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We Also Scream To Avoid Planning
Don’t worry, be happy
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style
Ain’t got no gal to make you smile
Don’t worry, be happy
‘Cause when you worry your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
—Bobby McFerrin
Did Your Parents Raise A Sluggish Sloth Or A Competent Character?
When you get home at night, do you leave the lights off? Does the thrill of bumping into things, falling down the stairs, and stepping on awkward items appeal to your adventurous spirit? Do you favor a life of anxiety? Do you look forward to high blood pressure, poor digestion, experiencing that creepy feeling of dread? Are you opposed to happiness and contentment? Do you embrace chaos and upset? Or do you seek Peace of Mind®?
Would you be surprised to learn that there are two paths to Peace of Mind™? The first path involves effort, work, dedication, stick-to-it-iveness, dauntless spirit, reasonable focus on accomplishment. Path #1 is where you find volunteer firemen, blood donors, the folks you can count on.
More popular is Path #2. The second path requires ignoring your own obvious needs and the needs of those around you. Ignorance is Bliss! Stick your head in the sand. If you cannot see it, it cannot hurt you. Gee, I wonder if the crowds at those new marijuana dispensaries are on Path #1 or Path #2…
Unfortunately, you were brought up by folks who chose the first path. Work, love, dedication, achievement. All those uncomfortable things that get in the way of TV binge watching. Consuming YouTube cat videos. Absorbing bargains galore on the home shopping networks. Golly, your folks made it very difficult for you to live the sweet couch potato life.
How can you get beyond your inbred desire to deliver? Vanquish your drive to survive? Squash your sense of responsibility? Unraveling habits of a lifetime can be difficult, but, as they say, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but whether you can have your cake and eat it too!
Olympic athletes train for years to hone their skills to a razor edge of perfection. You have worked for years to reach your goals, raise your family, do a great job at work, and be a valued member of your church, community, team, euchre tournament. You are an Olympian of the American Dream. A Medal of middle-class Gold hangs from your neck. Your world celebrates!
But now the looming spectre of estate planning looms like a hideous hobgoblin. You feel an inner urge to get this done…see it through. Will power is not enough. Fanatical focus will fail. How can you run away from the dreadful demons of trusts, wills, and powers of attorney? Is resistance futile? Is an Estate Plan inevitable? How can you escape?
Super easy! Barely an inconvenience. With the following professional excuses, you can put off facing the facts almost indefinitely. You are welcome!
Warm Up To Provide Peak Performance
“Everyone Has The Will To Win But Very Few Have The Will To Prepare To Win.”
—Vince Lombardi
Olympians and professional football players getting ready for the “big game” share a secret. All elite athletes know that mental and physical preparation is key. Can you escape your future-planning responsibilities without focused training? Of course not!
Follow the protocol. Stand in front of a full-length mirror. Hands on hips. Throw your head back. Suck your gut in. Stick your chest out. Draw and deep breath, then…
Loudly And Firmly Proclaim These Statements Three (3) Times:
- Only Nerds Want To Retire Comfortably
- Financial Security Is Bad. And Impossible
- I Want To Die Broke, Splurging My Last Nickels
- On Long-Term Care
- I Look Forward To Nursing Home Poverty
- My Spouse Can Look Out For Herself. Or Himself.
- My Kids Don’t Need Money And Would Waste Any Inheritance Anyway
Excellent! And now for a cleansing breath… Your body tingles. Your mind expands. You have looked forward all week to this installment. The moment of truth has arrived. Excellent
Excuses. Decisive Defenses. And now, Effective Evasions to frustrate and deflect any attempt at making you look ahead.
LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because:
Firetrucks have sirens because loud noises are great! Whoever is yelling must be winning…
So let’s get loud. As follows:
Number One: Raise your voice and strongly state: “LifePlanning™ is Stupid, Superfluous, and a…”
Number Two: Quickly follow with one of these Negative Nuggets:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
All I want is a simple will! All these fancy schmancy papers would be great for Thurston Howell the 3rd or maybe multimillionaire Bruce Wayne. You have to understand, we are working folks who managed to save a little. Paid off the house. Contributed to the 401(k). And here you are dumping all this confusing paperwork on us. Sure, I like to go deer hunting, never miss it. But you’re trying to get me on an African safari shooting elephants! Fishing for bluegill, perch, bass, and the occasional muskie is the best. But you want me to chase down the great white whale Moby Dick. Sorry! It is all just too much. Simple is best. Mom and Dad had a will. Gramma and Grampa had a will. And that’s fine by me!
Totally agree! Simple is best. That’s why you simply put blocks of ice in the icebox to keep your perishables from perishing. Newfangled refrigerators, who needs ‘em? Simple is best. That’s why you have always refused to have flush toilets in your house… ever hear of an outhouse that backed up? Ever need a plunger in a privy? Of course not. Who needs all that confusion? Besides, it is good for the kids to pump the handle when they want water… and we even brought the handpump into the kitchen… in my day it was out in the yard.
Yes, simple is best. Mr. Ford made the Model T in every color anyone could desire: black. Who needs windows on the sides, anyway? Some poor deluded folks actually have windows that go up and down. And cars that blow warm air around in the winter. And cool air in the summertime. Gosh that is just too much! Simple is best. Next thing you know, you’ll want special belts or something to protect passengers in a crash. Or balloons that pop out of nowhere so you don’t go through the windshield. That stuff is not for you! Simple is best.
Folks next door got this talking picture box. Like the movies, but at home. Almost as big as the movies. Just awful how confusing it is. Simple is best. Our 1935 Zenith Stratosphere 1000Z radio receiving set burnt out its tubes a few years ago. But it still looks good and besides, I couldn’t find Little Orphan Annie on the dial anymore. Simple is best.
And do not get started on modern medicine! With their highfalutin’ cardiac bypasses, pacemakers, cataract eye operations and penicillin. Humph. Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound was good enough for Granny and it’s good enough for me. Simple is best.
So let your friends buy cars with wind-up windows, air conditioning, air bags, crumple zones and upholstery that survives little kids. You don’t need a garbage disposal. Or indoor plumbing. Or an electrical refrigerator that makes ice cubes. Cell phones, cable boxes, streaming TV services, big screen TVs, flat screen TVs, gas stoves, microwave ovens, running water. So complex! You are very simple.
Are you against airbags in your car if it means your spouse doesn’t fly through the windshield? Are you against LifePlanning™ if it means your spouse is not left in nursing home poverty? Does it matter if you are the one going through the windshield? Left in poverty?
Are you opposed to indoor plumbing and central heat? Are you opposed to doing what must be done to get benefits that you value?
Albert Einstein was a very smart fellow. And he did not like things that were too confusing or complicated. And this is what he said:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Simple is good. But is it still good if you lose your savings, house, cottage, independence?
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway!
Do you know anyone who goes to the payday lender? Anyone who heads to the casino as soon as their Social Security money shows up? How many people do you know that, as soon as they pay off one installment contract, run right out and get into another one? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card when you don’t pay off the balance each month? Can you imagine paying 26.5% interest on last night’s dinner?
Did you hate paying off the mortgage? Do you wonder how some people don’t seem to care how much money they owe? Some of your co-workers used to complain about how they always had more “month than money”. Did you ever think, “Hey knucklehead, maybe if you weren’t always buying the latest and greatest doo-dad, gee-gaw, or watchamacallit, you’d have more money than month.”? Did you ever think anything like that?
Since everyone always has saved enough money to pay for long-term care, there is no need for any government long-term care program. So Medicaid is bad and wrong. It is just like Social Security. Everyone always has saved enough money to pay for their retirement. There’s is no need for any government retirement income program.
But wait! Social Security is different! You paid in. With every paycheck, the government skimmed off 15+% FICA (employer and employee) to pay for Social Security. So getting some return on your Social Security taxes is OK!
Help me out here… Is Medicaid different? Did you ever get a paycheck where you didn’t pay federal and state income taxes on every nickel you earned? Does the government run Medicaid for free? Did you somehow skip out on paying for Medicaid? With every paycheck. And Social Security check too?
Why are you opposed to getting something back for all the dollars you paid in? It is OK to get Social Security because you paid taxes for it. But it is bad to get long-term care Medicaid because you paid taxes for it?
There are lots and lots of Medicaid programs – dozens of them. Most Medicaid programs provide for our fellow Americans who have very little. But there is a slice of Medicaid, middle-class Medicaid, that pays for long-term care. For all Americans. Even you.
For most Medicaid programs, you have to be broke. Middleclass Medicaid lets you keep your house, up to $700,000. And your stuff, no limit on value. And your “motorized vehicle”, also no limit.
So, Medicaid is bad and you hate it. You hate it so much that you will spend all your money. Then, sell the house and all your stuff, spend all that too. And then wind up on Medicaid anyway. Sounds like a plan to me! Good luck with that.
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
Medicaid nursing homes, long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and anyone else who provides Medicaid care are just the worst! If a facility accepts Medicaid, the place smells bad, the staff is rude, the management is poor, and the care is awful. God forbid that you or a loved one is ever condemned to a Medicaid facility or is forced to receive Medicaid services. Great excuse!
Gee, I wonder what percentage of skilled nursing facilities accept Medicaid? 10%? 30% 50%?
Actually every skilled nursing facility accepts Medicaid. All of them. 100%. Do you have enough money to pay $10,000 – $15,000 per month for skilled care? For an average of 3 years. With a good chance of 5 years? Is it ridiculous to think that nursing homes would like to get paid when you go broke? Are you opposed to caregivers getting paid? Do nursing homes get everything for free?
Not so fast! Everybody knows that there are very few “Medicaid beds”. You know, the ones that they seal with plastic. So the bedbugs cannot escape. Just a few Medicaid beds.
Funny thing, though. About 70-80% of long-term, skilled nursing facility residents are paid for by Medicaid. How did that happen? Maybe because all beds are Medicare-certified. And all Medicare beds can be paid with Medicaid dollars.
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
Medicaid is for poor people (meaning people without any money or stuff). And you have money and stuff, so Medicaid is not for you! Logical! Makes sense!
Question: How long will you have any money or stuff if you are paying $10-15,000 per month for long-term care?
