The Elrod Firm Blog

It probably comes as no surprise that I, an estate planning and elder law attorney who uses the tag line You Need a Plan, would love a story about the foresight shown by Benjamin Franklin in the preparation of his Last Will and Testament, especially right here at the Fourth of July.

By planning ahead you can have the peace of mind of knowing that even if something happens to you, your children will be properly taken care of and will have the benefit of the protections you set up for them.

Scott was not feeling very lucky as he got ready for work Monday morning at the unusually late hour of 9:00 a.m. He normally left for work by 7:45 every morning, but that didn’t happen on this particular Monday. When his rental car pulled into the driveway at 3:30 Sunday night (or was it already Monday morning), he had no intention of setting an alarm to wake up on time for the start of the new week.

We help a lot of clients set up trusts with a goal of avoiding probate. We also help many family members administer trusts after their loved ones pass away. Once you take over the role of trustee there are steps that need to be taken to administer the trust.

We help a lot of clients obtain guardianship over their family members, and this can be invaluable when assistance and protection is needed. The two main situations when a guardianship is necessary are when the person is no longer competent to sign a power of attorney because of health issues or when the authority given in a previously signed power of attorney is no longer enough.

When it comes to healthcare, getting your affairs in order can be very easy and inexpensive. You just have to make planning a priority. From a legal perspective, getting your healthcare affairs in order means executing three essential planning documents: the healthcare power of attorney, the living will, and the HIPAA authorization.

Most people assume and hope that their children will outlive them. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go as planned. As estate planning attorneys, we have to plan for worst case scenarios.

We have some big news! The firm you’ve known for years as The Elder Law Practice of Justin S. Elrod is changing its name. We’re now The Elrod Firm. But don’t worry; this is still the same firm and we’re still the same people you’ve worked with through the year

Businesses and families all across the country will celebrate a holiday they will refer to as Presidents Day on the third Monday in February, and the holiday is often seen as an occasion to remember all Presidents of the United States, not just Washington and Lincoln.

The type of trust that is best for you depends on your specific goals, the types of assets you have, and your stage in life. It’s important to understand that there are different types of trusts that accomplish different things, and you need to make sure your trust accomplishes the goals that are most important to you.