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Homeownership is the American Dream. People work hard all their lives to own a home, and it is often their most valuable and significant possession. So, when health begins to fail and the need for long-term care arises, we often get this fear-filled question from our clients: will they take away my home? The enormous...

An elder law attorney or certified elder law attorney (CELA) specializes as a legal advocate for aging adults and their loved ones. Elder law encompasses a wide range of legal matters affecting an older or disabled person. Issues related to guardianship, retirement, health care including advance directives, long term care planning, Social Security, Medicare and...

1. My family and I don’t own much. Can’t we put off planning until we can afford it? You shouldn’t. It is crucial to give legal authority to a person of your choice, to care for your children if anything should happen to you. You don’t want your children to become wards of the court,...

The rise of healthcare costs and medical debt is causing a substantial amount of stress among Americans. Roughly 158 million Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance (more than two million in South Carolina). That means there are millions more Americans who pay for health insurance out-of-pocket. Within the last decade, the average family insurance premium went...

In this Covid-19 epidemic, a wrenching question especially demands an answer: if you or someone you love is taken down into life-threatening illness, how far would you want extreme life-prolonging measures to be tried? For us who are particularly vulnerable – seniors, those with compromised immune systems, those already struggling with medical conditions – this...

Due to an aging population, more Americans are finding themselves or their loved ones in need of nursing home care. Often, nursing home care is absolutely necessary, but this doesn’t make it any less expensive and many find themselves depleting their life savings paying for care they need. However, there are ways to avoid spending...

  The human being is hardwired to evaluate risks that can interfere with our wellbeing. However, these evolved responses can sometimes cloud rational thought, especially in response to new and dramatic threats like the coronavirus pandemic. These emotional responses and their impact skew how dangerous we perceive the "dread risk" to be. Evident when a...

You should check your estate planning documents every so often, to make sure they’re still good, especially with big life changes like births, marriages, divorces, and moving to another state. Children grow up, marriages dissolve, property gets sold, residences change. That’s why we recommend that you consult us for an estate-plan check-up every five years...

Filing for bankruptcy is a big step. Hesitating to hit the reset button on your finances when you really need it can cause you and your family a great deal of harm. For many, now is the time for a financial reset We've been helping South Carolina families work through their financial challenges and understand...

Guardianship of an aging parent means acceptance of significant legal responsibility to act and advocate for their care. The duties include a parent's daily care, medical care, and possibly financial decisions made on their behalf. Many guardians are family members who were previously caregivers, now cast into a formal legal role. At the same time,...