Are you opposed to not going broke? Is it ridiculous to think that you (or your loved one) might get better care if your lifesavings had not melted away like a snowflake on a hot griddle? Are you against paying for the extra services you want?
You get a shower a week in a long-term care facility. How often do you shower now? Are you against paying some of your hard-earned savings to get a shower more frequently?
If your long-term care “insurance” (also known as Medicaid) paid for the $10-15,000 cost of basic services, and, if your lifesavings were intact, would you choose to spend some of those savings to make your days more pleasant? Do you want to be poor? Is poverty more noble? Is it honorable to spend down a lifetime of work in a matter of months? Does it make sense to believe that the government knows best? Is it foolish to plan for your future?
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Yesterday I was looking in the mirror. I felt depressed. I said to my bride of 15 years, “Honey, when I look in the mirror I see an old, fat, bald guy, and it depresses me. Honey,” I said, “I need your help.”
“Oh?” said the love of my life, “How may I be of service?” “Honey,” I replied, “I need a compliment. Looking at this fat, old, bald guy in the mirror here is bringing me down. I really feel the need for some compassion, a compliment would sure make me feel better!”
“Well,” said my soulmate, “Your eyesight is damn near perfect!”
Since I have been wearing glasses since the 8th grade, my wife’s compliment was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt better immediately. So, when I ask you, “Is it ridiculous to think that you are not getting older, you are getting better?” Remember this little love tale of mine. And draw your own conclusions.
And the hits just keep on coming! More great excuses are on their way!
Here’s a sneak preview of the next fabulous five excuses to avoid planning:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway.!
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner… And Breakfast, And Lunch, And Dinner Again
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Do You Want To Go To The Nursing Home? Must You?
Do The Right Thing, Without Breaking The Bank
Who Wants Institutional Care?
Why Don’t You Move In With The Kids?
Why Don’t The Kids Move In With You?
Whom do you know who is impatiently champing at the bit to get into institutional long-term care? Which of your friends or fellow church members are eager to dump the familiar surroundings of home, cottage, farm to live with strangers? Oh boy! Middle-class America’s highest ambition: “When I get old, I want to move out of my house to live in a tiny apartment with a hot plate and no privacy!” If you do know someone like that, please introduce me. I’ve never met anyone like that myself… Over the last 32 years of this elder law stuff, met thousands of folks who feel differently, though.
Is it crazy to think that, as we get older, we are less able to care for ourselves and our surroundings? Why do you want to be pushing the lawn mower around at 87? Or shoveling snow? What’s the answer?
Traditionally, for many families, one solution has been living together. Three generations, one roof. Mary Rose O’Connor, my widowed Irish grandmother, lived with us for many years. 1700 square feet (including the attic) with 3 grown-ups and 8 kids sharing a single bathtub and one toilet. Not always easy, but it was all we knew… it had to work. How could that succeed today, with everyone’s expectations so different?
Is it surprising that different families come up with unique variations on this theme? Life-long bachelor who never left home now provides care for mom who spent the last 30 years bringing clean laundry, meat loaf and Hot Pockets™ to the basement. Single working woman moves back to care for dad. Grandma moves in with her married kid. And the kid’s kids. And their dog. Folks sell home/farm/cottage, build “in-law” apartment at the favorite kid’s home.
Are these arrangements ideal? Do they always work? Imagine June and Ward Cleaver, now in their 80’s, moving in with Wally or the Beaver… Wouldn’t that be great! Leave It To Beaver Revisited: Life Lessons for a New Generation. Wonderful! Now imagine Eddie Haskell’s mom moving in with him… The Edge of Night, indeed.
Do you think preservation of the family home/farm/ cottage figures into these discussions? Do we keep it? Sell it? Use it? Don’t we all know that the homestead is “protected” if nursing home care is required? We have all heard that bit of misinformation, right? And what if you sell the family property outright? Might as well hand over the cash to the long-term care facility, I guess…
Besides, who will actually provide care? Mom and dad want to live on their own. They do not really want the kids to move in. Given their druthers, the kids do not want mom or dad to move in, either. Aren’t we having this conversation because we can see clearly now that there is a significant need? And, to be brutally honest, we saw this coming years ago and have avoided the conversation until now… Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.
Doesn’t it all boil down to: How do parents and children work together to provide necessary care? How do parents and children cooperate with one another to preserve the family home/cottage/farm? As Baby Boomers gracefully glide (kicking and screaming) into their twilight years, should their accumulated wealth go to long-term care facilities or be maintained within the family?
As rampant, uncontrolled inflation rips through and makes a mockery of your children’s middle-class America’s hopes and dreams, should you stand idly by? Can you?
As long-term care costs of $6000, $12,000, $25,000 per month deflate your parents’ life-savings, destroying their security and introducing them to nursing home poverty, should you stand idly by? Can you?
Are you opposed to finding mutually beneficial solutions to these riddles? Is it impossible to believe that we can thread this needle? It is crazy to think that you have come to the right place to get workable solutions? Would you like several more rhetorical questions?
Long-Term Care: Just The Facts, Ma’am
Can we agree on 7 basic, long-term care fundamentals?
1. Long-term care is crazy expensive.
2. 70% of folks will need an average of 3 years of skilled long-term care.
3. Long-term care makes middle-class America broke.
4. When middle-class Americans go broke, Medicaid pays for long-term care.
5. Your taxes already paid for your long-term care through Medicaid.
6. Just as with Social Security and Medicare, you should not have to go broke to get some pay back on the tax dollars you paid in.
7. Despite what “they” say, your homestead is at risk. The Child Caregiver Exception
Is it possible to save the homestead for caregiving children? Here’s what the Bridges Eligibility Manual 405, pp 10-11 (1-1-2022) says:
It is not divestment to transfer a homestead to the client’s:
* * *
• Child age 21 or over who:
Lived in the homestead for at least two years immediately before the client’s admission to LTC or waiver approval (BEM 106), and
Provided care that would otherwise have required LTC or waiver services (BEM 106), as documented by a physician’s (M.D. or D.O.) statement.
In other words, Medicaid has no problem with you giving the house to your kid who lived with and cared for you for twenty-four (24) months. Providing skilled care type services. Provided you have a doctor’s letter. Who knew? (We did!) And now you do too.
Easy Case: Kid Cares For Parent At Parent’s Home
1. Dad with dementia.
2. One hundred and ten pound Mom cares for two hundred and fifteen pound Dad. Dementia increasing. Mom no longer spring chicken.
3. Concerned Kid moves home to help. Kid changes drivers license, voter registration, tax address. Kid provides care that would otherwise have required long-term care or waiver services.
4. Dad stays out of nursing home. Doctor documents.
5. Two years and one month later. Dementia worse than ever. Dad must get residential nursing home care. Other requirements met.
6. Mom deeds homestead to Concerned Kid.
7. Medicaid says, “OK! No penalty.”
Hard Case: Parent Sells Home, Moves In With Kid
Fact: When one spouse cares for the other, the caregiver spouse dies first 40-50% of the time.
1. Dad with dementia.
2. Caregiver Mom dies first.
3. Dad moves in with Concerned Kid and family at their house.
4. Dad sells homestead. Has much cash.
5. Dad buys a full or partial interest in Concerned Kid’s home with Dad’s home sale cash. This full or partial interest is now Dad’s homestead.
6. Kid provides care that would otherwise have required long-term care or waiver services.
7. Dad stays out of nursing home. Doctor documents.
8. Two years and one month later. Dementia worse than ever. Dad must get residential nursing home care. Other requirements met.
9. Using appropriate Financial Power of Attorney with necessary provisions, Dad deeds Kid’s house back to Kid.
10. Medicaid says, “OK! No penalty.”
Can You Really Do That? Is That Legal?
Faithful readers know that The Elder Law Reporter does not write the rules, we merely read them. And report the results to you. Not making stuff up. Whose fault is it that nobody told you about these things? Sure, the blame game is pretty popular with some folks. We think it is better to light one candle than curse the darkness. Let’s take it from here without the coulda, shoulda, woulda, shall we?
This “Child Caregiver Exception” has been used by many families over the last 30 years. Preserving homes, farms, cottages, cabins. Legal? As the day is long. Approved repeatedly over the decades by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Because it is the law. Of course, applications must documented to a fare-thee-well. Hundreds of pages of audit-proof financial records. So, yes, you can really do that. If you do it correctly.
Why Would Medicaid Let You Get Away With Such Piracy?
Is it piracy when the State lets you keep some of what you have earned? Is it ridiculous for you to get a bit of return on your tax dollars? Do you deserve nursing home poverty?
Of course, the State answers, “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” to these questions. So why do they allow the Child Caregiver Exception? Somebody once said, “Follow the money.” Let’s consider. If Concerned Kids are caring for Mom and Dad at home, then Medicaid is not paying for Mom and Dad to be in a long-term care facility. Who is saving money now?
Everybody wins. The State avoids years of paying for nursing home care. Mom and Dad get to stay home. Kids get to inherit the family home, farm, cottage. And family bonds are strengthened. Gee, how’d that happen? LifePlanning™ that’s how.
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Do you have all the answers? Maybe you do not see any problems at all. Is it possible that you do not believe in the passage of time or its effects on you?
Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?
Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
American Weakness Equals Foreign War Who Knew?
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German Pacifism On The Ash Heap Of History
Oh, So That’s What A Real Megalomaniac Looks Like
So He Went And Did It… Evil Idiot
Was there ever a war as stupid, pointless, evil, wasteful, and idiotic? Yes. Many. This is what you get with National Socialism, Democratic Socialism, Ricardian Socialism, Scientific Socialism, Leninist Socialism. Marxism, Communism, Maoism, all the -isms, all the same. Every try talking to one of these “socialists” about their ideology? About what actually happens? About the human misery? Tens of millions of humans starved, shot, tortured to death? “Oh that’s not real socialism, you poor ignorant fool!” they say. Then you will be overwhelmed with a dense, impenetrable word- fog. Like the undertow off Lake Michigan. You are sucked in. Suffocated. You drown. Words as weapons. First to weaken. Then to kill. Over and over.
