ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Fee-Based Annuities Present Tax Issues Taking Out Advisors’ Fees May Result In Tax To Policy Owner Our lawyers recommend you always beware when an insurance agent tries to sell you commission-based annuities or life insurance, particularly if you’re a senior. But fee-based annuities present disadvantages as well.  Advisors […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Financial Exploitation of Seniors Can Be Devastating Isolation Is The Biggest Danger Keep Senior Loved Ones Connected Seniors here in Marin County and throughout California are vulnerable to financial elder abuse. Financial elder abuse is a real danger for seniors across the board but most especially for isolated […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Overmedicating Nursing Home Residents Overmedication of nursing home residents is a real danger. A recent study concluded that nursing homes administer unnecessary antipsychotic drugs to 179,000 patients every week. In a one reported case,[1] a nursing home was accused of giving an 83-year-old resident 20 times her prescribed […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER What are Income Riders? Income riders are attachments to deferred annuities sold by agents as an income payout contractually guaranteed for the rest of your life and possibly your spouse’s life as well. The two most common types of income riders are known as “Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit” […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Government Rewards for Blowing the Whistle on Fraud Federal Whistleblower Programs A whistleblower reward is a monetary incentive offered by the government to individuals who blow the whistle on fraud or other wrongdoing against the government or in violation of its laws. The government rewards whistleblowers with a […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Financial Exploitation of Seniors Can Be Devastating What to Look For Where to Find Help Seniors here in Marin County and throughout California are vulnerable to financial elder abuse, a real danger for seniors across the board. The effects of financial elder abuse can be devastating, particularly for […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Taxpayer First Act Helps Whistleblowers New Privacy Safeguards, Quicker Response Time, and Protections Against Retaliation Substantial Rewards for Whistleblowers Tips from whistleblowers are an important tool for helping the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) focus resources on examinations that are most likely to result in big returns. In fiscal […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER California Law on Gifts to Care Custodians Tightening the Marriage Loophole for Gifts to Care Custodians California law presumes that gifts – made either during life or at death – by an elder or dependent adult to their care custodian[1] are the product of undue influence (a defined […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Government Announces $48 Million Settlement In Healthcare Fraud Case Former Employees Blew The Whistle On The Fraud Whistleblowers Rewarded $12.4 Million The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported earlier this month that Encompass Health Corporation, formerly known as HealthSouth Corporation, has agreed to pay $48 million to resolve […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Governor Signs New Law Into Effect Abandonments During 2017 North Bay Wildfires Behind New Measure Sadly, at least 20 frail, elderly residents of care facilities were abandoned during the North Bay fires in the Fall of 2017. Many may have died in one case had family members not […]