Recent Blog Posts
Seniors Are Changing Their Living Wills Due to COVID-19 Concerns
Kaiser Health News is reporting the coronavirus pandemic is prompting seniors to create or modify their living wills. Specifically, intubation is the topic that has many seniors crafting or rethinking their strategies amidst a wealth of disparate COVID-19 information that makes forming reliable conclusions for decision making, dubious at best. Why Seniors are Changing Their Living… Read More »
Estate Planning for Essential Workers: Finding The Right “Prescription”
To all front-line and “essential” workers: Thank you for all of your hard work – day in and day out (and often evenings, nights, and weekends). You tirelessly give of yourself to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Whether you are caring for them in a hospital, therapy room,… Read More »
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Senior Community
Around the first of the year, the lives of Americans changed forever. A new virus, CODIV-19, began to spread across our country. The virus, part of a worldwide pandemic, spread quickly and silently. Virtually all aspects of life changed – businesses closed down, social distancing became a new norm, and toilet paper and hand… Read More »
State Estate and Inheritance Tax: What They Are, If Your State Has Them, and How to Plan Accordingly
The federal gift and estate tax exclusion is currently very high—$11.58 million for an individual and $23.16 million for a married couple in 2020. As a result, only very wealthy people currently need to be concerned that their estates will be taxable at the federal level, at least until 2026, when the increased exclusion… Read More »
COVID-19: A Lesson in the Importance of Advance Directives
In this Covid-19 pandemic, a wrenching question demands an answer: if you or someone you love is taken down by a life-threatening illness, how far would you want extreme life-prolonging measures to be tried? In this context, we will discuss the importance of advance directives Importance of Advance Directives vs. DNR Orders For us… Read More »
A Guide to Estate Planning for Non-Citizens
The United States has experienced a surge in immigration since 1970, and there are now approximately 45 million foreign-born people living in the United States. Some of them have become U.S. citizens, but many non-citizens live in the United States as well. In 2019 alone, approximately 1,031,000 foreign nationals obtained lawful permanent resident status.[1]… Read More »
COVID 19: A Reminder of Why Estate Planning is Important
Coronavirus has been all over the news—and with good reason. For some people, it can turn into a serious illness if contracted. Thankfully, for the great majority of people who contract the disease, the symptoms appear to be relatively mild. Nevertheless, it is crucial for everyone, particularly those who are in good health, to… Read More »
Online Estate Planning During COVID-19 Pandemic from Start to Finish
As you have probably heard by now, keeping physical distance between us is crucial to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Call or email McDonald Law Firm to find out how we can help you complete your online estate planning during COVID-19, without taking a single step outside the safe confines of your… Read More »
The Risks of DIY Wills
There has been an explosion in the numbers of Americans rushing to make their will online. Understandably, the coronavirus pandemic has created the scramble to set up wills and end-of-life-directives. However, online do it yourself wills, (or “DIY wills”) are often deemed invalid as they do not comply with all of the legal requirements… Read More »
The Benefits of Writing Your Own Obituary as Part of Your Estate Plan
An obituary can be much more than just a dry announcement of the time and location of your funeral or memorial service. It can be a way to share your life story, communicating information about significant events and people, as well as important values you would like to impart to others. You do not… Read More »
