By Tim Barkley. July 2025. Susan sat across the table, flipping through a manila file. “I think I have everything you asked me to bring.” The lawyer flipped through the proffered folder. “To see if your mom qualifies for Medicaid, we need to know what she owns and...
By Tim Barkley. June 2025. Q: My child is headed to college. Is there anything I need to think about? A: Your child needs financial and medical powers of attorney (“POA’s”). Even though you’re the Mom, once your child becomes an adult his or her financial and medical...
By Tim Barkley. May 2025. Probate. The word has achieved a Dickensian notoriety conjuring up greedy lawyers, helpless widows and children, and unscrupulous creditors. The avoidance of probate is now a cottage industry, carried on in the back offices of lawyers and...
By Tim Barkley. March 2025. “I don’t need a power of attorney. My spouse and I own everything jointly.” “My daughter is on all my accounts, so I don’t need a power of attorney.” “I’m not letting anybody take control over me! I’m not signing that paper!” “I don’t want...
February 2025 Q: Do I need a trust? I’ve heard that I need one to avoid “probate.” What is “probate”? A: There are many reasons to use a trust, but you shouldn’t need to pay the fees for a trust just to avoid probate, the legal system that gets dead people’s stuff to...
January 2025 The increasing availability of information on the Internet doesn’t obviate the need for wisdom … knowing how to apply that information for the benefit of those who need it. Simply knowing that something called “probate” might be avoided and maybe should...