And that’s how a Jewish Ukrainian guy becomes a neo-Nazi. Because he leads a people living on land that the other guy wants. This is nothing new. The same tired hogwash has deceived the “smart folks” for hundreds of years. From the French Revolution to Democratic Socialism. Same crap, different day.
Attach whatever labels you like. It is all the same. Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Putin is a long-time member of the Socialist Great Leader Murderers Club. Naturally, the few dozen dissidents and journalists he has murdered here and there do not count. Just par for the course. They made him uncomfortable so he killed them. Radiation. Nerve gas. Not secret. Business as usual.
Club Membership is exclusive. Only mass murderers need apply. Industrial scale slaughter. This guy’s been “in” for over 20 years now.
Long long ago. Far far away. Chechnya. Remember? Yeltsin started it and Putin carried on. 250,000 civilians dead. Tens of thousands more military casualties. War crimes as policy. Approved tactics: torture (real torture), rape, arson and murder.
Chechnya and Ukraine. In the same neighborhood. With the same heavily armed, unstable, nutjob neighbor who is always mumbling to himself about his glory days. Gee, do you wonder why even untrained Ukrainians want guns? Mysterious… why are they willing to fight?
Unprovoked military aggression. Civilians dead and wounded. Atomic power plants on fire. Soldiers dead and wounded. Stuff smashed. Labor lost. Hatred, grief, sadness. For what? Why?
To put Humpty Dumpty back together again. To reassemble the Soviet Union. At least the good parts. That is what this rifle-totin’, river swimmin’, pony-ridin’ he-man wants. He says so. It is no mystery.
In 2005, Putin said: “First and foremost it is worth acknowledging that the demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century. As for the Russian people, it became a genuine tragedy. Tens of millions of our fellow citizens and countrymen found themselves beyond the fringes of Russian territory.”
Here’s a guy with nuclear weapons. Lots of them. What does he think of the dead millions and catastrophic destruction of World War I, and World War II, and Korea, and Vietnam, and the Congolese wars, and Mozambique, and Biafra, and the Chinese Revolution, and the Cultural Revolution, and all the other bloodletting of the last century? Eh, not so bad. Worse than dead millions are liberated millions. Hundreds of millions liberated through the collapse of the Soviet Union. So that is what is going on in Ukraine, if you were wondering.
How did we get here? A few observations completely unrelated to the Ukraine aggression:
1. This guy has huge surpluses of oil, natural gas, and coal. Things that make factories go and keep homes warm and well-lit.
2. Because we got yelled at by a cranky, prepubescent Swedish kid who likes to play hooky, we now depend on unicorn farts and moonbeams to make our factories go and keep
our homes warm and well-lit. Brilliant!
3. Because we do not like mean tweets, we shut down our own supplies of cheap, secure oil, natural gas, and coal. Now we beg the bare-chested megalomaniac and others to sell us oil, natural gas, and coal. At extremely high prices. America! What a country!
4. Somebody’s making an awful lot of money pitching the unicorn fart and moonbeam machines that break down, don’t work, and chop up eagles like a Super Bass-O-Matic ’76.
5. Prestige and reputation tend to dwindle when rag-tag gangs of refugees from the 6th century taunt you. And beat you. And kill you. And steal your stuff. Then do the same to your friends who trusted you. And who refuse your bribes and sneer at your threats.
6. Fritter away your reputation and prestige and you invite megalomaniacal bullies to act as megalomaniacal bullies act.
Ukraine SNAFU Situation Normal – All Fudged Up
(But They Didn’t Say Fudged)
How’s that “Bring Back Stalin” war going anyway? They killed some people. Broke some stuff. Got a 40-mile-long convoy. Like Biden’s motorcade when he went to Scotland to complain about air pollution or something. Gross ineptitude seems to characterize the goings-on. What do the experts have to say?
Soldiers are the heart of any army. Fighting spirit is the core of any soldier. There don’t seem to be many soldiers among the invaders. Seems like the invaders were not told they were invading until they invaded. And now Ukrainian mothers are calling Russian mothers so they can talk to their captured, weepy, hungry, homesick teenage sons. On the other hand, Ukrainian soldiers seem to understand why they fight.
Citizens are the heart of any nation. Patriotism is the core of any citizen. There seem to be quite a few citizens in Ukraine. And now Ukrainian citizens are taking up arms against the foreign invaders.
Do you think the megalomaniac knew the Ukrainians would fight back and that his “troops” would be confused and lost? That they would surrender and weep? Me neither. Not knowing the other and not knowing oneself, in every battle certain defeat.
Even the most willing soldiers need arms. But it appears that the invader’s equipment has not been maintained and is breaking down. For example, brand-new, unused missile trucks had brand-new, unused tires. Tires put on at the factory. Trucks then driven to marshalling yards. Trucks then sat. And sat. And sat. For years. Now comes invasion. Tires now brittle with dry rot. Tires fall apart when taken off road. Big huge military off-road tires. And there are no new tires. And if there were new tires, how would you get them to the front? With a 40-mile traffic jam? Must keep all trucks on road. Forty miles long road. How you say “sitting duck” in Russian? Or Ukrainian (if there is such a language)?
Also they have no food. And they ran out of water. And they ran out of gas. Gee, if only somebody had thought about these problems.
It appears that the invaders were not told they were invading until they invaded. Without food. Without fuel. Without common sense.
Megalomaniac Invaders Have No Use For Middle-Class Values
Ever go on vacation? Take a little trip? Go camping? Bet you made sure gas tank was filled. And that the sleeping bags were packed. And you had a map (OK, OK… GPS!). Funny how middle class folks manage to figure out the basics that really smart geniuses overlook.
Megalomaniac or demented dodderer… national leaders sometimes don’t get the message. Are their people too afraid to tell them truth? Are they simply unaware? Do they believe their own press releases? Who knows?
Good News: regular folks do not have the luxury of being so stupid. We are not awesome. Our friends and co-workers do not grovel to us. They tell us the truth. They trust us. The smart folks do not trust us. They tell us the things they think we need to believe. So we will do the things they think we should. Like run factories and heat homes with unicorn farts and rainbows. Or moonbeams, I forget which.
Some people say that avoiding probate, saving taxes, and getting stuff to kids is what estate planning is all about. And if you wind up in long-term care, that is on you. Besides that never happens, the smart ones say.
Seems to me that an awful lot of folks do need long-term care. The government says 70% of people aged 65 will need, on average, 3 years of skilled care services. In a variety of settings. All of them expensive. Ruinously expensive.
Social Security is America’s answer to retirement income needs. Social Security is paid for with your tax dollars.
Medicare is America’s answer to hospitalization, medical, and pharmacy needs. Medicare is paid for with your tax dollars and premiums.
Medicaid is America’s answer to long-term care needs. Medicaid is paid for with your tax dollars.
Why does only Medicaid require that you be broke? Except for your house (up to $700,000). Except for your motorized vehicle (any value). Except for $2000.
Are you against getting the same deal with Medicaid that you get with Social Security and Medicare? Are you opposed to getting a payback on tax dollars paid in? Do you want your spouse broke?
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Some folks think they have all the answers to all the world’s problems. People who think like that often get to run countries. And get to tell other folks what to do. Does that sound like fun?
Other folks keep their perspective. Act with common sense. Look out for others. Work for fairness. Willing to help with common goals. Not willing to be played for a chump.
Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?
Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Europe War Bad! Inflation Ragin’! Oil Prices Up And Sheiks Rejoice!
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Scanning The Globe To Bring You The Constant Variety Of Shorts
Jeepers Creepers Fellas! Europe War Bad!
Oh My Golly! Inflation Ragin’!
Zounds! Oil Prices Up And Sheiks Rejoice!
The Thrill Of Victory, The Agony Of Defeat
News Of The World
Everything Going To Hell In Hand Basket
Raise Hand If Surprised
That was then. This is now.
Are the Russian people strong? Recently, Russia celebrated a 50% drop in extreme alcohol abuse. But: “the average Russian over the age of 15 years old [still] drinks about 11 liters (almost three gallons) of pure ethanol every year.” Read More Here
Is the Russian military strong? “[T]he United States maintains a fleet of literally hundreds of operational fifth-generation jets, while Russia has only 14 or so (only two of which are serial production models, the other 12 are handmade prototypes).” Read More Here Russian ships, submarines, tanks, missiles, electronics malfunction, sink, and blow up unexpectedly. Also they rust. Right now, in Syria, whenever Israelis want to blow up something defended by Russian missiles, the Israelis tell the Russians to turn off the radar so the Russians don’t get blown up too. And the Russians do. Guess they don’t want to get blown up.
Is the Russian economy strong? Russian per capita income is 85th in the world. Bulgaria beats them. Guam is 36th. Read More Here
Nobody wants Russian stuff. Not even Russians. Except vodka. But they have a lot of oil and gas! $40/barrel = Russia poor. $100/barrel = Russia rich. Remember when there was too much oil? Who shut down American pipelines? Oil exploration? Fracking? Who shut down $2 gas?
Is Russian leadership strong? Czar-for-Life is Communist former KGB agent spy large and in charge. Stalin is role model. Longing for Soviet Socialist glory days. Like most Russians. (Freedom is hard.) Read More Here. “Stalin had nearly a million of his own citizens executed, beginning in the 1930s. Millions more fell victim to forced labor, deportation, famine, massacres, and detention and interrogation by Stalin’s henchmen.” Read More Here. Did Stalin kill 20 million Russians? Or was it only 14 million? Don’t know.
So we tremble and cower before a nation of alcoholics, bearing Cold War-era weapons (still deadly to civilians), and no economy to speak of. Led by a fanboy of the second most murderous megalomaniac in history (Mao Zedong (also socialist) is #1 with 30-45 million kills). And the fight seems to be over a “nation” with a similar leadership and history.
Punchline #1: Whose side are we on? Don’t know. Why? Don’t know.
Punchline #2: Whatever side we’re on, we are losing. To the alcoholics. Badly. Obviously.
Punchline #3: Losing is now a habit. Can you remember Afghanistan? Only a few months ago. August 2021. Look it up.
