Solo Agers: Identifying Support Care, Asset, and Legal Support

A recent New York Times article detailed an increasing cohort of solo agers—those over 50 aging alone—and the physical, financial, and psychological effects of doing so. In 1960, less than 15% of households had a single occupant; that figure is nearly 30% today. Almost twice as many Americans over the age of 50 live alone today than in the year 2000. The research on this is clear: Seniors living alone have poorer physical and mental health and shorter life spans. In fact, research shows that loneliness is as damaging to physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes daily. Because solo agers [...]

2024-03-08T11:17:13-05:00December 2, 2022|

The Life Care Plan: A Complex and Confusing Puzzle

Navigating a successful life care plan is much like a puzzle. Every step must be correct to progress and complete the plan. I love puzzles. Crosswords, sudoku, cryptograms, almost any puzzle. My friends and family poke fun at me for casually glancing at a puzzle on the NY Times iPhone app when I should be engaged otherwise (like at dinner or at my daughters’ soccer games). Regardless of my penchant for puzzles at inopportune times, my wife, Stefanie, recently gave me The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs. The book follows Jacobs’ “quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords [...]

2024-03-08T11:21:57-05:00October 14, 2022|

The Benefits of Having an Elder Care Coordinator on Your Side

Have you ever considered the benefits of an elder care coordinator when planning for your or a loved one’s future? Rothkoff Law Group follows a unique elder care law firm model called Life Care Planning. This model encourages its law firms to hire care coordinators (usually a social worker or nurse) to help clients navigate the long-term care maze. We often hear, “What does the elder care coordinator do?” When we mention our firm has six geriatric social workers on staff, the reaction is either delight or confusion (or sometimes both). Below is an example of a typical client of [...]

2024-03-08T11:26:32-05:00August 5, 2022|

Elder Law Fees and Investing in Peace of Mind

Elder law fees are often a concern for families seeking care and advocacy for an aging loved one. When I meet with professional partners or speak with someone who expresses a need for elder care law services, people are often intrigued that Rothkoff Law Group offers a flat-rate fee structure, as it is common for a law firm to bill per hour rather than a flat-rate. So why does Rothkoff Law Group do this? When a client or an involved family member or friend contacts Rothkoff Law Group, they are overwhelmed and confused about the uncertainties of what the future [...]

2024-03-08T11:30:11-05:00April 29, 2022|

Living Will and Dignified Aging: Have the Conversation

As loved ones age, having the discussion on dignified aging and a living will can be challenging and emotional for families. Considering that spring is arriving and it appears the world may be opening up a bit more (hopefully), families will start reconnecting, spending quality time together, and planning vacations. Since the start of the pandemic, many families forewent these gatherings in an effort to avoid unnecessarily exposing themselves or loved ones to COVID-19. However, since late 2021 and increasingly so, families are spending more time together. Considering how long it’s been since these families have sat together, this may [...]

2024-03-08T11:32:24-05:00March 11, 2022|

Elder Law Planning: More Than Just Medicaid

When it comes to elder law planning, and when I meet with clients, the focus tends to be heavily centered on finances. When retirement accounts are dwindling due to a spouse’s high nursing home bill or a parent’s complex financial management style has left an adult child overwhelmed and confused, it is easy to become focused on Medicaid as the magic solution. However, Medicaid is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. A few years ago, I worked with the sister caregiver of a client who required long-term care. Due to the brother’s medical diagnoses and young age, his [...]

2024-03-08T12:31:59-05:00February 15, 2021|

Life Lessons From Two Decades Advocating for Seniors

On February 1, 2000, I began a journey to an unknown destination. On this day twenty years ago, I opened my elder care law office. If you were to tell me twenty years later we would expand to six offices in NJ and PA, employ thirty team members, including five attorneys and six geriatric social workers, establish groundbreaking elder care symposiums in NJ & PA, receive numerous awards and recognition for our firm’s advocacy for seniors, and teach other attorneys across the United States how to engage in legal advocacy for seniors, I would not have believed it. Last month, [...]

2024-03-08T12:41:08-05:00January 8, 2020|

The Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Explained

Who knew that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is one of only twenty United States jurisdictions which collect a state death tax? For the Pennsylvania resident decedent, regardless of whether the beneficiaries live in Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, or Delaware Counties, or beyond the borders of the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Inheritance tax will likely impact any inheritance. In this blog, The Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Explained, we answer eight of the most commonly asked questions. 1. I already filed the decedent’s taxes on April 15th. Why do I need to file a Pennsylvania REV-1500? Comparing income taxes to state death taxes is like [...]

2024-03-08T12:42:36-05:00September 30, 2016|
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