Whether for yourself or for your aging parents, you want to make wise financial, medical, and legal decisions as life changes. We help you develop a comprehensive plan to ensure your wishes are honored and your assets protected if you become incapacitated or require assisted living or nursing home care.
Start with education. Join one of our upcoming workshops.
Reserve Your Seat
Our Approach
Thanks to healthier lifestyles and medical advances, Americans are living longer than ever.
That is a gift. It also brings real planning challenges. Most private health insurance plans and even Medicare do not cover extended long-term care.
In Wisconsin, the average monthly cost of nursing home care ranges from $10,000–$12,000 depending on location and level of care. Without planning, those costs can quickly erode a lifetime of savings.
It is heartbreaking for families to watch assets meant to support a spouse or children disappear due to avoidable planning gaps. With the right strategies in place, you may be able to:
- Protect assets
- Preserve eligibility for government benefits
- Keep a loved one at home longer
- Maintain dignity and quality of care
Our education-first model helps you understand your options before decisions are made. Elder law is not something to rush into, and it should never be based on fear. It should be based on clarity.
We Help
- Individuals who see long-term health issues on the horizon
- Individuals currently experiencing long-term health challenges
- Families transitioning a loved one into assisted living or nursing care
- Families trying to keep a loved one safely at home
- Powers of Attorney acting on behalf of an aging parent
- Anyone with elder law concerns who wants to plan proactively
What We Do
We create personalized plans that may include the following, depending on what is best for you and your family. Our services are packaged into customizable options, and all fees are flat-rate and agreed to in advance with no surprises.
- Disability and Special Needs Planning
- Long-Term Care Planning
- Retirement and Medicaid Planning
- Assisted Living Asset Protection
- Trust Administration After a Loved One’s Death
You Don’t Want to End Up a Statistic
Americans Turn 65 Every Day
As the population ages, demand for care continues to increase, along with costs.
Average cost per month of nursing home care in Wisconsin
At that rate, $120,000+ per year can leave savings depleted quickly.
Lost to Fraud
Without proper planning, older Americans lose billions each year to fraud and financial exploitation.
Begin with Clarity
Elder law decisions affect your home, your savings, your independence, and your family. The best time to plan is before there is a crisis.
Our workshops are designed to help you understand the risks, learn your options, and decide what is right for your family.
Reserve Your Seat at an Upcoming Elder Law Workshop
Frequently Asked Questions About Elder Law Planning
CAN I OWN A FANCY CAR AND STILL QUALIFY FOR MEDICAID?
In short, very likely yes, you can own a fancy car even if you are on Medicaid. In certain states, you are permitted one automobile regardless of value, even if you are on Medicaid.
This said, as with all governmental regulations, the rules are strict about how you use the vehicle, who has access to it, and more. Because regulations change over time and could drastically impact your personal situation, we always advise you to work directly with an attorney to ensure your long-term care and estate plan remain up to date and as protective as possible for your family.
DO I NEED AN ATTORNEY?
Absolutely – elder law planning is broad-ranging and if done improperly, could have devastating effects on your tax liability, the exposure of your assets, and the decisions made on your behalf when you cannot communicate your decisions made for yourself. We would not recommend you go this alone because in the world of elder law planning, the best outcome for you, your family, and your loved ones will be achieved only by working with a lawyer who encounters elder law planning situations daily.
You have worked your whole life for what you have and the relationships you have created. Unfortunately, some families collapse after the death of a loved one because they either did no planning at all, or if they did, it was through an online platform that knew nothing about their family or circumstances, and that ultimately failed them when their family needed help the most.
We encourage a lifelong relationship between you and your elder law planning attorney so that you have a lawyer for life to be there for your family when you cannot be.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Every plan is different and every plan is tailored to your specific circumstances. We know the topic of cost is a sensitive one when it comes to choosing a professional to guide you, and we have designed our fees on a flat-fee basis only so that you know exactly what you are committing to – and there are no surprises.
While we cannot quote fees online or over the phone, we invite you to check out our upcoming educational events, where we uncover our unique meeting process and fee schedule so that you know exactly how to take the next steps at the best time for you and your family.
WHAT IS A MEDICAID TRUST?
A Medicaid trust is an irrevocable trust that you can set up to protect your assets from being seized by Medicaid even though you might receive Medicaid benefits.
When a trust is “irrevocable,” that means you relinquish your ownership and control over those assets, although in some cases, when drafted properly, you can continue to receive the benefits of assets you move into an irrevocable trust. For example, if done right, you can move your home into a Medicaid trust and continue to live in your home. Nevertheless, you never want to hastily establish any type of irrevocable trust without knowing exactly why (and whether) you need it, how it works, what it means for assets moved into it, whether there are any pitfalls to be aware of, and how the assets ultimately pass to your heirs. We encourage you never to do this type of planning on your own.
HOW DOES ELDER LAW PLANNING DIFFER FROM ESTATE PLANNING?
Elder law is a specialty area of estate planning, so it is both included in proper estate planning depending on your situation and age, and not a substitute for traditional estate planning. With elder law planning, your lawyer helps you plan for retiree benefits, healthcare and long-term care, Medicaid and Medicare coverage, and home care and nursing home care.
Ultimately, your elder law planning team of trust advisors includes your lawyer, financial planners, CPA, insurance agents, and other professionals, depending on what is appropriate for your situation, and your elder law plan includes both traditional estate planning to avoid probate as well as advanced planning to help protect your estate and legacy as you age.
WHEN SHOULD I START CONSIDERING ELDER LAW PLANNING?
There really is no right or wrong age to start exploring how elder law planning can benefit you. This said, presume that by age 60, you should start the planning process. The longer you wait in life, the more you run the risk of your assets being exposed unexpectedly, going to the medical industry instead of your family. You may even encounter an unexpected health issue where you lose capacity immediately, meaning your family will start planning for you, if they are able. Each day is a gift, and we cannot predict the future, but we can plan for it, so the sooner, the better.
N14 W24200 Tower Place, Suite 201
Waukesha, WI 53188
