Credit Card Guide, Estate Planning

An Overview of Filial Responsibility Laws

Sarah Reynolds

Father in a wheelchair and son outsideTaking care of aging parents is something you may need to plan for, especially if you think one or both of them might need long-term care. One thing you may not know is that some states have filial responsibility laws that require adult children to help financially with the cost of nursing home care. Whether these laws affect you or not depends largely on where you live and what financial resources your parents have to cover long-term care. But it’s important to understand how these laws work to avoid any financial surprises as your parents age.

Filial Responsibility Laws, Definition

Filial responsibility laws are legal rules that hold adult children financially responsible for their parents’ medical care when parents are unable to pay. More than half of U.S. states have some type of filial support or responsibility law, including:

  • Alaska
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Mississippi
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia

Puerto Rico also has laws regarding filial responsibility. Broadly speaking, these laws require adult children to help pay for things like medical care and basic needs when a parent is impoverished. But the way the laws are applied can vary from state to state. For example, some states may include mental health treatment as a situation requiring children to pay while others don’t. States can also place time limitations on how long adult children are required to pay.

When Do Filial Responsibility Laws Apply?

If you live in a state that has filial responsibility guidelines on the books, it’s important to understand when those laws can be applied.

Generally, you may have an obligation to pay for your parents’ medical care if all of the following apply:

  • One or both parents are receiving some type of state government-sponsored financial support to help pay for food, housing, utilities or other expenses
  • One or both parents has nursing home bills they can’t pay
  • One or both parents qualifies for indigent status, which means their Social Security benefits don’t cover their expenses
  • One or both parents are ineligible for Medicaid help to pay for long-term care
  • It’s established that you have the ability to pay outstanding nursing home bills

If you live in a state with filial responsibility laws, it’s possible that the nursing home providing care to one or both of your parents could come after you personally to collect on any outstanding bills owed. This means the nursing home would have to sue you in small claims court.

If the lawsuit is successful, the nursing home would then be able to take additional collection actions against you. That might include garnishing your wages or levying your bank account, depending on what your state allows.

Whether you’re actually subject to any of those actions or a lawsuit depends on whether the nursing home or care provider believes that you have the ability to pay. If you’re sued by a nursing home, you may be able to avoid further collection actions if you can show that because of your income, liabilities or other circumstances, you’re not able to pay any medical bills owed by your parents.

Filial Responsibility Laws and Medicaid

Senior care living areaWhile Medicare does not pay for long-term care expenses, Medicaid can. Medicaid eligibility guidelines vary from state to state but generally, aging seniors need to be income- and asset-eligible to qualify. If your aging parents are able to get Medicaid to help pay for long-term care, then filial responsibility laws don’t apply. Instead, Medicaid can paid for long-term care costs.

There is, however, a potential wrinkle to be aware of. Medicaid estate recovery laws allow nursing homes and long-term care providers to seek reimbursement for long-term care costs from the deceased person’s estate. Specifically, if your parents transferred assets to a trust then your state’s Medicaid program may be able to recover funds from the trust.

You wouldn’t have to worry about being sued personally in that case. But if your parents used a trust as part of their estate plan, any Medicaid recovery efforts could shrink the pool of assets you stand to inherit.

Talk to Your Parents About Estate Planning and Long-Term Care

If you live in a state with filial responsibility laws (or even if you don’t), it’s important to have an ongoing conversation with your parents about estate planning, end-of-life care and where that fits into your financial plans.

You can start with the basics and discuss what kind of care your parents expect to need and who they want to provide it. For example, they may want or expect you to care for them in your home or be allowed to stay in their own home with the help of a nursing aide. If that’s the case, it’s important to discuss whether that’s feasible financially.

If you believe that a nursing home stay is likely then you may want to talk to them about purchasing long-term care insurance or a hybrid life insurance policy that includes long-term care coverage. A hybrid policy can help pay for long-term care if needed and leave a death benefit for you (and your siblings if you have them) if your parents don’t require nursing home care.

