Blog

Artificial or the Real Deal

By: Amber B. Woodland, Esq.

A few springs ago, I fell into the trap of purchasing artificial plants to fill my outdoor urns. I was baited by beautiful arrangements displayed in glossy catalogs that timely appeared in my mailbox as the weather warmed and the pollen fell. What a convenient, easy solution to making my patio look beautiful for summer!

Beware: When something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Doesn’t it seem like a great solution to an otherwise time-consuming, laborious, and pricey endeavor? No trip to the nursery, no planting, watering, or deadheading, and no need to spend money on a...

“Alexa, set an alarm for 9:00 p.m.” My mother-in-law Carol takes a medicine at night, that’s best ingested an hour or so before she’d otherwise be sleeping, and best administered at the same time every evening. Generally, she does really well managing her meds, except for an inclination to forget this part of her nighttime routine.

I found myself talking to “Alexa” recently, starting out confident that I could easily program “her” to sound a musical alarm every evening to help Carol remember her pill. “She” had other plans. This funny memory of talking to our smart speaker made me think of a handful of changes we’ve made recently ...

Secured Storage By: Samantha R. Banning, Legal Assistant

Most people consider creating an estate plan as a one-time transaction. They hire an attorney to have a thorough estate plan prepared and invest their time in the process to choose Trustees, Executors, and fiduciaries. Upon completion, the documents are stored in a home office along with all the other “important papers.” Whew. Check that task off the list.

Years later though, after a person passes, family begins searching for all of the important papers, most of which have not been revisited in years, if not decades. The grief and stress during this time, paired with long lis...

The Gray Divorce Boom By Kim Painter Contributed by: Catherine M. Seeber, CFP®, CeFT® Vice President | Financial Advisor CAPTRUST Lewes | Lewes, DE catherine.seeber@captrust.com *Note: This article was originally published at captrust.com/vested. *

During her long marriage, Brenda Frank, 82, says she paid “absolutely no attention” to family finances. The former real estate agent left all the details to her husband, even in the years after he retired, when she was still working. So when he asked for a divorce, 12 days before their 56th anniversary, she was unprepared for what came next: a settlement process that, she says, left her with...

Friends Are Great at Every Age

Some older adults forget to make time for social activities, or don’t yet realize how important those activities are to their overall wellness. Weakness, early stages of dementia, medical conditions, or even loss of friends their own age may make spontaneous activities difficult and could potentially lead to loneliness, depression, falls, or wandering. If you or a loved one are experiencing these challenges, perhaps enrolling in an Adult Day Center could be a solution.

Adult Day Centers, also known as Adult Day Care or Senior Day Centers, are facilities that generally operate Monday through Friday during ...

Research finds that one of the most important things older adults can do to remain happy and healthy long-term is to engage with others on a regular basis. Some older adults feel that their quality of life is greater when they’ve created an active schedule for themselves, but sometimes the activities they are interested in feel inaccessible without support, or no longer interesting without companionship. Remaining active can also assist in managing or delaying the onset of chronic disease. Senior centers provide an opportunity to remain engaged with other adults with similar interests.

A senior center is a type of community program whe...

Will Your “Stuff” Avoid Probate?

By: Donna J. Schuchart, Estate Administration Coordinator

According to Gallup.com the average retirement age in the U.S. is 61 years old. The average life expectancy is about twenty years later around 80 years old. These studies paint a picture of the reasons to strategically plan to have financial means to support yourself during what is hopefully a long period of retirement. Having a strategic plan for what happens to your “stuff” when you pass away isn’t much different.

Any person with “stuff” has an estate. We’re used to believing this term implies significant wealth but in reality, an estate ...

Contributed by: PACE Your LIFE, located at the Milford Wellness Village

Did you know October is Long-Term Care Planning Month? This allows us to create awareness among our community to understand and prepare for the outrageous costs of long-term healthcare. Unfortunately, this is not something many of us plan for.

Knowledge is power, and it is crucial for you to know what long-term care services are available to you and how you will pay for that care if/when the time comes. There is a new resource available to individuals 55 and older that reside in southern Kent and northern Sussex counties (see below for zip codes in our service...

Recipe found at: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/key-lime-cream-pie/

Key Lime Cream Pie

1 package (11.3 ounces) pecan shortbread cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup butter, melted

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup Key lime juice

1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Optional: Maraschino cherries with stems and sliced Key limes

Directions In a small bowl, mix crushed cookies and butter. Press onto bottom and up sides of a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. In a large bowl, beat...

Continuing care retirement communities, also known as CCRCs, fall into the category of long-term care options and are oftentimes a good fit for older adults who prefer to stay in the same location through their aging process. Most CCRCs include levels of living including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care. Some have enrollment programs that will accommodate older persons in their residential home before becoming an onsite resident within the community.

Most adults considering a CCRC move into the community while they are still able to live independently, not requiring much, if any, assistance from the...

