My mother-in-law is widowed and has been bedridden for one-and-a-half years. We currently have live-in help to assist her 24/7 in her own home. We have been paying this person in cash without a detailed paper trail of expenditures. If my mother-in-law needs to be placed in a nursing facility, how will the Medicaid look-back regard the cash payments? Will we be held accountable fiscally for the one-and-a-half years of cash payments for her at-home care?

Are you approaching age 65 and currently covered by a marketplace health care plan under the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”)?  If so, you should think carefully about your options. 

How much money can I gift to my children and grandchildren each year without tax penalties to me or to them? 

Unlike money, personal belongings usually cannot be divided equally after their owner passes away.  For this reason, distributing items like furniture, jewelry, dishes, silverware, artwork, photographs or clothing is often the most difficult challenge in settling an estate. 

An executor is the person responsible for managing the administration of a deceased person's estate.  One of an executor's main jobs is to pay people or institutions to whom the estate owes money, called the estate's credit

If you are in the hospital, the last thing you want is for a family member or a trusted friend to be denied information about your condition or prognosis.