Also inflation is up. Way up. Jimmy Carter up. Remember when oil was cheap? Putin was put out. Sheiks were saddened. Americans elated. And now… $100/barrel oil is back. Moscow is making merry! And the sheiks won’t return our calls. Ready for gas lines?
The glamour of evil is seductive. Temptation is all around. It easily overwhelms weak- minded, weak-hearted weaklings. Who become desperate. Lash out. Why has our Neighbor to the North abandoned its ideals? Victimizing the victims? Do they know that George Orwell’s Animal Farm was meant as a cautionary tale, not a how-to guide?
What To Do
What can you do? Stay true to our middle-class values. Sure, it looks good for the bad guys now. It always looks good for the bad guys. For a while. But have you noticed that the more awful the bad guys get, the more certain they will eventually fail? Those who believe in nothing, will believe anything. Firebombing is peaceful. Horn-honking is terrorism.
Faith and freedom. Perseverance and patience. Courage and commitment. These are the sword and shield of the middle class.
The world is counting on you. As it has in the past. As it will in the future. You are the indispensable people. America is the exceptional nation. Evil is not inevitable, unless we shrink from challenging it.
Every week someone tells me that pointing out the basic, obvious truth is “political.” As if that’s a bad thing. The attitude bebaffles, bebothers and bewilders me. Are you against the idea that hard work should be rewarded? Do you oppose getting some return on your tax dollars? Is it wrong to follow government-made rules so your spouse is not impoverished by long-term care? Is it ridiculous to think that leaving your kids a little something could be significant?
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance.It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
The Covid Party Is Over… Are You Ready For The Hangover?
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If You Call The Tune, Do You Have To Pay The Piper?
Ever go to Florida in the winter? Or just remember that first warm day of spring when you simply had to go to The Lake. Once upon a winter dreary, while you shivered weak and weary… But now it’s bright sunny summer sunshine! Pull on your bathing suit… who needs a shirt? Sunscreen? That’s for July! Stretch out on the sand… ahhh! Time for a nap… so nice!
Six hours later… Red as that lobster you had for lunch. Burnt to a tender pink crisp. You’re gonna need an ocean… of Solarcaine lotion. (If you are melaninically endowed and cannot personally relate to this scenario, ask a friend who is not so fortunate.)
Ever have a few too many? Maybe your 18th birthday when you were finally “legal”. Perhaps New Year’s Eve. Last Saturday night? Gosh that was fun! You were the life of the party. Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends! Until closing time. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.
Next morning… the Russian Army has been camping out on your tongue. Wearing felt boots. Some S.O.B. replaced your brain with hot sand.
Then substituted poached eggs for your eyeballs. Why can’t you feel your legs? What is that awful smell? Is there Alka-Seltzer in the house?!
Saturday and your kid is finally moving out. To their own home/apartment/cave/who really cares? You are helping. Is it parental pride and love? Or do you just want to make sure? Hard to say. But you are happy to tote that barge, lift that bale, carry that couch, relocate that refrigerator.
Sunday… hey, not so bad, there’s life in the old dog yet. Monday… you are immobilized. Egyptians carved on pyramid walls are more flexible than you. Everything hurts and nothing works. All at the same time. There’s not enough ibuprofen. In the world.
Back when we were young, ignorant, idiotic, immature, woke, we could kid ourselves that our actions had no lasting consequences. Do you still believe that? Chickens never come home to roost?
Truth Or Consequences
Do you remember the pre-COVID time? Was it that long ago? Things were different then.
You know that governments have always printed phony fiat money. That is what politicians do. And it is so easy. But once there was a sense of proportion. The politicians would not go “too far.”
And then COVID said, “You can go too far if you want to!” That is why government created trillions of ersatz dollars. Outright thieves stole billions through naked fraud. Ordinary working folks learned too. You can get more money staying home than working. Brilliant! Businesses got billions more in free “loans” and tax credits. Billions more were loaned to feeble firms on skimpy security at insignificant interest rates for 30 years. Repayment deferred for the first 24 months.
Did you think this government geyser of bogus bucks would Build Back Better? Did you think prodigal printing of demon dollars would eliminate the emergency? Did you enthusiastically endorse the Washington wizards who cooked up this cockamamie crapfest?
Small businesses lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clementine. More small businesses reduced to financial zombies, hooked on government hand- outs, staggering, ready to collapse. Inflation the highest in 40 years. Young children, deprived of ordinary human contact, suffering from speech pathologies at unprecedented rates. Teen suicide more deadly than teen COVID.
TRUTH: Bizarrely, some folks want to let the “good” times roll on. Having already spent trillions of your grandchildren’s dollars on “infrastructure” (a word which means whatever they want it to mean), they want more. They always want more.
CONSEQUENCE: Inflation is the highest in 40 years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
TRUTH: Some folks want to scare you into believing that COVID kills kids. Not true now. Never been true. COVID is the Elder Plague. If you are over 70, it can be a killer. Your Elder Law Reporter has been saying so for years. All the reliable, scientific, government-approved information has been consistent on this point.
CONSEQUENCE: Children subjected to extreme, debilitating restrictions based on fear, not fact. And now that the public opinion polls are turning against them, power-grabbing politicians have suddenly discovered science. They are running away from their own rules. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
TRUTH: Children need to interact with one another to grow up healthy and smart. Shutting classrooms and masking faces deprives kids of the experiences they need to live good, productive, satisfying lives. Or even speak clearly.
CONSEQUENCE: “We’ve seen a 364% patient increase in patient referrals of babies and toddlers from pediatricians and parents,” said Jaclyn Theek, a clinic director and speech-language pathologist at the Speech and Learning Institute in North Palm Beach, Florida.
Theek said that during this pandemic, her speech therapy clinic has seen an enormous shift in the ages of its patients. Before the pandemic, only 5% of patients were babies and toddlers, while today it’s soared to 20%. Many parents call it “COVID- delayed.” WPBF News, ABC 25.
What Does Any Of This Have To Do With LifePlanning™?
Remember supply and demand? What do you suppose happens if your supply of health care providers are burned out and quitting? And they are burned out and quitting, according to a U.S. National Institutes of Health study: Burnout in United States Healthcare Professionals: A Narrative Review.
Burnout has reached rampant levels among United States (US) healthcare professionals, with over one-half of physicians and one-third of nurses experiencing symptoms. The burnout epidemic is detrimental to patient care and may exacerbate the impending physician shortage.
Another study, by the Florida Atlantic University’s School of Nursing finds:
The survey reports that nearly 37 percent of nurses identify as being burned out, stressed and/ or overworked.
*** 29 percent of nurses say their desire to leave the profession is dramatically higher now versus pre-pandemic
*** 66 percent of nurses expressed some level of consideration to leave the profession, signaling long-term impacts on our health system post-pandemic.
Is it ridiculous to think that if you have fewer nurses, you would have to pay more to hire the nurses that are still available?
Have you ever wondered what a nursing home costs? Wonder no longer.
But does a nursing facility charge real people that much money? How would you like to get this bill in the mail?
And another the next month and for each month thereafter? Pandemic burn out, plus the “age wave” of Baby Boomers surging into long-term care facilities or requiring at-home care, means that these skyrocketing prices are not over yet.
State Of Michigan Admits Long-Term Care Costs Are Soaring
Each year, the State of Michigan, through its Bridges Eligibility Manual, tells us how much a month in a long-term care facility should cost. This year, the number is up almost 10%. Michigan believes that skilled nursing costs Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Dollars ($9880) each month.
How will you pay for that? How will you avoid nursing home poverty? How will you make sure caregivers get paid? How will you provide for the next generation? That is what LifePlanning™ is all about.
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812
When You Absolutely Positively Have To Put It Off Until Some Other Time
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We Also Scream To Avoid Planning
Did Your Parents Raise A Sluggish Sloth Or A Competent Character?
When you get home at night, do you leave the lights off? Does the thrill of bumping into things, falling down the stairs, and stepping on awkward items appeal to your adventurous spirit? Do you favor a life of anxiety? Do you look forward to high blood pressure, poor digestion, experiencing that creepy feeling of dread? Are you opposed to happiness and contentment? Do you embrace chaos and upset? Or do you seek Peace of Mind®?
Would you be surprised to learn that there are two paths to Peace of Mind™? The first path involves effort, work, dedication, stick-to-it-iveness, dauntless spirit, reasonable focus on accomplishment. Path #1 is where you find volunteer firemen, blood donors, the folks you can count on.
More popular is Path #2. The second path requires ignoring your own obvious needs and the needs of those around you. Ignorance is Bliss! Stick your head in the sand. If you cannot see it, it cannot hurt you. Gee, I wonder if the crowds at those new marijuana dispensaries are on Path #1 or Path #2…
Unfortunately, you were brought up by folks who chose the first path. Work, love, dedication, achievement. All those uncomfortable things that get in the way of TV binge watching. Consuming YouTube cat videos. Absorbing bargains galore on the home shopping networks. Golly, your folks made it very difficult for you to live the sweet couch potato life.
How can you get beyond your inbred desire to deliver? Vanquish your drive to survive? Squash your sense of responsibility? Unraveling habits of a lifetime can be difficult, but, as they say, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but whether you can have your cake and eat it too!
Olympic athletes train for years to hone their skills to a razor edge of perfection. You have worked for years to reach your goals, raise your family, do a great job at work, and be a valued member of your church, community, team, euchre tournament. You are an Olympian of the American Dream. A Medal of middle-class Gold hangs from your neck. Your world celebrates!
But now the looming spectre of estate planning looms like a hideous hobgoblin. You feel an inner urge to get this done…see it through. Will power is not enough. Fanatical focus will fail. How can you run away from the dreadful demons of trusts, wills, and powers of attorney? Is resistance futile? Is an Estate Plan inevitable? How can you escape?
Super easy! Barely an inconvenience. With the following professional excuses, you can put off facing the facts almost indefinitely. You are welcome!
Warm Up To Provide Peak Performance
Olympians and professional football players getting ready for the “big game” share a secret. All elite athletes know that mental and physical preparation is key. Can you escape your future-planning responsibilities without focused training? Of course not!
