Connecticut Estate Planning Attorneys Blog

May 15, 2023

Medicare versus Medicaid – What You Need to Know

Elder law attorneys are often asked by clients about the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. While the names of these government-sponsored programs sound very similar, each has a distinct purpose and serves a specific audience.

MEDICARE is a federal health insurance program. No matter what your income is, you can obtain Medicare benefits if you are 65 and over, or have a qualifying disability. The program is not free – you must pay part of the costs through deductibles for hospital stays and you must pay monthly premiums for coverage.

MEDICAID is a federal and state financial assistance program for people over 65, people with disabilities, children, pregnant women and parents of eligible children. To be eligible for Medicaid benefits, individuals from these groups must also have low income. Because it is run jointly by the state and the federal government, rules and eligibility requirements vary state by state.

May 3, 2023

Newly Remarried? It’s Time to Review Your Estate Plan

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

You’ve been blessed to find a love for a second time. Congratulations! A new (re)marriage can bring the joy of finding a loving partner twice in a lifetime and the promise of happy times to come.

So, it’s no wonder that amongst newly remarried couples sticky topics such as finances and blending of family dynamics can easily get pushed to the side. After all, who wants to be distracted from the bliss of their new marriage to talk about who inherits what and how much?

But, addressing estate planning decisions is not something that should be put off – especially if you have just gotten remarried. When it comes to finances and inheritance, the best policy always combines honesty, clarity, and a proactive approach.

April 26, 2023

Dream Big! Your Next Phase Awaits

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

By Colleen Masse

When my children were little, a neighbor told me: “just remember, everything is a phase.”

The point they were making was that if there was something annoying or frustrating my kids were doing, that I only needed to wait a while and it would likely stop on its own.

April 20, 2023

How My Dad’s Planning Helped Us Cope When He Died

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

By Brendan Daly

I last saw my father on February 25th at his condo in Rhode Island. We had a wonderful day together—he showed off his new Subaru in a slightly harrowing ride, where he coasted through stop signs (aka the “Rhode Island slide”)—and I took my leave of him as he stood at the door waving while I drove away. When Dad didn’t make the 7:30 Monday morning Mass, his friends knew something was wrong, and I soon received a call at work that he had passed away at home.

I couldn’t process this news because I had just seen him. He looked healthy and was in good spirits. I inspected his bike to ensure it was safe for his planned rides with the “Old Spokes Club.” And he had just bought a new car. My father was the most frugal person I’ve ever known, and he would never have purchased a new car if he thought he might soon depart this world. He even left a plate of cooked spaghetti on the kitchen counter that he planned to eat for dinner–after attending to his last chore of taking out the trash. So none of us, including Dad, expected his sudden passing.

April 10, 2023

9 Ways to Help Your Autistic Grandchild Thrive

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

Becoming a grandparent is one of life’s most amazing experiences, and one many people look forward to with great anticipation.

Unlike parenting your own child, which tends to come with a healthy serving of self doubt, a mountain of responsibility, and the grind of the daily routine, grandparenting is usually a time of indulgence (for both the grandchild and the grandparent), harmless rule breaking, and general fun.

But what happens when your journey into grandparenthood includes an unexpected element in the form of an autism diagnosis?

April 3, 2023

Attorney Jeanne Di Minno Joins Our New Milford Office

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

We are pleased to welcome Attorney Jeanne Bundrick Di Minno of Danbury to our Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri team! Jeanne joins the firm with more than 20 years of experience helping people throughout Western Connecticut with their legal needs.

Jeanne will be working alongside Attorney Lynda Lee Arnold out of our New Milford office location to serve your needs in the areas of estate planning, elder law, and estate administration.

A graduate of both Western Connecticut State University (BA) and Pace University School of Law (JD), Jeanne has an extensive legal background that includes real estate, family law, alternative dispute resolution, and working in the criminal justice system.

March 28, 2023

Making Sensory Inclusion More of a Mainstream Movement

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

If you have never experienced it yourself, it can be difficult to understand what it’s like to feel deep anxiety and even physical pain as the result of being exposed to sensory stimuli like sounds, scents, lights, and crowds.

For people with sensory sensitivity, the intensity of these experiences ranges on a scale from mere inconvenience to completely incapacitating.

This issue is not nearly as rare as most people assume. In fact, 1 in 6 people living in the United States have either a sensory need or an invisible disability that makes them more prone to sensory needs. This group includes people with PTSD, autism, and dementia, as well as people who have had strokes.

March 20, 2023

Multigenerational Vacations: 6 Steps For Planning a Trip Together

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

There are few experiences more transformational than travel. Visiting new places, whether near or far, has a way of opening our hearts and minds.

And when we travel with people we love, there is the added benefit of being able to share those memorable experiences. From a simple weekend road trip to a month-long journey exploring another country, travel can change your life and your relationships for the better.

Two of the things people missed most during the first two years of Covid were spending time with family and travel. Knowing this, it’s not that surprising that as Covid-related travel restrictions lifted more and more people started booking trips that included extended family. Multigenerational travel was a growing trend prior to Covid, and it has become even more popular now that—hopefully—the worst of the pandemic is over.

March 7, 2023

When Estate Planning Goes Wrong – Three Lessons from Graceland

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

Even the most well-resourced and well-known people can get estate planning wrong.

The recent headlines about the dispute over the validity of Lisa Marie Presley’s Will is just the latest in a long list of stories involving celebrities in the entertainment industry whose last wishes have created a lot of contention amongst their families.

The short version of the story is that Lisa’s mother, Priscilla Presley, is contesting her daughter’s living trust (which is standing in for a Will since Lisa Marie did not file a separate Will).

March 1, 2023

The Importance of Legal Planning for Children with Brain Injuries

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and according to the Brain Injury Alliance, there are currently over 5 million Americans living with brain injuries, a number that increases by about 5,000 injuries per day.

So for us, it’s a perfect time to raise awareness of the impact that brain injuries can have on individuals and families.

An acquired brain injury (ABI) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) can drastically change the lives of not only the individual with the injury, but also their loved ones. And when the person with the injury is a minor child, the whole family faces unexpected challenges and uncertainty.

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