Asset Protection

December 27, 2016

Trusts: Your Right of Withdrawal

Every trust document is different; the terms of a trust can vary greatly, giving the beneficiaries either a broad range of power or can limit a beneficiary’s power to only include specific rights. Some of the differing terms of trust include: how the income and principal investments are able to be distributed, when, and under what circumstances, if the objective of the trust is either for growth or to maintain balance, when a beneficiary receives a distribution and under what circumstances, such as age attainment or education attainment, as well as whether the beneficiaries have a right of withdrawal also known as 5 by 5 clause.

What is a 5 by 5 Clause?

A 5 by 5 clause, or right of withdrawal, must be specifically stated in the governing trust. The right occurs once a year generally, and will allow the beneficiary to take up to 5% of the value of the trust out to be included in their current tax year or to take $5,000, whichever is greater at the time. If the trust contains a right of withdrawal, the trustee must notify the beneficiary within a reasonable time of their ability that year to withdrawal and the beneficiary must indicate their wish to exercise the right in part or in total or whether they chose to forego taking the amount. In order for the beneficiary to qualify the income under present interest, and therefore exempt under the gift exemption that year, they must have a vested economic interest to the income and principal of the trust.

December 9, 2016

Estate Battles and Royalties

by Ettinger Law Firm

Prince & Tidal

After the death of a musician, we commonly hear about battles between the estate of deceased artists and various music companies, regarding the royalties to a deceased artist’s work, who now owns it, and who is entitled to receive royalties now that the artist is no longer alive. The Estate of music legend Prince has faced a number of legal issues while trying to determine inheritance as well as ownership of music and rights. The music streaming platform Tidal, started by rapper Jay-Z, had the exclusive rights to stream Prince’s last album, however, Tidal is now being sued by the estate for illegally streaming all of Prince’s albums on the platform streaming site. Shortly after Prince passed away, Tidal started streaming the entire catalogue of music, expanding it from the 90 day exclusivity clause it had for the one album.

Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones & Sony Productions

November 11, 2016

Small Gains for Social Security Beneficiaries

by Ettinger Law Firm

2017 Projected Increases

Those individuals receiving social security benefits can expect another disappointing increase in their benefits in 2017. While this increase is another record low over the past five years, some view it as a win since social security beneficiaries failed to see any increase in their benefits in 2016, although costs of living continued to rise. The projected increase, coming at .3%, or $4 a month, was assessed by the federal government in response to adjusted costs of living.

How this Affects Elders

October 28, 2016

The Role of a Trustee and Their Discretionary Power

by Ettinger Law Firm

Trustees serve a very important role in the effective administration of a trust. The maker of the trust document, the grantor, gives another neutral third party, the power to administer the terms of the trust throughout the lifetime of the grantor and after, if the terms of the trust provide so. The trustee is essentially in charge of managing all the assets of the trust, without taking an interest in them. While a trustee can also be the maker of the trust, many people elect another individual, or a corporate trustee to continue administering the trust upon their death.

There are some express terms that a trustee must follow, such as:

Keeping separate the investments and accounts of the trust,

October 25, 2016

Financial Elder Abuse: Warning Signs and How to Stop It

by Ettinger Law Firm

Elder abuse has been an increasing trend over the past few decades, within roughly one in ten Americans over 60 years of age experiencing elder abuse, whether it be financial, harassment, sexual, physical, or passive abuse through neglect or deprivation. Of the elders subjected to abuse, over 90% of those Americans are abused by someone they know, either a family member, friend, acquaintance, medical staff employee, or caretaker.

Predators seek out opportunities with the elderly in order to become involved in their lives and then later exploit them in their most vulnerable state. Often times, an individual will claim to be helping the elder individual, either by assisting in caretaking or house keeping, and then will later bill them for an exorbitant amount of money or get ahold of their checking account to pay themselves.

Warning Signs

October 21, 2016

Types of Special Needs Trusts

by Ettinger Law Firm

There are three main types of trusts for special or supplemental needs. Each has their own specific purpose and use, and will apply differently for every party.

