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Massachusetts Estate Planning Firm
Have you been thinking about having an estate plan prepared for yourself, or are you struggling with the estate of a loved one who has recently passed away? Or, perhaps you are wondering about how to start planning for your own future. Will you need a nursing home or assisted living facility? What if you fall ill and are unable to make medical decisions on your own behalf? These are important questions which deserve thoughtful, responsible answers. Attorney James Miller has helped many clients with the same issues and questions—although he realizes that each person’s life and needs will be unique, based on his or her life situations.
When you make the decision to plan your own estate or plan for your future or that of a special needs child, your first call should be to the Law Offices of James A. Miller—we have the skills, experience, and resources necessary to ensure your plan fits your life. We believe that your future depends on the planning you do now. Not only do you want to plan for yourself—to save your loved ones from having to make difficult decisions about your care—you also want to plan for what happens to your assets and your legacy after your death. Attorney James Miller knows the ways to accomplish all your estate planning, legacy planning, special needs planning, and nursing home planning goals.
About the Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C.
The Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C., should be your first choice when you are contemplating an estate plan or thinking about how you should plan for your golden years. Estate planning crosses the generations; young adults can benefit from estate planning in the same way as older people. After all, almost all of us have some level of “estate,” even if it only consists of a bank account, a home, and a car. You may be at the age where you have spent a lifetime establishing your career and working to achieve true financial security. Yet this can all go out the window in an instant if you fail to prepare for nursing home or assisted living care.
In addition to the concrete plans you need to put into place to protect yourself and your family, you may also want to consider legacy planning—passing along your values, beliefs, family heirlooms, a family business, family history, and even family stories. While you may not fully recognize how important your legacy is, think about all the things you wish you knew about your family; your parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. If this were not so common, there would not be so many genealogy sites to assist people in finding out information about their ancestors.
No matter where you are in your life, and no matter what type of planning you are interested in, the Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C., can help you. In fact, if you are looking for highly personalized attention and a level of customized legal solutions that can preserve your assets and help you pass on your legacy, the Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C., should be your first choice.
Thousands of clients who have retained our services know that we develop close working relationships with our clients, building a plan around their unique circumstances. We are local attorneys who are fully in tune with Massachusetts-specific issues associated with estate planning and elder law. We are committed to serving the needs of those in Middlesex County, Worcester County, and across the state of Massachusetts. The firm’s founder, James Miller, is originally from the Natick-Framingham area and is proud of the thriving practice he has built in his home state.
Our Estate Planning Services
Elder Law
The practice of elder law has many facets, depending on where you are in your life, and what you want to plan for. Elder law is a sub-specialty of overall estate planning. Elder law allows those over 60 to plan for long-term care, healthcare, retiree benefits, Medicare and Medicaid coverage. Elder law can include long-term care planning, the preparation of a will or trust, overall estate planning, guardianship issues, probate issues, special needs trusts, disability trusts, Medicaid eligibility, and inheritance disputes. There are many decisions that need to be made for those who are approaching their later years—decisions which can be significantly facilitated with the assistance of an experienced elder law attorney from the Law Offices of James A. Miller.
Estate Planning
While most people wait until much later in life to engage in estate planning, in fact, estate planning can—and often should—be done at any stage in your life. If you have small children, it is particularly important that you engage in estate planning to ensure your children are taken care of if you should die or become incapacitated from an accident or illness. Obviously, you are much more likely to die when you are older, but tragedies happen to younger people every day. Planning ahead is always better than not planning at all.
Legacy Planning
Legacy planning involves leaving behind for your own loved ones the many things that are important to you—your beliefs, your core values, your family stories, your family history, photographs, and anything else which tells the story of you. Legacy planning also allows you to protect your assets for your heirs, since your family history may also reside in material goods, such as an art collection, antique furniture, first edition books, or other collectibles. Not only do you want the next generation to receive these items, you want to make sure they fully understand the significance. Charitable planning is also a part of legacy planning. Perhaps you have a long history of charitable contributions to a specific organization, and you want this to continue after your death; you can include your wishes as a part of your legacy planning.
Medicaid Planning
Medicaid (MassHealth in Massachusetts) has certain eligibility requirements that must be met before they will pay for nursing home care, home health care, or an assisted living facility. There are programs you may be eligible for, which can help your quality of life while you are in a long-term care facility. If you still have a spouse in the home, or you simply don’t want to see the assets you have worked for your entire life, go to pay a nursing home, then the time to plan is now. There are ways you can legally transfer assets to preserve them for your loved ones, while still qualifying for MassHealth nursing home benefits.
Nursing Home Planning
In addition to Medicaid planning, there are many other ways to plan for the eventuality of a nursing home or assisted living facility. Your nursing home planning attorney can help you make the plan for your future—a plan which fits your situation, your financial position, and takes into account all the circumstances of your life.
Pet Planning
Have you ever thought about what would happen to your beloved pet in the event of your death or incapacitation? If you want to ensure your pet will continue to be loved and taken care of, you may want to consider pet planning as a part of your estate planning process.
Probate & Trust Administration
Few people look forward to probate—after all, it can be time-consuming, expensive, and it is also a public process. This means that anyone with a passing interest in what you left to whom, can find that out when your estate is probated. There are ways to avoid probate, and it can be helpful to discuss this with your estate planning attorney. If you find yourself having to probate a loved one’s estate, you may have questions that need answers. Either way, the Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C., can help you through probate or trust administration and can help you plan your own estate, so others are spared the same tasks.
Special Needs Planning
If you have a special needs individual in your family, you may want to ensure the loved one is well-taken care of while retaining his or her eligibility for certain programs like Medicaid or SSI. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, including having a Special Needs Trust prepared.
Estate Planning for Young Families
Even if you are in your twenties, if you have a child or children, it is essential that you have some level of estate planning. You will want to name a guardian for your children—someone who will love and care for them in the way you would want. You also need to plan for their financial future, whether for their education, or normal expenses. Estate planning should begin as early as possible, rather than waiting until you are in your later years to think about it.
Why You Should Choose the Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C.
These are serious issues, which require serious thought, knowledge, experience, and the necessary resources to ensure your estate plan or eldercare issue is precisely suited to your unique situation. The Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C., will prepare a plan that fits your life now and can grow with you as your life changes. Contact the Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C., today!
Testimonials
“Very Impressed…
I was very impressed with the seminar I went to. I immediately was taken in by the information and trust I felt in deciding to make a follow up appointment to get all my affairs in order. I felt that attorney Miller was very thorough in explaining everything to me and answering all my questions. In the weeks ahead in calling the office, I was also pleased with the employees that took my calls and were totally there for me.”
-Stephanie
“Our sincere appreciation…
Jim: We want to express our sincere appreciation for the great job you did for Harold and myself. Without your help, it is doubtful that we would ever have identified the true magnitude and importance of estate planning. Your expert approach made a formerly difficult task manageable and successful. Thank you!”
-Bridget D.
Locations
The Law Offices of James A. Miller, P.C.
Worcester
108 Grove Street Suite 2
Worcester, MA 01605
Burlington
1500 District Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
Framingham
945 Concord St.
Framingham, MA 01701