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How Innovative Medicaid Planning Helped Save the Relationship of Two Sisters
This is the real-life story of two sisters, an annuity, nursing home costs, and why Medicaid Planning matters. Mom did not have much, but she owned her home, had a steady retirement income, and had purchased two annuities. Each in the amount of $50,000. Each daughter...
Joint Ownership Seems So Fair and Easy…
Many families think that joint ownership will make things fairer or even help avoid probate. What they don't know is that it can really cause some problems. It can go a little something like this... Grandad left his property to Dad. Then when Dad passed away he left...
Old Assets Can “Stink” After a While
Years ago, when I was single, I went out of town and a few days later my condo neighbors called 'cause they smelled a terrible stench. Nothing had died, but turns out I had forgotten to take out the trash before I left. (Thanks Mom and Dad, who made arrangements to...
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4 Things You May Not Know About POA’s
Some people get nervous when they think about signing a Power of Attorney. Maybe they saw a movie where a guy was swindled out of a fortune when he signed one. Maybe giving someone control over your affairs is unsettling to you. Whatever the case may be, Powers of...
Forget About The “Estate” And Just Do Planning
Estate Planning isn't just for people with estates... I talk a lot about "estate planning," whatever that means. It sounds like lawyer talk and often makes people's eyes glaze over. Well, I want you to forget about the estate and just call it planning, because that's...
The Myth of a “Simple” Will
"I just want a simple will." We hear this a lot. The people who say it generally assume they have a "regular" family with straightforward assets. They don't want to pay a lot for elaborate documents they don't understand. They just want a last will and testament. We...
Medicaid FAQ
Using a government benefit such as Medicaid is a fairly common way to pay for long-term care. According to AARP, 65% of nursing home residents use Medicaid to pay for their care. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there, which makes this very...
What Is a Power of Attorney? Why Might You Need One?
Think of all the decisions you make in a week or a month -- how much money you spend, or save, whether you get your car fixed, whether you go to the doctor if you aren't feeling well. What will happen if you can't make those decisions for yourself? Someone will have...
Veterans Wall Dedication Ceremony
[av_textblock size='' font_color='' color=''] Twenty-six veterans and one veteran's widow were honored on November 29 at the dedication ceremony of the Edwards Group Veterans Wall. The wall was a collaborative effort between Attorney David Edwards and Benefits...
3 Dangers of a Do-It-Yourself Power of Attorney
Completing a Power of Attorney document is one of the most impactful things you can do to lessen the burden of caregiving on your family and loved ones. A do-it-yourself Power of Attorney often misses the mark and can't accomplish what they are supposed to...
Halloween 2017
We ask clients to trust us with a lot of very personal information. As such, we tend to treat them like family and share our lives with them. Our annual Halloween costume pictures continue to be a big hit year after year. Here are the children of Edwards Group dressed...
6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Treat Your Kids Equally
We have a common saying with our kids, "Fair doesn't mean equal." Many of us want equality to be synonymous with fairness -- maybe because it seems easier to make things equal than to navigate the complexity of fairness. But think about raising kids. Did you make sure...
Don’t Get Stuck With a Stupid Tax
Have you ever heard the phrase, "stupid tax"? I hate paying a stupid tax, because it's always something that could have been avoided. A few years ago my wife and I went with my parents to see an Illini basketball game in Champaign. After eating at the Ribeye on Neil...