Speaking of siblings, you may also want to discuss shared responsibility for caregiving, financial or otherwise, if you have brothers and sisters. This can help prevent resentment from arising later if one of you is taking on more of the financial or emotional burdens associated with caring for aging parents.

If your parents took out a reverse mortgage to provide income in retirement, it’s also important to discuss the implications of moving to a nursing home. Reverse mortgages generally must be repaid in full if long-term care means moving out of the home. In that instance, you may have to sell the home to repay a reverse mortgage.

The Bottom Line

elderly woman in a wheelchair outsideFilial responsibility laws could hold you responsible for your parents’ medical bills if they’re unable to pay what’s owed. If you live in a state that has these laws, it’s important to know when you may be subject to them. Helping your parents to plan ahead financially for long-term needs can help reduce the possibility of you being on the hook for nursing care costs unexpectedly.

Tips for Estate Planning

  • Consider talking to a financial advisor about what filial responsibility laws could mean for you if you live in a state that enforces them. If you don’t have a financial advisor yet, finding one doesn’t have to be a complicated process. SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool can help you connect, in just minutes, with professional advisors in your local area. If you’re ready, get started now.
  • When discussing financial planning with your parents, there are other things you may want to cover in addition to long-term care. For example, you might ask whether they’ve drafted a will yet or if they think they may need a trust for Medicaid planning. Helping them to draft an advance healthcare directive and a power of attorney can ensure that you or another family member has the authority to make medical and financial decisions on your parents’ behalf if they’re unable to do so.

Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Halfpoint, ©iStock.com/byryo, ©iStock.com/Halfpoint

The post An Overview of Filial Responsibility Laws appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.

Source: smartasset.com

Home, Mortgage

The Best Home Insurance Companies

Sarah Reynolds

Why trust us in finding home insurance? Research methodology To make our recommendations for the best homeowners insurance companies in 2021, we used our proprietary SimpleScore system to rate insurers on accessibility, coverage options, customer service, discounts, and support. The research was supported by inputs from experts from renowned third-party market research companies such as […]

The post The Best Home Insurance Companies appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source: thesimpledollar.com

Apartment Life, Early Career, Student Finances

How to Get a Virtual Internship

Sarah Reynolds
This is not a great time to be looking for career experience. Industries are suffering, opportunities are scarce and most people are working from home. But if you’re in need of an internship, there are still plenty of options to work virtually – if you know how to sniff them out.
Here’s what you need to know in order to find a virtual internship: where to look, who to talk to, and how to make sure your application stands out from the competition.

Tips for Getting a Virtual Internship

Before you start applying for internships, you need to have the appropriate documents. Here are the most important.

Draft a Resume

Students who don’t already have a resume can find free resume templates through Google Docs and Microsoft Word. These templates have clean designs and are easy to edit.

If you want something more unique, you can buy a template on Etsy. Choose a template that you can easily edit in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If you’re applying for internships in a creative field like graphic design or advertising, pick a template that has more flair and shows your personality.

When writing your resume, focus on the skills you’ve learned and your accomplishments. If you were a waitress at Waffle House (like I was for a summer), mention how it taught you multitasking and organizational skills.

Create a LinkedIn profile and start connecting with people you know. Ask past employers for recommendations and to endorse you for specific skills like Photoshop or Excel.

Work on a Cover Letter

Some internships will require a cover letter. A cover letter should express the value you’ll bring to the company, like how your interests and skills fit with the organization and why you would be a good addition.

If you’re submitting a cover letter for an online application, make sure to use any keywords mentioned in the job description. Some companies use software that filters out cover letters missing these keywords.

Have a parent or adult mentor look over both your resume and cover letter. They can offer you advice on how to phrase specific ideas and remind you of jobs, awards, and other accomplishments you’ve forgotten about.

Where to Find a Virtual Internship

Once you’ve created a resume and basic cover letter, you can start applying. Here are the best places to find a virtual internship.

Talk to Your College

The first place to look is your college career center. Many large companies have direct relationships with universities and accept a certain number of interns from there every year.

Contact the university career center and ask them about internship opportunities. If you already have a declared major, your department may also have its own career counselor who can help. They may have more personal relationships with hiring managers and internship recruiters.