Follow the protocol. Stand in front of a full-length mirror. Hands on hips. Throw your head back. Suck your gut in. Stick your chest out. Draw and deep breath, then…
Loudly And Firmly Proclaim These Statements Three (3) Times:
Excellent! And now for a cleansing breath… Your body tingles. Your mind expands. You have looked forward all week to this installment. The moment of truth has arrived. Excellent
Excuses. Decisive Defenses. And now, Effective Evasions to frustrate and deflect any attempt at making you look ahead.
LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because:
Firetrucks have sirens because loud noises are great! Whoever is yelling must be winning…
So let’s get loud. As follows:
Number One: Raise your voice and strongly state: “LifePlanning™ is Stupid, Superfluous, and a…”
Number Two: Quickly follow with one of these Negative Nuggets:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
All I want is a simple will! All these fancy schmancy papers would be great for Thurston Howell the 3rd or maybe multimillionaire Bruce Wayne. You have to understand, we are working folks who managed to save a little. Paid off the house. Contributed to the 401(k). And here you are dumping all this confusing paperwork on us. Sure, I like to go deer hunting, never miss it. But you’re trying to get me on an African safari shooting elephants! Fishing for bluegill, perch, bass, and the occasional muskie is the best. But you want me to chase down the great white whale Moby Dick. Sorry! It is all just too much. Simple is best. Mom and Dad had a will. Gramma and Grampa had a will. And that’s fine by me!
Totally agree! Simple is best. That’s why you simply put blocks of ice in the icebox to keep your perishables from perishing. Newfangled refrigerators, who needs ‘em? Simple is best. That’s why you have always refused to have flush toilets in your house… ever hear of an outhouse that backed up? Ever need a plunger in a privy? Of course not. Who needs all that confusion? Besides, it is good for the kids to pump the handle when they want water… and we even brought the handpump into the kitchen… in my day it was out in the yard.
Yes, simple is best. Mr. Ford made the Model T in every color anyone could desire: black. Who needs windows on the sides, anyway? Some poor deluded folks actually have windows that go up and down. And cars that blow warm air around in the winter. And cool air in the summertime. Gosh that is just too much! Simple is best. Next thing you know, you’ll want special belts or something to protect passengers in a crash. Or balloons that pop out of nowhere so you don’t go through the windshield. That stuff is not for you! Simple is best.
Folks next door got this talking picture box. Like the movies, but at home. Almost as big as the movies. Just awful how confusing it is. Simple is best. Our 1935 Zenith Stratosphere 1000Z radio receiving set burnt out its tubes a few years ago. But it still looks good and besides, I couldn’t find Little Orphan Annie on the dial anymore. Simple is best.
And do not get started on modern medicine! With their highfalutin’ cardiac bypasses, pacemakers, cataract eye operations and penicillin. Humph. Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound was good enough for Granny and it’s good enough for me. Simple is best.
So let your friends buy cars with wind-up windows, air conditioning, air bags, crumple zones and upholstery that survives little kids. You don’t need a garbage disposal. Or indoor plumbing. Or an electrical refrigerator that makes ice cubes. Cell phones, cable boxes, streaming TV services, big screen TVs, flat screen TVs, gas stoves, microwave ovens, running water. So complex! You are very simple.
Are you against airbags in your car if it means your spouse doesn’t fly through the windshield? Are you against LifePlanning™ if it means your spouse is not left in nursing home poverty? Does it matter if you are the one going through the windshield? Left in poverty?
Are you opposed to indoor plumbing and central heat? Are you opposed to doing what must be done to get benefits that you value?
Albert Einstein was a very smart fellow. And he did not like things that were too confusing or complicated. And this is what he said:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Simple is good. But is it still good if you lose your savings, house, cottage, independence?
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway!
Do you know anyone who goes to the payday lender? Anyone who heads to the casino as soon as their Social Security money shows up? How many people do you know that, as soon as they pay off one installment contract, run right out and get into another one? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card? Can you imagine buying groceries on a credit card when you don’t pay off the balance each month? Can you imagine paying 26.5% interest on last night’s dinner?
Did you hate paying off the mortgage? Do you wonder how some people don’t seem to care how much money they owe? Some of your co-workers used to complain about how they always had more “month than money”. Did you ever think, “Hey knucklehead, maybe if you weren’t always buying the latest and greatest doo-dad, gee-gaw, or watchamacallit, you’d have more money than month.”? Did you ever think anything like that?
Since everyone always has saved enough money to pay for long-term care, there is no need for any government long-term care program. So Medicaid is bad and wrong. It is just like Social Security. Everyone always has saved enough money to pay for their retirement. There’s is no need for any government retirement income program.
But wait! Social Security is different! You paid in. With every paycheck, the government skimmed off 15+% FICA (employer and employee) to pay for Social Security. So getting some return on your Social Security taxes is OK!
Help me out here… Is Medicaid different? Did you ever get a paycheck where you didn’t pay federal and state income taxes on every nickel you earned? Does the government run Medicaid for free? Did you somehow skip out on paying for Medicaid? With every paycheck. And Social Security check too?
Why are you opposed to getting something back for all the dollars you paid in? It is OK to get Social Security because you paid taxes for it. But it is bad to get long-term care Medicaid because you paid taxes for it?
There are lots and lots of Medicaid programs – dozens of them. Most Medicaid programs provide for our fellow Americans who have very little. But there is a slice of Medicaid, middle-class Medicaid, that pays for long-term care. For all Americans. Even you.
For most Medicaid programs, you have to be broke. Middleclass Medicaid lets you keep your house, up to $700,000. And your stuff, no limit on value. And your “motorized vehicle”, also no limit.
So, Medicaid is bad and you hate it. You hate it so much that you will spend all your money. Then, sell the house and all your stuff, spend all that too. And then wind up on Medicaid anyway. Sounds like a plan to me! Good luck with that.
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
Medicaid nursing homes, long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and anyone else who provides Medicaid care are just the worst! If a facility accepts Medicaid, the place smells bad, the staff is rude, the management is poor, and the care is awful. God forbid that you or a loved one is ever condemned to a Medicaid facility or is forced to receive Medicaid services. Great excuse!
Gee, I wonder what percentage of skilled nursing facilities accept Medicaid? 10%? 30% 50%?
Actually every skilled nursing facility accepts Medicaid. All of them. 100%. Do you have enough money to pay $10,000 – $15,000 per month for skilled care? For an average of 3 years. With a good chance of 5 years? Is it ridiculous to think that nursing homes would like to get paid when you go broke? Are you opposed to caregivers getting paid? Do nursing homes get everything for free?
Not so fast! Everybody knows that there are very few “Medicaid beds”. You know, the ones that they seal with plastic. So the bedbugs cannot escape. Just a few Medicaid beds.
Funny thing, though. About 70-80% of long-term, skilled nursing facility residents are paid for by Medicaid. How did that happen? Maybe because all beds are Medicare-certified. And all Medicare beds can be paid with Medicaid dollars.
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
Medicaid is for poor people (meaning people without any money or stuff). And you have money and stuff, so Medicaid is not for you! Logical! Makes sense!
Question: How long will you have any money or stuff if you are paying $10-15,000 per month for long-term care?
Are you opposed to not going broke? Is it ridiculous to think that you (or your loved one) might get better care if your lifesavings had not melted away like a snowflake on a hot griddle? Are you against paying for the extra services you want?
You get a shower a week in a long-term care facility. How often do you shower now? Are you against paying some of your hard-earned savings to get a shower more frequently?
If your long-term care “insurance” (also known as Medicaid) paid for the $10-15,000 cost of basic services, and, if your lifesavings were intact, would you choose to spend some of those savings to make your days more pleasant? Do you want to be poor? Is poverty more noble? Is it honorable to spend down a lifetime of work in a matter of months? Does it make sense to believe that the government knows best? Is it foolish to plan for your future?
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Yesterday I was looking in the mirror. I felt depressed. I said to my bride of 15 years, “Honey, when I look in the mirror I see an old, fat, bald guy, and it depresses me. Honey,” I said, “I need your help.”
“Oh?” said the love of my life, “How may I be of service?” “Honey,” I replied, “I need a compliment. Looking at this fat, old, bald guy in the mirror here is bringing me down. I really feel the need for some compassion, a compliment would sure make me feel better!”
“Well,” said my soulmate, “Your eyesight is damn near perfect!”
Since I have been wearing glasses since the 8th grade, my wife’s compliment was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt better immediately. So, when I ask you, “Is it ridiculous to think that you are not getting older, you are getting better?” Remember this little love tale of mine. And draw your own conclusions.
And the hits just keep on coming! More great excuses are on their way!
Here’s a sneak preview of the next fabulous five excuses to avoid planning:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway.!
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Estate Planning Is Dumb, A Waste Of Time
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You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream!
We Also Scream To Avoid Planning
Are You A Failure At Making Excuses?
Poor Rudyard Kipling. He is like you. Forty million reasons, but not a single excuse? Perhaps he lacked skill. Or talent. Not even a single excuse in a gigantic 40 million straw haystack of reasons? And you are in the same boat. Have you ever come up with an excuse that satisfied your spouse? Me neither.
George Washington, Founding Father, spoke with the voice of experience: “Better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” How could it be that George Washington, “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” failed so miserably at making excuses? And fail at excuses he did… How else could he learn that bad excuses are the worst? And when George failed to excuse failure, what did he do? Founder the United States. Revolutionary. Beat the British. Farmer. Inventor. Statesman. Stuff like that.
You have 40 million reasons to avoid LifePlanning™. But when your dearly beloved suggests planning ahead, your 40 million reasons to do something else strangely evaporate. Like mist in the morning sun. Dense fog one minute, clear day the next. What is this phenomenon? The answer is obvious!
It is not reasons that you lack, but excuses. And we are here to help. As a public service. No charge. Expert excuses, here for the reading. High quality, too. When it comes to shirking important responsibilities, ordinary, everyday dodges will not suffice. You need professional help.
Tip-Top Training And Practical Preparation In The Art Of Avoidance
Four years at the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Philosophy and English. Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of Law.
Master of Laws, Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. Judicial clerk. Five years in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, mostly on the Army General Staff, at the Pentagon. Topped off by a couple years with BigLaw. Then 32 years of growth: from one guy answering the telephone all alone to a firm of 50 persnickity professionals. Need know-how? Get know-how. Now.
