February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993 Twenty years ago today, Brandon Lee tragically died at the young age of 28 from a gunshot wound while filming the movie The Crow. He was shot accidentally by a prop gun being used on set, which had a bullet lodged in the chamber. Lee was the son […]
Many of us come across the thought of organ donation for the first time when we apply for a driver’s license. Usually at that young age, it is a topic difficult to consider and oftentimes disregarded. As we age we begin to consider the opportunity each one of us has to save another’s life with […]
Did you know that well over half (up to 80% according to some sources) of all life insurance policies issued, lapse prior to the insured’s death? Most policies are designed, purchased, placed and funded with the expectation that at death (an unknown time), the life insurance proceeds (a known amount) would be paid to a […]
Governor Dayton recently proposed a budget that, among other things, may broaden the “snow bird” tax base. While those affected by the proposed legislation are most likely wealthy people who have second homes in warmer climates, the law would affect any individual who owns Minnesota real estate and spends more than 60 days in Minnesota […]
Anytime you are looking to hire a professional advisor (which for purposes of this article shall include, but is not limited to, a financial advisor, attorney, insurance agent, banker and/or accountant), you should do some preliminary homework to determine the type of person with whom you would like to work and prepare some questions to […]
In previous posts, the importance of having a Power of Attorney has been discussed (see Maggie Green‘s “The Power of Attorney In Real Life” and my post “Powers of Attorney: The Basics”). In general, the document is a good one to have while you are alive to ensure that important documents and other financial matters […]
In my previous post, I discussed the basics of a guardianship. In this post, I discuss terminating a guardianship when the Ward has regained mental capacity. For example, perhaps the Ward has a brain injury from an accident or a stroke, but after a couple years of therapy she has recovered enough so that a […]
In many posts, we have eluded to and discussed the basics on Medical Assistance (see: Jamie Held‘s Medical Assistance & Real Property and Jen Santini‘s Medical Assistance Basics for Minnesotans). Medical Assistance, or Medicaid as it is known, is the insurance program provided by counties to those who have no money of their own to […]
Today we have added a new resource to Epilawg’s Resources page: Understanding Loans and Credit at Every Stage of Life. This resource is a comprehensive guide that covers loan options and financial education at different stages of life: from being a student to preparing for retirement. Hopefully, this will be a useful additional resource to […]
March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959 Lou Costello – known for half of the Abbott and Costello comedy team – passed away 54 years ago today, just days shy of his 53rd birthday, from a heart attack. He was born in New Jersey and went to Hollywood to become an actor in his early […]
For months before the end of 2012, the “fiscal cliff” dominated news cycles. Now, we have the sequester. The sequester is a series of automatic spending cuts to the federal budget to reduce spending by $1.2 trillion over the next ten years. The sequester will take effect on Friday, March 1st, unless the White House […]