Sometimes colleges have their own internship and job boards, but it still helps to talk to a counselor directly. They may have more resources and can answer your specific questions.

Even though the pandemic has changed how colleges operate, some are still holding virtual career fairs. You’ll likely have to register in advance and choose a specific time slot, so look into these options as soon as possible.

Make sure to follow up regularly if you don’t hear back from the career counselor. They may be busy, and your emails can get lost in the shuffle. Don’t feel bad about reaching out multiple times- this is part of what you pay for as a student and you’re entitled to their help.

Contact People You Already Know

If you’ve had internships before, contact people from those companies and ask if they need help. It’s much easier to get an internship when you already know the people in charge – especially if you made a good impression during your tenure.

It doesn’t matter if the people you worked with have different jobs now. They may still work in a similar industry and need an intern. Make a list of where you’ve worked and all the people you remember. If you’re having trouble remembering names, go to the company’s LinkedIn page to jog your memory and find their contact information.

After you’ve contacted them, reach out to any professors you know who still have direct ties to the industry. They can forward your information or send you links to opportunities they’ve seen.

Don’t be afraid to contact people at companies where you turned down an internship position. Most people don’t take that personally and may still have positive memories of you – plus, getting a previous internship offer from a company indicates that you’re probably a good fit.

If you’re reaching out to professors you haven’t talked to in a while, remind them what class of theirs you took and include a copy of your resume. This will make it easier for them to forward the email to any prospects.

Take your time when crafting emails to industry contacts. If you write an email with typos and grammar mistakes, your email may be deleted immediately. This is especially true if you’re contacting someone you don’t know. They may receive dozens of emails from students like you and not have time to respond to them all.

Look at Job Sites

If you’ve reached out to your networking contacts with no luck, it’s time to look for a virtual internship on a job site. Job sites should be the last place you look for a virtual internship because it’s harder to stand out among a sea of candidates.

Here are some of the best sites and apps to use:

  • LinkedIn
  • Symplicity App
  • Handshake
  • Indeed
  • Intern from Home
  • Parker Dewey
  • WayUp
  • Internships.com

 

Remember not to discount an internship if there’s no mention that the job will be remote. Some listings may be outdated and not reflect the current situation.

When you apply, check the company’s website and LinkedIn profile to see if you have any personal connections. Having someone in common can help get your application into the right hands.

 

The post How to Get a Virtual Internship appeared first on MintLife Blog.

Source: mint.intuit.com

Business

8 Fun and Easy DIY Moisturizers

Sarah Reynolds

Petroleum Jelly

Once a month, cover your hands in petroleum jelly or thick hand cream, then slip them into some soft cotton gloves for the night. In the morning, your skin will have absorbed all the cream, leaving you with the smoothest, softest hands you’ve ever had. You can also soften your feet the same way (use socks rather than gloves, of course).

Apricot Scrub

Apricot kernel oil, available at vitamin and health-food stores, is rich in vitamins A and E and is an excellent moisturizer. Combine two tablespoons of it with a half cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice for an exfoliating—and hydrating—hand scrub. Massage well into hands, then rinse.

Rosewater-Honey Rub

For rough patches on the hands and feet, try this rub scented with rosewater, which has been used for centuries to soothe irritated skin and is thought to help regenerate skin tissue. Whisk together two tablespoons of it, along with one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of apricot kernel oil, and one tablespoon of lemon juice, in a small bowl. To use, rub onto rough patches on the hands and feet, then rinse.

Olive Oil Scrub

We love this olive oil scrub for its simplicity and effectiveness! In a small bowl, add a quarter cup of olive oil and enough sugar to make a damp, runny mixture. Rub it into your hands or feet, then rinse for smooth, moisturized skin.

Dry Rub

In a small bowl, stir together a quarter cup of flaxseed or almond meal and a quarter to a half teaspoon of olive oil. The mixture will be just barely damp. Rub well into dry, rough patches on your feet, then rinse.