First Party Special Needs Trusts

The first party special needs trust was developed to be funded with assets owned by the trust beneficiary in order to help them qualify for government benefits. This type of trust is usually established when the intended beneficiary is about to receive either a lawsuit settlement, inheritance from an estate, a large gift, or assets, that would disqualify him from receiving supplemental security income. Supplemental security income has a qualifying threshold that the beneficiary must meet; the individual cannot possess personal assets that equal over $2,000.

October 18, 2016

Special/Supplemental Needs Trust

by Ettinger Law Firm

Special needs trust are a type of trust by which the beneficiary is provided for through the trust income, but has no control over the distributions of the trust. Generally, special needs, or supplemental needs trusts, have been used to provide for those loved ones with disabilities or who are unable to care for themselves any longer.

Once a special needs trust is established, family or a loved one can put the assets in the trust for the benefit of the beneficiary in order to provide them with any number of resources they feel the beneficiary deserves. The trust funds can be used to compensate for additional medical bills not fully covered by insurance, for personal leisure, travel, or anything the grantor feels the beneficiary may want or benefit from.

Eligibility for Benefits & Being a Beneficiary

October 15, 2016

Why Spendthrift Trusts Can be Important to Your Inheritance Plan

by Ettinger Law Firm

Spendthrift trusts are a type of irrevocable trust in which the grantor seeks to leave property or assets to a beneficiary, under the terms they outline, by which the beneficiary cannot alter, because they have no legal claim to the trust property. An irrevocable trust is a type of trust by which the beneficiary cannot modify the terms of the trust without the first obtaining the permission of the grantor.

Irrevocable trusts allow the grantor to create this trust document in which they transfer their rights to the property into the trust and the trustee, a third party manager of the trust, now technically holds legal title, until the trust allows for vestment in the beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are not the only ones who lack control in these trust situations; in an irrevocable trust, once it is created, the grantor cannot undo the trust to obtain title to the property without first getting the consent of the trustee and beneficiaries.

When To Use a Spendthrift Trust

September 29, 2016

The Emergency Preparedness Rule

by Ettinger Law Firm

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a rule recently in light of the most recent natural disasters in Louisiana that compromised the safety and well being of many Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries throughout the affected area. Unfortunately, this rule came as a direct response not only to the devastating natural disasters we have experienced within the last decade, but the man made disasters as well, including terrorist attacks and health care scares. The rule was established in order to provider coordination for federal, estate, tribal, regional and local systems, that will now be required to comply with a unified system of emergency preparedness.

The need for additional support was realized when several patients who received treatment covered under Medicare or Medicaid were not able to obtain their care in light of the disaster, which furthered their need thereafter for additional care. Some of the organizations that provide care have complied with other emergency preparedness measures in order to receive accreditation, many residential mental health centers do not have a plan established, leaving a very vulnerable population without help in times of need.

In an effort to individualize emergency preparedness requirements, the new rules will apply to all 17 provider types, but will be different for each in order to receive certification. In order to comply with the rules, an annual training program will be implemented in order to ensure compliance and staff will be subject to drills and exercises to demonstrate their knowledge of the emergency rules.

September 14, 2016

Back to the Basics – The Notice Act

by Ettinger Law Firm

Rising Medical Bills

Experiencing a life threatening accident or injury is one of the scariest and most confusing times in a person’s life, but what further complicates these emotional times are the staggering medical bills received after, without warning. In an effort to combat receiving these unexpectedly high bills and further open communication between hospital and patient, The NOTICE, or Notice of Observation of Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility, Act will change the way patients are notified about potential costs incurred.

Starting in August 2016, this Act requires that hospitals throughout the country notify a patient about their status as either ‘inpatient’ or ‘observation’ status. When classified as an inpatient, Medicare will cover all, or a substantial amount, of the costs of medical bills incurred by the patient if they are covered under it. However, if the patient is classified as being under observation, Medicare may no longer be responsible for the bills incurred and the out of pocket costs fall on the patient, which has commonly been unbeknownst to the patient until release or weeks later when the bill is received. In order for an elder to receive care at a nursing home following a hospital visit, they must have spent three days in a hospital under inpatient status.