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Victoria Collier. 47 Secret Veterans’ Benefits for Seniors. Collier Communications, LLC. Scottdale, GA. 2010. 110 Pages. $14.95 from Amazon (Click on book to order) Many veterans don’t realize all the benefits available to them and their family members. 47 Secret Veterans’ Benefits for Seniors provides older veterans and their advocates with insider tips to help Read Full Article

The basic premium for Medicare Part B will be $115.40 a month in 2011, up from $110.50 in 2010 (a 4.4 percent increase). But because there will be no cost of living benefit increase for Social Security recipients for 2011, most beneficiaries will be exempted from paying this increase and will instead pay the same Read Full Article

A growing number of Medicare beneficiaries are spending days in the hospital before being transferred to a nursing home, only to find that Medicare won’t pay for the first 20 days of their nursing home stay, as it typically would. The reason, the beneficiaries later learn, is that they had never actually been “admitted” to Read Full Article

A durable power of attorney and a health care proxy are two very important estate planning documents. Both allow other people to make decisions for you in the event you are incapacitated. Because the individuals chosen will have to coordinate your care, it is important to pick two people who will get along. A power Read Full Article

Andrew Mayoras & Danielle Mayoras. Trial and Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights. Wise Circle Books. Long Beach, CA. 2009. 277 pages. $19.95 from Amazon (click on book to order). Can we learn anything about estate planning from Jimi Hendrix, Princess Di, and Sonny Bono? Yes! Written by a husband-and-wife attorney team, Trial and Heirs uses fascinating Read Full Article

Nursing home and assisted living rates rose significantly from 2009 to 2010, according to the 2010 MetLife Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs. Private room nursing home rates rose 4.6 percent to $83,585 a year or $229 a day, while assisted living facility costs climbed 5.2 percent on average to $39,516 a year or $3,293 Read Full Article

Medicare open enrollment is coming! During the annual open enrollment period, which runs from November 15 to December 31, you may switch Medicare drug or health care plans. While you should review your coverage every year, this year it is particularly important because of changes brought on by the new health care law. As the Read Full Article

Q. My wife and I signed basic wills in our 40s when our concern was passing our assets to our children in the event of death. However, we are now both in our mid 70’s and we are now more concerned about the cost of long-term care for ourselves. Should we now redesign our estate Read Full Article

Q: I hear that there are many federal and state programs designed to help seniors of limited means apply for extra help with prescription drug coverage, pay utility bills, groceries, health care and other needs. However, I don’t know where to go to find out about them. Is there some central source that might be Read Full Article