Insights & Guidance for Planning Ahead

The month of June always makes me think of my grandmother. Both because of D Day (you will understand more about that in a moment) and her birthday. When others think of my grandmother, many wonderful traits come to mind: a gentle woman, kind, forgiving, open-minded, compassionate, happy, energetic, a great cook, a great mother, and a great grandmother, just to mention a few. Sometimes when I think of my grandmother I worry. Though she was a great strong woman, she wen

May is “Older Americans Month”. Recognition of the celebration started in 1963. At that time there were 17 million Americans 65 and older. Now, 58 million Americans are 65 or older. Somewhere along the way I joined the club. As I shared with my wife, if we are involved in an automobile accident, the headline on the news will include in part “Elderly couple……” It is so easy to put people into categories. Doesn’t that make it easy to judge them? To arrange our expect

My youngest grandson is named Max. Max is a perfect name for him – living life to the max. Max is 3, going on 14. During my last visit with my son's family, Max's mother, my daughter-in-law, Caley, was busy getting a meal ready. Max announced, “Mom, I need to poop.” Caley encouraged him by saying, “Go ahead to the restroom by yourself.” Again, he announced his need. Caley, again, encouraged him to go by himself. Then, Max asked, “But who will talk to me?” Max wanted

On occasion, we have to step back for a moment to gain perspective. That is a lesson I learned over and over from my grandparents. Through the years, they went through several trials and tribulations, but always had good perspective about them. May I share a story with you? My grandmother experienced a lot of challenges in her 96 years, including losing her four brothers, my grandfather and all three of her children. But somehow, when it was all over, she came out the o

A while back I was with a group of elder law attorneys. Our discussion turned online and GPT (artificial intelligence) designed estate plans. One of the attorneys related he had tried one of the methods and said it wasn’t bad—it was about 85% accurate. I found it coincidental that I had just heard that same number, but in a different context. One of my favorite past times is hiking in the mountains. Along the way, I love the sights, feel, and smells. And I have been fascina

Some of you know my story but there may be some out there that do not. Let me summarize it. For many years my law practice in Western Kansas was as a general practitioner, including a lot of estate planning. My mother and my grandmother both lived in Fort Worth, Texas. I was very close to my grandmother. At different times in my life, she was in charge of raising me. In 2000, my grandmother was given a diagnosis that she would not live for more than a few months. Ou

(I wrote this article in 2018. My wife keeps it in our bulletin board as a reminder to me.) I am like most people. I tend to do the same things the same way, over and over. Even in church, I gravitate to the east side, sitting in about the same pew each Sunday. Sunday (December 9) I was running a little late. So as to disturb as few people as possible, I slipped in on the west side of the United Methodist Church, and sat in a west side pew. Many of you know that the Hays Meth

Before we traveled to Colorado for vacation in August, my wife encouraged me to go to the doctor because I was having trouble with my Achille’s tendon. I had been limping around since the middle of July, after I had walked a great distance in sandals without any support. I argued that I didn’t have the time or the need to see a doctor. I refused, arguing I could stretch and exercise my Achille’s. Besides, I am a macho man and I can power through pain. A few days into the v

WHO DECIDES WHAT CARE YOU NEED? MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS ARE USING ALGORITHMS, NOT DOCTORS Barbara Moss Elder Law of Nashville There’s a big fight going on in the Medicare insurance world. Once again, we’ve put profit between the patients and the care they need. History of Medicare and Advantage Plans In 1982, Congress passed a law that allowed Medicare to contract with insurance companies to offer risk-based health plans. The companies

Recently, I had a family (the mother and her children) come to me. The husband had died unexpectedly. Their estate plan was centered around a revocable trust. The trust had been drafted by one attorney; then another attorney amended it. The husband had been involved in several businesses. He and his wife owned some properties, several oil interests, personal property, equipment, and a home. I discovered that only some of the property was in the trust. Some of it was not