Widows and widowers are entitled to Social Security benefits from their deceased spouse equal to the collection amount at the time of death, or the potential entitlement amount if the spouse had not yet applied for the benefit. In order to best advise their clients, accountants and attorneys should understand the laws that govern this benefit.
Over the past couple of years, when on social media, I have seen more and more crowdfunding and personal fundraising efforts. Crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter cut out the middleman of fundraising, allowing the person or organization in need to appeal directly to the general public.
In many cases, crowdfunding takes place when a family member or friend has a medical emergency and needs help with paying the bills. Unfortunately, many do not take into account other contributing factors or benefits some people may already be receiving. For example, if a crowdfunding site is established for a person with special needs who is receiving disability or medical benefits, negative repercussions can be seen.
The Trump Policy Analysis Group (TPAG) [1] has convened to consider probable changes in law that will affect older Americans and those with special needs. Initial TPAG focus is on entitlements, public benefits, tax, special needs planning, and veterans’ benefits. We…
Our practice produces many important documents for elderly clients. Clients may forget where these documents are located within their home, lose track of the documents’ location over the course of a move, or may pass on without sharing the actual documents (or their location) with their children, executor, or guardian.
There are a few smartphone apps that can assist individuals and families to keep track of important documents such as wills or advanced directives (healthcare proxy, etc.). This tool works in conjunction with the app’s ability to catalog the contents of entire homes. This umbrella function helps with ongoing organizational efforts as well as moving assistance.
Caring for a child with special needs requires many resources, one of which may be Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
When a parent of a child with special needs retires and begins receiving Social Security retirement benefits, the child may qualify for SSDI. A lesser known provision in the Social Security regulation allows the spouse of the retiree to also receive Social Security benefits regardless of whether they are of retirement age or not—so long as they are caring for the child with special needs at home.
No matter how much we try to focus on taking things day by day, the uncertainty of the future always seems to linger in the back of our minds. We worry about things like:
The Supplemental Security Income program, known as SSI, is a federally administered program.
Unlike Medicare or Medicaid, SSI is a federal welfare program that pays monthly cash benefits to individuals who fall within 1 of 3 categories:
When speaking with clients about the complicated Medicaid rules, availability, and exceptions, they often reply something like, “Wow, there’s so much to know.”
Clients come to us because we know the rules, and more importantly, we know the exceptions.
We’re heading into the 2016 tax season. By the beginning or middle of February, you should have received all your tax statements, which might include:
If you haven’t received all your tax forms by mid-February, you should contact the relevant institutions as soon as possible to make sure they have the right address for you and that they did send the forms. It’s important to make sure you “have all your ducks in a row.”
Thanks to a recent budget deal, Congress has effectively killed two popular Social Security claiming strategies known as File and Suspend and Restricted Application.