Our Blog
Welcome to the blog of R. F. Meyer & Associates, where we share company news and informative articles related to our Elder Law, Probate and Estate Planning legal practice.
After Vaccines, Can You Visit Nursing Home Residents?
COVID vaccines are starting to roll out to nursing homes across the country, signaling the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Once your loved one has had both doses of the vaccine, you may be able to visit, but precautions are still necessary. The federal...
New Year Begins With Hope, January 2021
Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2021 e-newsletter from R. F. Meyer & Associates. Earlier today we issued our January 2021 edition of the R. F. Meyer & Associates e-newsletter. If you did not receive it by email, please find a link below to download...
Immediate Annuities and Medicaid Planning
In some circumstances, immediate annuities can be ideal Medicaid planning tools for spouses of nursing home residents. Careful planning is needed to make sure an annuity will work for you or your spouse. An immediate annuity, in its simplest form, is a contract with...
Medicare Premiums to Increase Slightly in 2021
Medicare premiums are set to rise a modest amount next year, but still cut into any Social Security gains. The basic monthly premium will increase $3.90, from $144.60 a month to $148.50. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the premium and...
CARES’ Early Withdrawals Penalty Waiver Expires Dec. 31
If you are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic, you may want to consider withdrawing money from your retirement account while you still can without penalty. The CARES Act special exemption allowing early withdrawals without a penalty ends...
Newsletter released; End to difficult 2020 finally within sight
Earlier today, we issued the December 2020 e-newsletter from R. F. Meyer & Associates. It’s our last edition in what’s been a very difficult year, with an end to 2020 finally within sight. Thank goodness. 2020 has been a year most of us look forward to leaving...
Husbands Often Omit Wives in Social Security Planning
The amount of Social Security benefits a surviving spouse receives depends, in part, on when their deceased spouse began claiming benefits. However, husbands usually don’t take survivor’s benefits into account when claiming benefits, according to a recent study,...
Receiving an Inheritance While on Medicaid
For most people, receiving an inheritance is something good, but for a nursing home resident on Medicaid, an inheritance may not be such welcome news. Medicaid has strict income and resource limits, so an inheritance can make a Medicaid recipient ineligible for...
How to Fix a Required Minimum Distribution Mistake
The rules around required minimum distributions from retirement accounts are confusing, and it’s easy to slip up. Fortunately, if you do make a mistake, there are steps you can take to fix the error and possibly avoid a stiff penalty. If you have a tax-deferred...