Sea Salt

You can pay a lot of money for a fancy sea salt scrub, or you can make your very own version in just a few minutes. Sea salt contains natural minerals not present in regular table salt. It also helps remove dead skin cells and other toxins present in the skin. In a small bowl, add one cup of sea salt and just enough olive oil to make a slightly runny mixture—you don’t want it to be too loose. Rub into dry hands and feet for several minutes before rinsing off.

Sugar

Try this quick hand scrub that combines the exfoliating power of sugar and the lactic acid in sour cream. Mix one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of sour cream together, and rub into hands for a minute or two. Rinse to reveal soft, smooth skin.

Buttermilk-Almond

Try this overnight hand mask to gently remove dead skin cells. Whisk together a half cup of buttermilk and one tablespoon of almond oil in a small bowl. Submerge your hands completely, remove, and allow to dry. Then cover your hands with cotton gloves and leave on overnight. In the morning, rinse your hands well to reveal brighter skin. 

For more all natural remedies from all around the internet, check out our Health and Beauty Tips board on Pinterest. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! 

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Source: quickanddirtytips.com

Budgeting

The Affordable Housing Option That Can Help You Pay Off Debt Faster!

Sarah Reynolds

Today I have a guest post from Allea over at AskAllea.com. I was so happy when she reached out to me for a guest post because I love her holistic approach to financial health and her fun writing style. Hope…

The post The Affordable Housing Option That Can Help You Pay Off Debt Faster! appeared first on Modern Frugality.

Source: modernfrugality.com

Budgeting, Debt

Personal Finances: Prioritizing and Paying off Debt

Sarah Reynolds

This page may include affiliate links. Please see the disclosure page for more information. When the calendar says it’s the first of the month, do you get excited about the opportunities that may arrive with the new month, or do you have panic attacks on how you are going to survive another month living in debt?  If…

Read more

The post Personal Finances: Prioritizing and Paying off Debt appeared first on Debt Discipline.

Personal Finances: Prioritizing and Paying off Debt was first posted on December 27, 2019 at 6:00 am.
©2019 "Debt Discipline". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at brian@debtdiscipline.com

Source: debtdiscipline.com

Budgeting

What You Should Know About the Right of Redemption

Sarah Reynolds

If you are a homeowner with a mortgage, you might have heard about your right to redemption. For those who have been struggling to make their house payments, this is one route that can be taken to avoid foreclosure.  

What is the Right of Redemption?

If you own real estate, making mortgage payments can be hard, but foreclosure is something that most people want to avoid. The right of redemption is basically a last chance to reclaim your property in order to prevent a foreclosure from happening. If mortgagors can manage to pay off their back taxes or any liens on their property, they can save their property. Usually, real estate owners will have to pay the total amount that they owe plus any additional costs that may have accrued during the foreclosure process. 

In some states, you can exercise your right to redemption after a foreclosure sale or auction on the property has already taken place, but it can end up being more expensive. If you wait until after the foreclosure sale, you will need to come up with the full amount that you already owe as well as the purchase price.  

How the right of redemption works

In contrast to the right of redemption, exists the right of foreclosure, which is a lender’s ability to legally possess a property when a mortgager defaults on their payments. Generally, when you are in the process of purchasing a home, the terms of agreement will discuss the circumstances in which a foreclosure may take place. The foreclosure process can mean something different depending on what state you are in, as state laws do regulate the right of foreclosure. Before taking ownership of the property through this process, lenders must notify real estate owner and go through a specific process. 

Typically, they have to provide the homeowner with a default notice, letting them know that their mortgage loan is in default due to a lack of payments. At this point, the homeowner then has an amount of time, known as a redemption period, to try to get their home back. The homeowner may have reason to believe that the lender does not have the right to a foreclosure process, in which case they have a right to fight it. 

The right of redemption can be carried out in two different ways:

  • You can redeem your home by paying off the full amount of the debt along with interest rates and costs related to the foreclosure before the foreclosure sale OR
  • You can reimburse the new owner of the property in the full amount of the purchase price if you are redeeming after the sale date. 

No matter what state you live in, you always have the right to redemption before a foreclosure sale, however there are only certain states that allow a redemption period after a foreclosure sale has already taken place. 

