⚡️How You Are Set Up to Fail

I am not happy. I have been fighting for my clients for years. As an Elder Law attorney, I have been on the front lines protecting property and individual rights. I have faith in this country and the hardworking people who live here. However, I have only seen the system make it harder and harder to keep your hard-earned money and property and to ensure you’re not taken advantage of. There is no other way to say it, the system is set up to take away your money and rights before you pass away.

The Cost of Long-term Care is Increasing

The average cost of long-term care is between five to ten thousand dollars a month. And that amount is only going up.  Considering that seventy percent of individuals over the age of sixty-five will need long term care, means that the majority of individuals in this country are facing a huge expense that they certainty cannot afford.

The expectation is that you spend whatever you’ve worked your whole life to earn on this need for care. Medicare won’t cover it, your supplement won’t cover it, and you basically have only a couple options to pay for it.

You can use Medicaid to pay for it. However, you have to qualify for Medicaid first—even though you have paid into Medicaid your whole life, just like Medicare and Social Security. Most people think that they can never qualify for Medicaid to pay for long-term care. However, this isn’t true. With the right kind of planning, almost anyone can qualify. It just takes doing.

The Rights of the Elderly are Routinely Ignored

This is extremely important because, considering that we all age, this affects us all. It seems that once you reach a certain age, you begin to lose your constitutional rights. I am referring to incompetency and Guardianship.

A Guardianship is a process that can take someone’s rights and liberties away and make them a Ward of the State. Notwithstanding the fact that a Guardianship is a similar deprivation of rights as a criminal case, a Guardianship is much easier to get than a conviction. Courts around this state routinely rubber stamp Guardianship orders that take away people’s rights. This is after having what can hardly be considered a hearing, with minimal evidence and a low burden of proof. Not to mention that the hearing isn’t even in front of an actual judge.

Thankfully, there’s things you can do to protect against this sort of thing happening to you or a loved one. Again, it takes doing.

They’ll Get You with Taxes

We get taxed on almost everything. Taxes are most individual’s largest expense. You’d think that there would be an end in sight. However, they’re just looking for more.

I am referring to the death tax. The talk in Congress is that it’s coming roaring back and if you’re not prepared for it, you can face anywhere between forty-five and fifty percent tax on your estate.

You guessed it, there’s also a way to plan to protect from this too. However, you need to sit down and do it.

It takes doing

So, why am I telling you this? I want to demonstrate that you’re set up for failure. That’s the default position that you’ve been put in as a citizen of this country. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There’re things you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your hard-earned money and property.