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We all want to make good choices, particularly when it comes to decisions regarding finances, medical care, and maintaining family harmony. However, it is not always so simple.

As the fast-paced spin of the world seems to slow to a crawl, many of us are left scrambling to figure out what to do next. The coronavirus outbreak is unlike anything that has happened in our lifetimes.  It struck hard, overturning worldwide commerce and compromising the health and well-being of countless families.  And, the epicenter of the attack in the United States is New York City.  As you are reading this, we are all secluded indoors and practicing social distancing to protect our health, as best we can.

“Someone who is not dealing with a special needs child or children, can’t appreciate the lows and the highs - the difficulties and the beautiful moments - that we go through every day, week, month, and year.”  This is what I have heard from my clients and it is clear that their experiences are the very reason that a 2018 study by Professor Meghan Burke at the University of Illinois found that “fewer than half of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities make long-term plans about who will take over their child’s care if the parent or other relative providing care dies or becomes incapacitated.”

Often, when I work with children who have elderly parents, or the senior individuals themselves, I find them struggling with long term care planning concepts, including Medicare and Medicaid.

No one likes to think about the possibility of their own disability or the disability of a loved one. However, as the statistics below demonstrate, we should all plan for at least a temporary disability. This article examines the eye-opening statistics surrounding disability and some of the common disability planning options. Disability planning is one area where we can give each and every person and family we work with great comfort in knowing that if they or a loved one becomes disabled, they will be prepared.

 As we approach the 21st century, more people are purchasing services and items on the Internet that they can put together themselves. Although the idea of saving money is attractive at first, many of us find that either the instructions don’t exactly work, or a piece may be missing, leaving the object unstable at best, and subject to rapid deterioration. With the advent of online legal services, some people compromise themselves and risk the loss of their family’s financial security by utilizing services that offer a cheap alternative to professional legal counseling and proper legal documentation. If you’re considering a do-it yourself estate-planning kit, it’s a bad idea for you and the people you love.