Redemption before the foreclosure sale 

It’s easy to get behind on mortgage payments, so it’s a good thing that our government believes in second chances. All homeowners have redemption rights precluding a foreclosure sale. When you exercise your right of redemption before a foreclosure sale, you will have to come up with enough money to pay off the mortgage debt. It’s important that you ask for a payoff statement from your loan servicer that will inform you of the exact amount you will need to pay in order save your property. 

Redemption laws allow the debtor to redeem their property within the timeframe where the notice begins and the foreclosure sale ends. Redemption occurring before a foreclosure sale is rare, since it’s usually difficult for people to come up with such a large amount of money in such a short period of time. 

The Statutory Right of Redemption after a foreclosure sale 

While all states have redemption rights that allow homeowners to buy back their home before a foreclosure sale, only some states allow you to get your home back following a foreclosure sale. Known as a “statutory” right of redemption, this right as well as the amount of time given to exercise it, has come directly from statutes of individual states. 

In the case of a statutory right of redemption, real estate owners have a certain amount of time following a foreclosure in which they are able to redeem their property. In order to do this, the former owner must pay the full amount of the foreclosure sale price or the full amount that is owed to the bank on top of additional charges. Statutory redemption laws allow for the homeowners to have more time to get their homes back. 

Depending on what state you live in, the fees and costs of what it takes to exercise redemption may vary. In many cases during a foreclosure sale, real estate will actually sell for a price lower than the fair market value. When this happens, the former owner has a slightly higher chance of being able to redeem the home. 

What You Should Know About the Right of Redemption is a post from Pocket Your Dollars.

Source: pocketyourdollars.com

Budgeting

Financial Advice Keeping You Broke & In Debt

Sarah Reynolds

The post Financial Advice Keeping You Broke & In Debt appeared first on Penny Pinchin' Mom.

Financial advice is great – when it is the right type of advice.  There are tips and strategies that can make you money.  However, there is also a lot of advice that will do nothing but keep you broke and in debt.  These are things you don’t want to listen to.

I remember when I was younger, my mom told me that I had to get a credit card because it would be important for any emergencies which came my way.  I followed her advice and got a credit card. And, wouldn’t you know it, the first time I used it was for an emergency. Or, what I thought was an emergency.

I woke one snowy morning and someone had hit my car — and fled. No note on my windshield.  Just a dented door with green paint. I was devastated.  I had worked so hard to afford that car.  Now, here I was having to pay money to get it back to the condition it once was.  Since I was broke, I followed my mom’s advice.  I used my credit card.

I remember watching it go through the reader.  I signed my name and I was done.   When the bill came the following month, I paid that minimum payment. I decided that credit cards were pretty slick!  They were simple to use and it was the way to get what I wanted now and I could just pay for it later.

In hindsight, my mom would have been better to teach me the importance of saving.  That way, I would have cash on hand to cover my emergencies and not rely on plastic.

Sadly, this is the way many people live their financial life. The take the advice of friends and family and follow it rather than listening to financial experts.  Here are some common financial advice myths.

 

BAD FINANCIAL ADVICE YOU MAY BELIEVE

1. Some debt is good to have

I hear time and time again that you have to have debt in order to have a good credit score.  That type of financial advice is pure nonsense.

There is no such thing as “good debt.” Debt is money you owe someone and it is never a good thing. It is, however, sometimes necessary in order to purchase a house or a vehicle.  While not what one would call good debt, it may be a debt you need to have in order to live.

The type of debt no one should have is credit card debt.  Ever.  There should never be any instance where you owe more on your credit card in any given month than the amount of money you have in the bank to pay it in full.

Continuing to accrue debt that you can not pay in full each month makes no sense at all.

 

2. You need a credit card for an emergency

My story above is all too common for many.  The opposite is true.  You can have a credit card, but should not use it only for an emergency.  However, if that is how you plan to pay for emergencies, you are setting yourself up for financial trouble.

We all know that emergencies will happen.  There is nothing we can do to prevent them.  However, the smart thing to do is to plan ahead for the unknown.  This is why a fully funded emergency account makes more sense than a credit card.

