Married IRA owners should update estate plans to address SECURE Act changes to IRA taxation and new Indiana Medicaid policy. This article explains why.

Governor Holcomb invited Hawkins Elder Law attorney Jeff R Hawkins and other stakeholder representatives to witness the Governor’s July 8 ceremonial signing of Senate Enrolled Act 112 (SEA 112) and Senate Enrolled Act 380 (SEA 380) at the Governor’s Residence. During the ceremony, the Governor recognized key legislators and advocates that had supported the pair […]

We have heard variations of the myth over the years: “A nursing home will  take everything.” Savvy people rely on facts, not myths, and prepare for nursing home care before a health crisis strikes. Those people use the facts and laws to plan ahead and protect property and savings lawfully and legitimately. This article presents the facts. It also […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Trusts are tools that estate planning lawyers use to solve or avoid money management and property management problems for clients. Protective trusts protect assets from problems plaguing the trusts’ beneficiaries. Protective trusts are increasingly common as lawyers and clients focus on solving problems that do not necessarily […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Teenagers often try to shift blame for breaking rules, misunderstanding assignments, or missing deadlines with statements like, “I asked Joe and he said it wasn’t important,” or “I heard that they never enforce those rules.” Of course, some teenagers retaining their adolescent gullibility and inattentiveness into adulthood […]

The financial pitfalls facing a married couple when one spouse requires nursing home care are wide, deep, and surprisingly hidden. The emotional pain of a married person’s admission of his or her spouse to a nursing home rivals the painful experience of a spouse’s death. Unfortunately, critical financial decisions rush toward the healthier spouse like […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] The Medicaid system is maturing and showing promise of improving nursing home alternatives compared to the few meaningful alternatives to nursing home care that existed when we began our elder law career almost quarter century ago. Back then, almost every dementia or stroke patient had […]

This article concludes a two-part series about how state and federal law can save a nursing home resident’s spouse from poverty and how an experienced elder law attorney can help the spouse increase the amount of assets protected from expensive long-term care. In our first article (Financial Protection When Your Spouse Needs Nursing Home Care […]

Nursing home bills usually turn a person’s world upside down when his or her spouse requires nursing home care (the average Indiana nursing home bed costs $7,167 per month in 2022). This article begins a two-part series about state and federal law can save a nursing home resident’s spouse from poverty, and how an experienced […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and other health crises send thousands of people to nursing homes each year. People often want to protect assets from expensive healthcare costs when they discover that the average annual cost of Indiana nursing home care exceeds $71,000. Legitimate asset protection strategies […]