breached his or her fiduciary duty? As a Marietta estate planning attorney, I would like to share some remedies to consider when you fin...

When creating an estate plan with the help of a Marietta will lawyer, you'll be asked to choose the beneficiaries whom you want to inherit your money and property when you pass away. In most cases, our clients tell us that they want their life's hard work to go toward the betterment of their c...

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes a progression of symptoms including, body tremors, limb rigidity, Bradykinesia (slow movement), as well as balance and gait problems. The cause of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains largely unknown. One well-known indicator of PD is ...

If you receive a pension from your employment that did not pay social security payroll taxes, your SSA benefit might be reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). How can you know if this is your situation? Your social security statement does not reflect any reduction in benefits beca...

You have probably heard about the astronomical costs of nursing-home care if you become seriously ill or injured. You might also know that Medicare would cover only a minimal amount of those costs. Private insurance doesn't seem like a good bet either, if you've heard horror stories about skyro...

A living will lays out your preferences for life-sustaining medical treatment.  It is often accompanied by a health-care proxy or power of attorney, which allows someone to make treatment decisions for you if you are incapacitated and the living will does not have specific instructions for the ...

Dealing with the loss of a spouse is one of the most difficult situations a person can face. The grief alone can be crippling and adding to the stress is the need to deal with funeral arrangements and any other tasks that may have arisen during your spouse's final illness. And if you're like mo...