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 moreAs the saying goes, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The idea, of course, is that having something of value now is better than the promise of something in the future, even if the promise is technically for more. However, there are a number of cases in which this is … Read more
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recently released a series of reports regarding “pension poaching” and other malfeasance by certain individuals aiding veterans in qualifying for veteran pensions and VA Aid and Attendance. The report recounts stories of relatively financially secure veterans transferring assets in order to obtain benefits. However, as the New York Times … Read more
Memorial Day began during the Civil War as Decoration Day. As the bloodiest war in American history to date, African Americans freed from slavery first started the tradition by landscaping and cleaning up the unmarked burial ground at the Charleston Race Track in Charleston, North Carolina. Soon thereafter, following the battle of Gettysburg, the Union … Read more
This has been a busy week for news about same-sex marriage! Regardless of your position, both sides seem to be heating up the debate. North Carolina passed a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and other, generally more palatable same-sex arrangements such as domestic partnerships. In response, the President weighed in by announcing that his view … Read more
If it’s V.A. benefits, I understand. The backlog of V.A. claims is astounding. Nearly 900,000 veterans who have applied for benefits are still awaiting approval. Over 65% of those claims have been outstanding for over four months. Additionally, the V.A. expects the backlog to grow to at least 1.2 million by the end of the … Read more
Medical costs have been rising consistently over the last several years, far outpacing inflation and driving many individuals into bankruptcy. There are a number of issues that lead to the problem. Advancements in medicine are expensive, the population is aging so medical care is more in demand, and poor preventative measures mean bigger ailments are … Read more
We spend a lot of time discussing the VA Aid & Attendance Non Service Connected Disability Pension. But now that the vast majority of our deployed troops are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the V.A. is turning its attention toward meeting the needs of some of the relatively younger generation of able-bodied and disabled … Read more
One of the primary goals in Medi-Cal planning is to allow your elderly family to receive the care they need without losing all of their assets in the process. Long term care is often extremely expensive, especially when it involves skilled nursing care facilities or in-home care. Medi-Cal eases the burden for the ill in … Read more
In my last article, I covered some of the common pitfalls of attempting to avoid probate by, primarily, placing property in joint tenancy. I’ve saved the biggest zingers for this article. One of the major problems with this method of avoiding probate is the lack of creditor protection. Although generally clients who wish to put … Read more
The Veterans Homes Fund could use your help. On your California income tax return (Form 540), you have the opportunity to donate all or some of your refund to various organizations. The CA Veteran’s Home Fund was added to income tax returns last year. In order to remain on the return, it must generate $250,000 … 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...