We don’t just solve problems, we observe how folks run away from problems, too! Flee from foul facts. Dismiss, diminish, deride loved ones’ concerns. Deny, discount, deflect their own painful predicaments. Years of daily experience with responsible, middle-class, hard-working men and women who would prefer to chew their arm off than submit to the terrible torture that is estate planning.
Who else has seen it all? Who else can help you escape? You are in good hands. You came to the right shop. It is not an easy job. And we’re just the guys to do it.
Loudly And Firmly Proclaim These Affirmations Three (3) Times:
Take a deep breath. Excellent! You have achieved the correct state of mind. Remember, last week we covered the first four Excellent Excuses. Let us get down to this week’s Decisive Defenses to avoid any attempt at making you look ahead.
LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because
Don’t loudmouths always impress you? So always lead off with an audacious affirmation!
Number One: Raise your voice and daringly declare: “LifePlanning™ is Stupid, Superfluous, and a…”
Number Two: Quickly follow with one of these Negative Nuggets:
#5 … Waste Of Time Because I Only Have A House And An IRA!
Are you opposed to draining your Individual Retirement Account (or 401(k) or 403(b) or Thrift Savings Plan or other retirement account) for long-term care? Of course not! Money in a retirement plan account is just a number, it does not reflect years of working and saving, right? Besides, what would you do with that money anyway? Might as well shoot it out the door at $10,000 to $15,000 per month. And you might get lucky. Maybe you only need assisted living services that cost $5,000 to $10,000 per month. Happy Days! And home care services are only $25 per hour and up. Foolish to worry about preserving that retirement money for your spouse when the government knows so much better than you do about how to spend it.
And everybody says that the homestead is “PROTECTED” so nothing to worry about there! Of course, even without planning, the house will go through probate to your family. And when everybody was explaining how the house was “PROTECTED”, everybody also told you that if you need help (Medicaid) with long-term care, the state wants its money back. And when you go through probate, because you are too smart to waste money on planning, the state will collect its payback. From your house. Which maybe isn’t so “protected”, after all…
Of course your kids would never sell your house while you need care, right? That’s why you do not even have to think about having cash instead of a house anymore. Cash that must be “spent down.” That is not a problem because you can keep $2,000 of it. More Happy Days!
So don’t worry! There is no way you would be one of the 70% of folks who the federal government says will need skilled nursing long- term care services for an average of 3 years or one of the 20% who will need services for 5 years or more. And neither would your spouse. So you should not be concerned about $360,000 to $900,000 of skilled care costs. Never happen.
#6 … Waste Of Time Because I Hate Medicaid
Since everyone always has saved enough money to pay for long-term care, there is no need for any government long-term care program. So Medicaid is bad and wrong. It is just like Social Security.
Everyone always has saved enough money to pay for their retirement. There’s is no need for any government retirement income program.
But wait! Social Security is different! You paid in. With every paycheck, the government skimmed off 15.3% FICA (employer and employee) to pay for Social Security. So getting some return on your payroll taxes is OK!
Help me out here… Is Medicaid different? Did you ever get a paycheck where you didn’t pay federal and state income taxes on every nickel you earned? Does the government run Medicaid for free? Did you somehow skip out on paying for Medicaid? With every paycheck. And Social Security check too?
Why are you opposed to getting something back for all the dollars you paid in? It is OK to get Social Security because you paid taxes for it. But it is bad to get long-term care Medicaid because you paid taxes for it?
There are lots and lots of Medicaid programs – dozens of them. Most Medicaid programs provide for our fellow Americans who have very little.
But there is a slice of Medicaid, middle-class Medicaid, that pays for long-term care. For all Americans. Even you.
For most Medicaid programs, you have to be broke. Middle-class Medicaid lets you keep your house, up to $700,000. And your stuff, no limit on value. And your “motorized vehicle”, also no limit.
So, Medicaid is bad and you hate it. You hate it so much that you will spend all your money. Then, sell the house and all your stuff, spend all that too. And then wind up on Medicaid anyway. Sounds like a plan to me! Good luck with that.
#7 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Nursing Homes Are Lousy Nursing Homes!
Medicaid nursing homes, long term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and anyone else who provides Medicaid care are just the worst! If a facility accepts Medicaid, the place smells bad, the staff is rude, the management is poor, and the care is awful. God forbid that you or a loved one is ever condemned to a Medicaid facility or is forced to receive Medicaid services. Great excuse!
Gee, I wonder what percentage of skilled nursing facilities accept Medicaid? 10%? 30%? 50%?
Actually every skilled nursing facility accepts Medicaid. All of them. 100%. Do you have enough money to pay $10,000 – $15,000 per month for skilled care? For an average of 3 years. With a good chance of 5 years? Is it ridiculous to think that nursing homes would like to get paid when you go broke? Are you opposed to caregivers getting paid? Do nursing homes get everything for free?
Not so fast! Everybody knows that there are very few “Medicaid beds”. You know, the ones that they seal with plastic. So the bedbugs cannot escape. Just a few Medicaid beds.
Funny thing, though. About 70-80% of long-term, skilled nursing facility residents are paid for by Medicaid. How did that happen? Maybe because all beds are Medicare-certified. And all Medicare beds can be paid with Medicaid dollars.
#8 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Is For Poor People!
Medicaid is for poor people (meaning people without any money or stuff). And you have money and stuff, so Medicaid is not for you! Logical!
Makes sense!
Question: How long will you have any money or stuff if you are paying $10-15,000 per month for long-term care?
Are you opposed to not going broke? Is it ridiculous to think that you (or your loved one) might get better care if your life savings had not melted away like a snowflake on a hot griddle? Are you against paying for the extra services you want?
You get a shower a week in a long-term care facility. How often do you shower now? Are you against paying some of your hard-earned savings to get a shower more frequently?
If your long-term care “insurance” (also known as Medicaid) paid for the $10-15,000 cost of basic services, and, if your lifesavings were intact, would you choose to spend some of those savings to make your days more pleasant? Do you want to be poor? Is poverty more noble? Is it honorable to spend down a lifetime of work in a matter of months? Does it make sense to believe that the government knows best? Is it foolish to plan for your future?
#9 … Waste Of Time Because I Am Not Getting Older, I Am Getting Better!
Yesterday I was looking in the mirror. I felt depressed. I said to my bride of 15 years, “Honey, when I look in the mirror I see an old, fat, bald guy, and it depresses me. “Honey,” I said, “I need your help.”
“Oh?” said the love of my life, “How may I be of service?”
“Honey,” I replied, “I need a compliment. Looking at this fat, old, bald guy in the mirror here is bringing me down. I really feel the need for some compassion, a compliment would sure make me feel better!”
“Well,” said my soulmate, “Your eyesight is damn near perfect!”
Since I have been wearing glasses since the 8th grade, my wife’s compliment was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt better immediately. So, when I ask you, “Is it ridiculous to think that you are not getting older, you are getting better?” Remember this little love tale of mine. And draw your own conclusions.
And the hits just keep on coming! More great excuses are on their way!
Here’s A Sneak Preview Of The Next Fabulous Five Excuses To Avoid Planning:
#10 … Waste Of Time Because It Is Overkill!
#11 … Waste Of Time Because I Will Spend It All Anyway!
#12 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Won’t Work When I Need It!
#13 … Waste Of Time Because Every Other Attorney Must Be Doing This!
#14 … Waste Of Time Because If This Worked, Every Other Attorney Would Be Doing This!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important, legal documents? Avoiding probate, is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Tried-And-True Excuses to Avoid Planning
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Estate Planning And Elder Law Are Stoopid! Only Bad Things Happen When You Plan Ahead!
Electrical Excitement Or Deadly Dull
Remember the last time you sprang from bed, vibrantly alive and enthusiastic for the day? Red corpuscles rampaging through your body like a million volt electric current! Excited to get on with the task at hand. Eager, even anxious, for the starting bell. Like a Kentucky Derby thoroughbred pawing the ground, bursting with anticipation… That 5 a.m. Christmas morning feeling, back when you still checked new-fallen snow for reindeer hoofprints. First solo excursion with your new driver’s license… Your first date with that special someone!
Remember that feeling? Pretty great! Now turn it around 180 degrees. Imagine the polar opposite emotions.
Fear. Uncertainty. Dread. Vitality draining away. Muscles going flabby. Thick brain fog setting in. Getting dizzy. Cannot focus.
Suddenly, spring cleaning the garage becomes an existential priority. From a distance, as through a glass, darkly, you hear yourself proposing the impossible: “Hey honey! Let’s go pick out some curtains!” “Can’t we go visit your sister?” “How long has it been since my last colonoscopy?” Gravity irresistably presses you back into your La-Z-Boy. You are frozen more solidly than the Tinman in Oz or Han Solo in carbonite. Immobile.
What is the difference…Progress versus Procrastination, Approach versus Avoidance?
People can get excited about almost anything! Quilting, rodeo, billiards, mountain climbing, hunting, the list goes on…
Is there a Kryptonite for enthusiasm? A reverse-Geritol? Yes! Imagine one subject, a single topic that is Sominex for the Soul, COVID of Conversation. Dampening the liveliest party.
Shutting down any vigorous dialogue. Guaranteed.
Imagine: Estate Planning and Elder Law. Watch your friends’ eyes glaze over! Cure the worst insomnia! Stifle any conversation! Simply start talking about trusts, long-term care, probate, financial security, the next generation… So boring… ZZZzzz…
But does it truly seem as if we are comfortable with failing to plan? Certainly, many folks appear hesitant to take the future seriously. But still.
Do we feel calm and satisfied with ignoring the times to come? Or maybe a little guilty? Isn’t it a difficult dilemma? Everyone tells you to plan. And, deep down, you feel the need. But at the same time, you want to run away screaming.
Perhaps what you need is a knapsack of noise. Diversions. Cagey questions, shifty statements, slippery slopes, equivocal excuses! Banish that Inconvenient Truth with oblique objections.
Sometimes you need convenient, confusing questions. Distractions. Relief from your anxiety and guilt at neglecting adult responsibilities.