If you think about it, having to deal with the stress of the situation is bad enough.  Add to it the thought of increasing your debt in order to deal with it just makes the situation a work.  Now, you not only had to deal with the broken furnace but now, you will have to find a way to pay for it as your monthly bills just went up.

Your emergency fund will come to your rescue when it is needed.  Knowing the funds are there to help cover those expenses will instantly make you feel better when dealing with a stressful situation.

 

3.  Leasing a vehicle is better

This is the one that makes me scratch my head.  When you lease a vehicle, you never own it.   Instead, you are stuck in perpetual car payments. How does that make any sense at all?

The common reason many say they lease is that they don’t have to worry about having an older vehicle.  They know that they are driving a new vehicle every few years.  The truth is, if you take care of your car, your vehicle can last you for years.  I drove our minivan for more than 13 years!  And, when I was ready for an upgrade, my vehicle was 3 years old.  Nothing new here!

If you lease a vehicle for 3 years at $300 a month, you will pay nearly $11,000 to drive the vehicle.  At the end of 3 years, you give it back. You have nothing to show for it.  You have just thrown away $11,000.  Now, you have to either lease again or decide to purchase your vehicle.  You are starting over on those payments.

However, had you purchased a vehicle that would offer you the same monthly payment of $300 for 3 (or even 4) years, you would own your car.  You now have $300 a month income freed up to do with what you wish.

The smart move would be to save that $300 monthly amount so that in 8, 9 or even 10 years when you need a new car, you can pay for it in cash.  This money will also more than cover some of the repairs that may be needed as your vehicle ages.

 

4.  Renting is throwing your money away

If you rent, you probably this financial advice frequently.  It is common for people to feel that it makes more sense to buy a house as your money is going to build up equity in your property.  And, truthfully, for some people renting is a waste of money.

But not for all.

There are situations where you do not have the funds for your down payment.  It could also be a time in your life when you know there will be the potential for relocating to a new city or venturing down a new career path.

By renting, you also avoid the additional costs of home maintenance, insurance, and other expenses which go with owning a home.

The best way to know this one is to look carefully at your own budget and personal situation. If renting works for you, then that is the path you should follow.

 

5.  You should always buy a new car

Turn on any television program and you will see ads sharing low-interest rate payments to lure you into wanting that new car.  These ads make it sound extremely affordable and tempting.  But don’t fall for it.

The truth is that when you purchase a new car, it will depreciate most quickly in the first few years you own it.  In fact, most cars will lose half their value every four years.  For instance, if your car is $25,000 brand new, in just four years it will be worth $12,000.  Add another four years and now the car is worth just $6,000.

You should not be a car that is too old.  Instead, purchase a late model car with lower miles. It will cost less to operate and will more quickly pay for itself.

 

6.  You must go to college

Many high school students believe that they must go to college when they graduate. However, that is not necessarily the right decision for everyone.  Not all careers or jobs will require a college education.  And, if you do not have the funds to pay for it, you can certainly rack up quite a bit of student loan debt.

If you happen to select a career that requires a secondary education, then it can be worth the cost. But, make certain you have the passion needed to carry you through.  Otherwise, you may find yourself amongst the nearly 60% who drop out, you will find yourself left with a mountain of student loan debt and nothing to show for it.

Rather than attend a college, consider a trade school instead.  Or, if you know for sure you do want to go to school, spend some time trying different jobs to figure out where your passion lies.  There is no rule that says you have to start college immediately after you finish high school.  Know what you want to do and then decide where to go for your education.

Getting financial advice from family and friends, be it solicited or not, can be helpful.  However, just make sure that what they say makes sense and do your homework.  Following what they say can often lead you down a path of increased debt and unhappiness.

Please note that I am not a certified financial advisor and the information shared on this site is based on my personal experiences.   It is important you consult with a tax or financial professional for assistance for your financial situation.

The post Financial Advice Keeping You Broke & In Debt appeared first on Penny Pinchin' Mom.

Source: pennypinchinmom.com