From a presentation given by attorney Tim Nay M.S.W., J.D at the NAPFA West Region Conference. Avoid springing powers of attorney (POA) because the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other considerations making springing powers increasingly problematic. Instead POAs should be immediate. If this is uncomfortable then the wrong person is being chosen [...]

From a presentation given by attorney Tim Nay M.S.W., J.D at the NAPFA West Region Conference. While Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of diminished capacity, there are over 90 other medical conditions that can present similar symptoms with many of them treatable. Unfortunately, diagnosing these other conditions requires an extensive battery of tests that are [...]

When considering long term care needs in the future it is all too easy to assume the look of long term care tomorrow will be much as it is today. Here is an interesting interview that suggests the industry is in for radical changes as boomers age. http://www.pbs.org/thoushalthonor/eden/index.html Here is my favorite quote from the [...]

The Independent 529 Plan is a prepaid tuition 529 plan. The list of participating colleges is getting quite large, but many people may not feel comfortable making the gamble that their kid will attend a member college. However, if a child does end up getting accepted to a member college and decides to go there, [...]

For those of you who use direct investments in IRAs, IRA Services is a company you should know. They are a specialty company that will allow you to hold real estate, limited partnership shares and other direct investments in an IRA while charging VERY reasonable fees (most specialty shops I’ve talked to charge a LOT [...]

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 now makes this partnership program available to all states with 21 states already having enacted legislation to go into effect in 2007. The AARP article goes through the pitfalls of the program (it is not a panacea). Four states, California, Connecticut, Indiana and New York, piloted LTC partnership programs [...]

Whether you agree with him or not William Bernstein is always an interesting read. His latest missive is on investing in commodities. If you are considering a commodities fund I believe this is a must read. He provides a contrarian view that you will not find in the media dominated by those with products to [...]