You have come to the right place! For 32 years, The Elder Law Reporter has observed many good-spirited, hard-working, conscientious people offer up transparent evasions that would not fool a small child. Sifting through the vast haystack of these lame excuses, we found the golden needles! You need to bob, weave, duck, dive, skirt, shirk, fudge and elude. We can help! Please accept the following fool-proof “reasons” to avoid LifePlanning™ like the plague. As our gift.
Now, the next time your bride/life partner/ conscience says, “Honey, may we please go to a LifePlan™ Workshop and get our ducks in a row?” you will have a snappy comeback. LifePlanning™ Is Unnecessary And A Total Waste Of Time & Money Because:
Aren’t you are always impressed when your brother-in-law leads off with a bold, sweeping, negative statement? You should do the same!
First, in a loud, commanding tone of voice, firmly state: “LifePlanning™ is Unnecessary and a…”
Second, quickly follow with one of these argumentative gems:
#1 … Waste Of Time Because I Am Not Going To A Nursing Home. Ever!
Federal government says 70% of people will need, on average, three years of skilled nursing care services. www.longtermcare.gov . Is it ridiculous to think that you might be in that 70%? Or that your spouse would be? Of course it is! No way you will ever need that care. Not for the 3-year average. And when they say that 20% of folks will need care for 5+ years? Ho ho ho. Not for you!
And you may even be correct! 10,000 people every day are hitting the “gateway ages.” Happy Birthday! 10,000 of us are now sixty, sixty-five, seventy… There are not that many “nursing home” beds. So maybe assisted living? Maybe at-home care? Maybe you win the long-term care lottery and die early. There’s a cheerful thought!
#2 … Waste Of Time Because My Children Will Take Care Of Me!
For sure! When we were growing up, everybody had lots of kids. Big families. Many hands make light work. There was a time, quickly passing, when this was the norm. It is what you did for your folks.
But you did not want all those rug rats. You had two. Maybe three. But surely the in-laws will cheerfully lend a hand. As everyone knows, there is nothing your children or son-in-law would like better than to empty your catheter bag. Or colostomy collector. Or wipe your various body parts. In the middle of the night.
And besides, your kids have nothing else to do. No kids of their own. No husband or wife. So there is no way they would ever refuse. No. Way.
How can you be sure? Easy! Your kids remember every birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Easter, New Year. They are not overworked. They have no stress. Is it ridiculous to think that they might have something to do instead of taking care of you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 3 years (on average)?
#3 … Waste Of Time Because I Do Not Have Enough Money!
Do you believe that ignorance is bliss? Would you rather not know uncomfortable facts? Are they right when they say “You can’t handle the truth!” ?
Long-term care is terribly expensive. No kidding. And it is getting worse daily. No joke. And long-term care exhausts lifesavings for hundreds of Michigan families daily. But what happens next? The answer is Medicaid. Medicaid is how America pays for long-term care. And that’s the truth. Who can afford $300/day for care? Who can afford $500/day? Not you. Not me. Not anyone else. And when you are broke, it is Medicaid that pays.
Medicaid is not Medicare. Medicare is insurance you pay for out of your Social Security check. Medicaid is insurance you pay for out of your tax dollars, out of your paycheck and Social Security.
Medicare covers immediate needs. Medicare does not pay for skilled nursing or assisted living or at- home care (except a few days for rehabilitation).
Medicare does not care how much you own or what you own. Medicaid covers long-term care. Medicaid pays for hospital, skilled nursing, assisted living and at-home care. Medicaid does not care how much you own. Medicaid cares about what you own. You can have a $700,000 house. And a $125,000 Ferrari. No problem. But no cash.
Medicaid pays for you to have a shower. Every week. Need it or not. Also pays for you to have a roommate. Do you like roommates? Also pays to wash your clothes. In a huge vat with everyone else’s. That sounds sanitary.
You may not be a Bruce Wayne-style multimillionaire, but you have plenty of money to pay for your own room. And a shower everyday. And to send your laundry out. But not if you spend yourself broke first. Like everyone else does. Like most so-called elder law attorneys advise. Spend-down! Harrumph!
Do you want a roommate, communal laundry, shower a week? Is it ridiculous to think that you could have better? That you have earned better? When your Medicaid “insurance” does the heavy lifting, your lifesavings can be intact to supply the little things. The little things that make all the difference. Is that ridiculous?
Or is it ridiculous to have spent a lifetime doing all the right things. Working hard. Saving. Paying it off. Paying it forward. Taking the overtime.
Clipping the coupons. And now, in sight of the finish line, blowing a lifetime of savings in short order and leaving yourself and your spouse at the mercy of government benefits. Maybe that is what is ridiculous.
#4 … Waste Of Time Because The Laws Will Change!
Annie was right. The sun will come out tomorrow. The Bible says so too. Ecclesiastes 1:5, look it up. And just as sure as the sun will come up, laws will change. Are you surprised by that? Have you ever been able to use the same tax forms two years in a row? Of course not. So, the laws change, sometimes in strange and unfortunate ways. Are you against adapting to this reality?
Over the last 32 years, thousands of Michigan families have followed the LifePlan™ approach. Would thousands of families still follow LifePlanning™ if it was a failure? Would you recommend your family and friends if it did not work? Neither would anyone else.
Laws change, politicians gotta be political. Does that mean your values change? What if planning were based on the things most important to you, rather than the shifting winds of political gamesmanship?
Three core values are the foundation of LifePlanning™: No Poverty, No Charity, No Waste.
No Poverty. Did you work your whole life to be poor at the end? Are you against getting a small return on the tax dollars you have paid in? Do you like the idea that your end-of-life choices will be dictated by government bureaucrats, regulations, and decrees? Is it ridiculous to think that when your savings are intact, when you have money, you call the tune?
No Charity. Have you always relied on the kindness of strangers? Are you the type who always wants a special deal you haven’t earned? Does it make you happy that people who do not contribute get everything, while the folks who make it happen get nothing? Why shouldn’t the workers get the same deal as the takers? You are not a charity case, you just want a little equal treatment, a little fairness. How did that get to be a bad thing?
No Waste. Are you against leaving the leftovers to your kids? Are you opposed to the kids actually getting what you left them? Even if there was a divorce? Or bankruptcy? Or student loan debt? Or a viral pandemic? Is it ridiculous to think that rich people might have figured out how to securely transfer wealth from one generation to the next?
If rich folks think giving their kids a leg up is a worthy goal, why don’t your kids deserve the same? Even if the dollar amount is much less?
These are the 3 pillars of LifePlanning™. Laws change, values do not. When fundamental values guide decisions, you get consistent results. Solid planning, solid results.
Could you refuse even more great excuses? Of course not!
Here’s a sneak preview of the next five for next week:
#5 … Waste Of Time Because I Only Have A House And An Ira!
#6 … Waste Of Time Because I Hate Medicaid!
#7 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Nursing Homes Are Lousy Nursing Homes!
#8 … Waste Of Time Because Medicaid Is For Poor People!
#9 … Waste Of Time Because I Am Not Getting Older, I Am Getting Better!
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you already have all the answers. Maybe this is no problem at all. Possibly you do not believe in the passage of time.
Your habits and values have earned you peace of mind and financial security. LifePlanning™ is the easy part. You worked for the peace that only comes with financial security. What is most important? Legal Documents? Avoiding probate. Is that the best you can do? Is family about inheritance? Or are the deeper things most significant?
Is any of this easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
Why Your Shiny Brand-New Estate Plan Is A Dangerous Clunker!
BlogSimple Questions… That Nobody Asks Until It Is Too Late.
Things Everybody Takes For Granted… But Shouldn’t
Would You Happily Put Your Kids In The Back Seat Of A Pinto?
Eyewitness: “the car exploded “like a large napalm bomb” when it was hit”
Why does anyone plan their estate? Why did you spend all that time and money for a will or trust? If you are like most people, you plan ahead for peace of mind. Sure, the future is uncertain, but we are not helpless. Estate planning and elder law can ensure that our life’s work will serve us. And our families or loved ones. Too bad most planning does not work that way.
What does everybody know about the Ford Pinto? It was a good-looking car. Economical! Popular in the 70’s. Millions sold. But it had an unfortunate tendency to explode on impact, engulfing its passengers in a gasoline fireball. With disastrous consequences for all concerned. Yikes!
I love my 1956 Chevrolet BelAir. Less than 26000 miles on the odometer. All original, from the canvas “carpet” to the radio with tubes rather than transistors. But the dashboard is painted steel, no padding. Seatbelts? Not in 1956. The steering column is solid metal. That ends in a point. Disturbing tendency to turn the driver into a shish kebab in a head-on collision. Airbags not invented yet. Whoops!
I do like to drive my BelAir… it is not a museum piece. But I drive it carefully. Cautiously. Defensively. With my kid in the backseat.
Today’s cars are loaded with airbags, mirrors, collision avoidance systems, backup cameras, beepers, buzzers, bells and whistles. New cars have airbags all over the place. Some slam on the brakes automatically. The Caddy even tightens your seatbelt before a crash. Nothing to worry about. Whew!
Your Estate Plan Is An Edsel
Most estate planning is like the Edsel. Obsolete from the get-go. Answering the wrong questions. And doing it poorly.
The Wrong Goals: Avoid Probate. Save Taxes. Get It to the Kids. These things all happen after you die. But you are not dead yet. Shouldn’t we be a little concerned with what happens before you die? Maybe taking care of you is the best way to take care of them.
How do you feel, loading your kids into the backseat of a 1975 Pinto? Taking them to school. Driving around town. Going to see grandma. Safe? Secure? Or are your eyes locked on that tiny rearview mirror. Fearfully scanning for danger?
Why Is LifePlanning™ Never Obsolete?
LifePlanning™ is not a Pinto. Or a 50’s Edsel. LifePlanning™ is focused on you. On the real concerns that affect you and your family. Incapacity. Dementia.
These dangers are real. Ignore them if you like. At your peril. That is what the Pinto folks did. With explosive results. You can take an outdated, obsolete approach. With an estate plan that has not evolved since the 1950’s. Resulting in Nursing Home Poverty. No choice for you. No legacy for the kids.
