These days, the media and entertainment crowd loves to downplay the role of the Dad.  We're exposed to plenty of TV shows where the Dufus Dad is corrected by the wise 10 year old kid.  Or, perhaps it's the cliche lazy dad from Married With Children who never leaves his beer and pretzels, it's exhausting.  

These characters are also very much unlike any Father I know.  The Dads I know and the men I meet as clients, are not like this.  They are competent hard workers.  They sacrifice time, energy and money for their families.  They work hard to provide financially.  They strive to provide ethical and moral guidance for their kids.

It's a shame that we don't celebrate Dads more often.  This Father's Day episode discusses the true role of Dads and the duties they have to provide for their own absence.  

Happy Father's Day

Everyone knows that Medicaid has a 5 year lookback period before going into the nursing home.  This generally means that you can't transfer assets before going into a nursing home.  However, there are lots of exceptions to this rule.  Don't make assumptions about what it means to you.

Listen to this episode to figure out what it means for you! 

Most people don't have a will.
Most people think Medicare will pay for a nursing home.
Most people who do plan think a "simple will" is enough.
Most people don't plan for their kids' divorces.
Most people don't plan for their kids/grandkids potential disabilities.
Most people are wrong.  

Don't be like most people.  Listen to this episode to discover how to create a custom plan that works for your family.  

Yes.  You read that right.  Disney movies must be written by estate planners.   Think about it... what do Aladdin, Lion King, Tarzan, Frozen, Cinderella and Nemo all have in common?  They all lost a parent at a young age!

In this light-hearted episode, Tim discusses each of these movies and the estate planning take-aways that can help you plan for your kids. 

Here's a hint:  You want to be the parents in Frozen, not the parents in Aladdin!  

If you have a loved one in the nursing home (or could soon), you should listen to this episode.  Tim gives some words of caution and also identifies some opportunities that could help you get the care you need - without going broke in the process.  

You should think of an admission to a nursing home as a legal problem.  If any other creditor was coming after you for over $11,000 per month, you'd probably call a lawyer.  The nursing home situation is no different.  These laws are complicated.  

Listen to this episode to find out how the process really works. 

You have beneficiary designations on financial accounts.  We all do.  But is a beneficiary designation sufficient to meed your estate planning goals?  What criteria make up an effective estate plan for you?  Have you thought about it?

In this episode, Tim dispenses with the "common knowledge" that all you have to do is place a beneficiary designation on your accounts and everything will be easy.  

Listen in to find out how you can create a good estate plan for your family, rather than just scratching it off your to-do list. 

Glance around the headlines on any given day and you'll find lots of examples of reasons for proper planning.  Whether it's a divorce like Bill Gates, loss of control like Brittany Spears, or coping with the death of a loved one to Covid 10, there are reasons all around us to become prepared.

Let's learn some lessons together from some current events and how we can apply those lessons to protect our savings and families.

This week's episode, we hope, is a great motivator for you to take your estate planning seriously.   Think of estate planning  as though it is writing the last chapter of your personal book.  

You want to make sure your financial assets are secured and delivered to the right people.  You want to make sure your assets work hard for your family, rather than the government.  
You want to make sure your family is protected.

At the Sechler Law Firm, we hold the high honor of helping you tell your last chapter.  We care about telling it well.

Join us this week for a conversation with Elder Care Manager, Lorna Gavin.

Lorna is a Registered Nurse who assists seniors and their families in finding the right level of care.  

Lorna walks through the differences between personal care, assisted living and skilled nursing.  

We also discuss payment sources for care and how the partnership with out law firm really helps our clients.  If you are seeking to learn more about different long term care options, this is a great listen for you.

Our kids need help.   Young kids need our help with education, finance, healthcare, morals, values, religion.  

Older kids - your adult kids- need different kinds of help.  They may need financial support.  Advice on grown up decision making.  Sometimes they need help protecting themselves from issues like creditors or divorces.

Proper estate planning can transition to meet your kids' needs as they grow.  We can't predict when bad things may happen in our families.  So, then, an estate plan has to be flexible and anticipate todays problems as well as tomorrow's problems.

This episode teaches you how to do it THE RIGHT WAY

Also on this episode, Tim gives a few pointers on nursing home admissions.  As more people are vaccinated, there is less of a COVID concern about seeking additional care for grandmas and grandpas.  If you need help, this episode has a few things you ought to know.