Online resource center to help you explore these key issues, and others, regarding your estate.
Mr. Miller has many years of experience in designing and implementing a comprehensive variety of Trusts, Wills, and other estate planning documents, as well as settling estates in the most expedient and appropriate method. Further, he counsels and assists clients on becoming eligible for VA benefits and Medi-Cal.
Learn moreMr. Miller has been active in the area of VA Pension and Medi-Cal for well over a decade. He uses various specialized types of Trusts as well as non-trust strategies to gain eligibility for his clients and save the family money.
Learn moreMr. Miller has been settling estates (both simple and complex) for well over 40 years. The starting point is always to create a strategy to settle the estate in the most efficient manner possible with a minimum of taxes. Often times the strategy created allows the family to bypass Probate Court proceedings.
Learn moreIntroduction Problem–Lawsuits and Challenges Safeguards-For the Appointment with the Attorney Safeguards-The Family Meeting Safeguards-No Contest Clause Estate Planning Review Dear Mr. Miller: Introduction: I have a Living Trust that leaves everything to my two kids. But I am not dividing it equally between them. The daughter has been very helpful to me in my golden … Read more
Insurance Agents and Veterans Benefits Introduction The Problem Insurance Agents Providing Non-Insurance Services Medi-Cal Need Not Considered Options Beyond Annuities Surrender Charge VA Accreditation Insurance Agent Regulation Against Senior Abuses Conclusion Dear Mr. Miller: Introduction: My Dad recently purchased a $150,000 annuity to help him qualify for the Veterans Aid & Attendance benefit. It … Read more
The unprecedented backlog in claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) continues to increase. Although a large part of the problem may be attributed to systemic issues within the system, a large part of it is due to a more obvious issue: increasing numbers. Claims for benefits, such as the VA Aid … Read more
The Supreme Court has heard arguments regarding the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8, but people on both sides of the issue will have to await the decisions, due out in June. The cases focused on the level of scrutiny the laws ought to receive and the Constitutionality of the laws, … Read more
When you are completing your estate plans, there are certain assets that will need special consideration. Some assets that require special consideration, like a primary residence, are covered in most estate plans. Careful consideration of how to treat the home may promote future eligibility for Medi-Cal or VA Aid & Attendance Non Service Connected Disability … Read more
The Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), which administers a litany of VA benefits, including the Aid & Attendance Non-Service Connected Disability Pension to veterans has been plagued by persistent backlogs throughout the Obama administration. Despite significant efforts to curb the backlog, it is increasingly worse and even worse than the VA assets. According to the … Read more
In recent years, aging individuals have more and more options for how to live, depending on their healthcare needs, social desires, financial health, and other factors. However, when communities are targeting the older population to become residents, should the community be obligated to provide emergency care to its residents? The question was raised by a … Read more
March is perhaps best known for the college sports frenzy known as March Madness (the NCAA basketball tournament). However, every year March also features another kind of “rebound.” The spring real estate selling season begins as winter doldrums come to an end. Combined with the general upward trend of real estate pricing, increasing numbers of … Read more
Income and wealth disparities in married couples are not uncommon. However, in some cases the disparity can keep growing throughout the marriage and impact estate and Medi-Cal planning. For example, in cases where one spouse works while the other is retired or inherited money, the wages are community assets while the other income is not. … Read more
If you have been following the news, it seems that every few months the fiscal cliff re-emerges at the forefront of the news cycle, promoting discussion of deep partisan divide, prognostications of doom for the general population, and the lobbing of insults among our political representatives. Unfortunately, the result of the bickering has, so far, … Read more
About Living Trusts is hosted by the Law Offices of Merwyn J. Miller, as your online resource center to help you explore these key issues, and others, regarding your estate.
Dear Mr. Miller: My mother is 82 and still lives alone. Over the last year, she has become noticeably more forgetful. She repeats stories, sometimes f...
Dear Mr. Miller: My mother passed away recently, and I have been named the Successor Trustee of her trust. I expected to be sad after losing her, but ...
Dear Mr. Miller: About ten years ago, my husband and I paid an attorney to create a Living Trust. We signed all the documents and put them in a safe p...