LifePlanning™ maximizes the things that are most important to you. We all have to go sometime, but why rush it? Why not remain alert? Independent? Engaged? Aware? In charge? Why shouldn’t your choices matter? Refuse to let others decide “what to do” with you! Reject dependence.
LifePlanning™ gets you the benefits you have earned, while preserving life savings. Not for the kids, but to supplement those earned benefits. Eight thousand dollars a month ($8,000/ month) for assisted living. Fifteen thousand ($15,000/month) for skilled care. Who can afford it? Medicaid is the way America pays for long-term care. Medicaid wants you broke. Medicaid is the government solution.
LifePlanning™ says OK! You earned the government solution. But since when was the government solution adequate? Why did you work? Take overtime? Save and invest? You do not have to settle. You can make your lifesavings work for you while receiving the benefits you earned.
Is A “Pinto” Plan “Good Enough” For Your Spouse And Family? For You? Why Don’t You Deserve “Cadillac” Planning? Is The “Cadillac” Plan Too Good For Your Spouse? Your Family? Why?
Thousands of middle-class families have used LifePlanning™ to get the peace of mind that comes from loading your family into the safest, most comfortable vehicle possible. Without thorough planning you will spend yourself into Nursing Home Poverty. You get what they feel like giving.
Not what you have earned. Not what you want. Not what you deserve. With a whimper, not a bang. Quieter than a flaming fireball of dramatic death, but just as devastating. To you. To your family. Are you really opposed to getting a small return on all the tax dollars you paid in?
Without LifePlanning™ , you are driving a Pinto. Do not have good answers to the questions. No one has your back. Maybe things will work out. Maybe you will get home today. Maybe. Why not be sure? Do you think security is a bad thing?
LifePlanning™ preserves your lifesavings. You never go broke. Your earnings serve you throughout your lifetime. And that means…
You stay home. Longer. You get the help you need, that your spouse needs. Clear-eyed. Relevant. Participating in your own care.
The Choice Is Yours. Does Quality Of Life Matter To You?
We Wasted 2021. See It Through in ‘22!
Last year, the number of regular folks planning their futures dropped. Significantly. Fewer people focused on planning ahead, LifePlanning™. I fear 2021 was a year of wasted opportunity for regular families. Devastating.
Get the information you want. In- person workshops and one-on-one meetings. Recorded and live-streaming webinars. Like you, we have never stopped serving. As you seek out new ways to accomplish your life’s work, we are on the same journey. By your side. Making the rules work for the people who play by the rules.
Sixty minutes to personal control. Now and as long as you wish. Because you earned it. Avoid Nursing Home Poverty. Thousands of middle-class families have learned and use these techniques. Why not yours?
Got Questions? Get Answers!
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To Your Particular Questions Whatever It Takes To Serve!
Losing a Loved One… Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
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Can The Last Days Be The Best Days?
Newsflash: Life Is Not Easy
Don’t we live in a loud, demanding world? Personal and professional responsibilities compete for each moment of attention. Spouse, Children, Parents, Job, Commitments. And you want to do it all. For everyone. To satisfy each person’s need. You run as hard as you can, as fast as you can. Will it be enough? Will you be satisfied with your choices, your decisions? Have you had enough practice with the balancing act? Navigating through conflicting imperatives is second nature to us now, like breathing out and breathing in. Does that make it easy?
Gratitude comes in moments of calm reflection. As you consider your own life, who are your heroes? With whom do you seek to spend time? Business partners? Professional colleagues? Bankers or financial advisors? With whom do we spend the most time? Are our brief moments with loved ones: good friends, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, wife, husband, children… are they insignificant? Are personal, intimate experiences and relationships without meaning? Are commercial attachments the most important?
You are an adult. A grownup. You know the truth that younger people seek to deny. You know that: Life is choices. Balance is critical. There are no easy answers. Hard decisions must be made. Family responsibilities are real and must be honored. Obligations to business team members and others who rely on you are genuine, too. You cannot run away from the tough stuff. You cannot pretend it is easy. You cannot wish it away. That is not how the world works. Whatever the storybooks say.
Hold Yourself To Account
When your mother closes her eyes for the last time, will she regret that you did everything possible for her comfort and support in her twilight hours? Or will she wish that you had closed another deal? Taken some more overtime? Kept your nose to the grindstone?
Will your aging father be disappointed that you spent as much time as possible with him and provided well when you could not be at his side? Or will he be distressed that you preferred his companionship to another company meeting?
Having done the very best you can for your loved ones in their time of need, will you feel guilty? You have run the race, fought the good fight, poured yourself lovingly into care for your loved one. You were there when you could be. You provided for care when you could not. Is it ridiculous to think that you could be contented, even quietly proud, while grieving the loss of that special person?
Something Is Gained And Something Is Lost In Living Every Day
Not many World War II veterans are still around. There are a few. Like my father. Winding down a life that stretched almost 97 years. Still “sharp as a tack” he still does things according to his own notions. He has no mental limitations and has never seemed to appreciate his own physical limits. So, my brothers and sisters and I have been taking turns living with Dad, a couple weeks at a time. For years. A couple weeks at a time, sharing the opportunity, so that Dad is never alone. Well, hardly ever.
Recently a checkup revealed a serious progression of congestive heart failure. Not unexpected, not welcome either. So we decided to spend a few more days with Dad. Two of my brothers were already staying there.
On the way to his house, one morning, my brother called to redirect me to the hospital. Dad was unresponsive. The EMTs said his heart had stopped and they put him on an external pacemaker in the ambulance.
Dad woke up in the hospital. And immediately demanded to go home. And rejected the idea of a pacemaker. Which the doctor said was his only chance for continued life. Which Dad firmly refused again. Consistent with earlier statements.
So the doctor got the palliative medicines ready. Turned off the machine. And… Dad kept going without the machine. An astonished doctor said he would not try to explain it and that Dad could go home.
When will that final moment arrive? Not yet. But 8 children, 20 grandchildren, and a couple of new great-grandchildren got one more opportunity to know Dad.
Available Options Are Unacceptable
When my mother suffered from the dementia which led to her death, over 10 years ago, their LifePlan™ preserved 50 years of lifesavings. Mom’s months in the nursing home did not mean Dad’s impoverishment. Dad has spent the last years with security and peace of mind.
But now the limitations of the system have struck home. More profoundly than ever before. Hospice has been wonderful, a Godsend. But Dad now needs round the clock care. No one wants him in a long-term care facility. Least of all himself.
But how to provide care? My family’s solution only works if you had 8 children most of whom could work remotely. And we are not all medical people. We do not know what to do. Or how to do it.
The current situation is simply not acceptable. Dad is ready, willing and able to hire a Certified Nursing Assistant, even an RN. But the demand is so great, they are hard to find. At any price.
Does it seem right to you that the person you have hired to keep watch overnight gets more sleep than you do? Well at least you didn’t wake your caregiver by snoring. As she woke Dad. Twice. As the video shows.
Large families like my father’s are few and getting fewer. There once was something called the “Sandwich Generation”. When your children were willing to care for their own kids and care for you as well. The Sandwich Generation is almost a thing of the past. Not quite gone yet, but…
Over the last 32 years there have been tremendous changes in long-term care. From “Nursing Home or Nothing!” to a wide range of options and choices. From an acceptance that your lifesavings would be quickly eaten up by long-term care costs, to the realization that there are programs that can preserve those savings. For yourself. For your family.
At-home care has changed also. The “friend from church” or “neighbor lady” who could be counted on to help out for $5/hour… gone. She has either retired or been hired at $20/hour by an agency. An agency that charges $40/ hour for caregivers with minimal training and no credentials. “Caregivers” who cannot stay awake.
For 32 years, I have rejected traditional notions of estate planning. Traditional planning is failure planning. My firm pioneered and advocates for LifePlanning™. No Poverty: You will not go broke. No Charity: Your caregivers will get paid. No Waste: Your heirs will get their inheritance.
Maybe it is time to reject traditional notions of at-home care. Are you opposed to living your last days independently in familiar surroundings? Is it a ridiculous idea to expect you could receive cheerful, professional, wide-awake care without a nursing facility? LifePlanningTM™ has always focused on preserving your lifesavings so that your lifetime of work and thrift would continue to serve you until the very end.
But what if the services are not available? What if the money does not matter because the choices for care are so limited? Or not acceptable? Who will fill the gap? Who can you trust? Is now a bad time for a new solution?
Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?
Perhaps you think you already have an answer to this problem. Maybe you do not see this as a problem at all. It is possible that you do not believe in the passage of time or its effects on you.
For many years, that’s how I felt about my father. He seemed to never age. Always the same peppery mix of cutting humor, sentimentality, ferocious attention to detail, and strength. He has not changed in his personality, but he is no longer independent.
My brothers and sisters and I have been privileged to be with him almost the entire time. Without each other, this moment would have come years ago. We have come to terms with the situation. But I am determined that everyone should be able to make good choices.
Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?
Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. 800-317-2812
We Sure Do Love Resolutions… Mostly We Love Ignoring Them
BlogNew Year’s Resolutions
Safe To Go Back To The Gym?
Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions
From the Home Office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, here are the top ten New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
—GOSKILLS.COM
Alert Readers will may notice that LifePlan™ made the list 3 times:
#3 Get Organized,
#5 Live Life to the Fullest,
#6 Save More Money.
New Year’s Resolutions Are Hard!
By now, of course, you have probably can’t remember your New Year’s Resolutions. Forget about trying to actually carry them out. Well, The Michigan Elder Law Reporter is always here to help! Are you against achieving 3 New Year’s Resolutions all at once? Is the beginning of another mad and merry year a bad time to get started? Is it a ridiculous idea to think that attending a LifePlan™ Workshop could be the start of something really big for you and your family?
LifePlan™ Workshop Resolutions Are Easy!
At the top of this page are the Workshop listings. Go. Pick a date and location. Pick up the phone or email us. Or sign up on our website by clicking HERE. Pick up your date. Come to the Workshop. In a few short minutes (60 minutes, but it goes fast) you will have accomplished 3 of the top 10 most popular New Year’s resolutions. And enjoyed some fresh-baked oatmeal raisin cookies, too.
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. 800-317-2812