PWW Summer Reading List

Several of our team members love to pass their free time reading, and one of the best parts of reading a good book is sharing it with a friend! We’ve compiled a list of books that our team members have enjoyed recently and we hope you find a few titles to add to your list.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

No Exit by Taylor Adams

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Overnight Guest by ...

Meal Options for Seniors in Delaware Contributed by: Mira A. Prisco, 2L , Paul M. Herbert Law Center

My grandmother prepared the most delicious meals and desserts. I may be biased, but her Thanksgiving dinner was second to none. Some of my favorite memories with my grandmother involved standing at the kitchen counter helping her fix meals. When she decided she no longer wanted to cook for herself, let alone for our large family meals, I began to wonder what her nutrition would look like.

It was difficult for me to wrap my head around how my grandmother would eat when she was not interested in cooking. Would she eat at restaurants for...

What Do You Have to Lose? Contributed by: Laura McCreary, Estate Planning Department Manager

Many clients come to us interested in planning ahead for the possibility of needing long-term care in the future. Their interest in this type of planning is related to the fear of long-term care costs. One of the pre-planning tools we use to plan is our Irrevocable Asset Protection Trust. When this trust is used correctly, it allows assets inside the trust to be protected from the cost of long-term care. This trust is designed by the client, also known as Grantor, and managed by the person(s) the client designates as Trustee(s). In short, the...

Elder Law is a specialized area of legal planning meant to guide any adult through lifetime planning, end of life planning, and asset protection planning. At the root of elder law is estate planning. What is estate planning? For many, the concept seems limited to signing a series of lengthy, legalistic documents in order to meet the goals of providing for loved ones, reducing tax liability, and avoiding probate. However, a true estate plan encompasses much more than executing the right documents.

Planning for the future can bring about overwhelming feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and the desire to avoid the topic all together. However,...

Provided by the Social Security Administration:

Dear Colleague,

Ten years ago this May, we launched my Social Security. It started with letting people see future benefit estimates or current benefits. Over the decade, we’ve added and upgraded features to turn my Social Security into a powerful suite of online services that make your clients’ lives easier when doing business with us online.

More than 69 million people have signed up and benefited firsthand from the many secure and convenient self-service options. And they’ve used their account more than 1.1 billion times to get what they need quickly and securely without needing to spe...

Succession By: Amber B. Woodland, Esquire

Raise your hand if you’ve binge-watched a series on your favorite streaming service over the last 2 years? I have, and I would bet that most of us are guilty. There’s just something meditative about retreating to the mindlessness of good television. When you find an entertaining series, it’s like you’ve struck gold.

This happened to me when I clicked over to “Succession” on HBO Max. In this series, leader of his business and his family, Logan Roy, contemplates who’s best fit to take over the highly dysfunctional family dynasty. Is it his son who’s always worked in the business or his daugh...

Serving Those Who Serve Contributed by: Taylor R. White, Estate Planning Coordinator

Procino-Wells & Woodland takes great pride in serving the needs of our active military service members and Veterans. The men and women who serve our country hold a special place in my heart and my prayers as I have observed the sacrifice, honor, and grit they possess for this country and its citizens.

Admittedly, the last thing on my mind as my younger brother prepared for his first deployment was discussing his insufficient, ‘fill in the blank’ estate planning documents provided by the military. In a blur of emotion, fear, and strained positivity, I fou...

A Good Deed is in the Details Written by: Taylor Tallarico, Deed Preparation Coordinator

The average person will spend roughly one-third of their lives working. A 40-hour-per-week career from college graduation to retirement equates to 90,000 hours invested in a person’s occupation. I think about the examples my parents and grandparents have set for me, including the example of working hard to earn the things you want and need.

Oftentimes, those 90,000 hours earn a family the ability to purchase real estate. What begins as a house quickly transitions to a home. For many, our homes hold some of our most precious memories. Home is the p...

Probate Vs. Non-Probate Assets Written by: Aubráa D. Jernigan, Estate Administration Assistant

The Last Will and Testament is a familiar legal estate planning document that allows the creator to record what should happen to her assets at her passing. This document nominates an Executor(s) to carry out her wishes, names beneficiaries to inherit assets, and includes charitable giving and nominations for legal guardians of minors, if applicable. An individual that passes away with a valid Will in place has died testate. An individual that passes away without a valid Will in place has died intestate. In both scenarios, probate is likely ...

Legacy Contributed by: Sherri J. Holder, Firm Manager

What comes to mind when you hear the word legacy? As an elder law firm, you’d probably expect us to say that legacy means an inheritance in the form of money or real property left through a Will. While the Book of Proverbs would agree with that definition, we think a legacy is much more intricate than that. Yet, the context of biblical stories is relevant to how we think and plan for our children and their children.

In the days of Moses, heritage was treasured and usually passed to sons. For daughters or women to inherit they had to petition for their birthright or patrimony. In one p...

Creating an Estate Plan When Your Family Has Debt Contributed by: Emily D. Banning, Estate Planning Coordinator

It’s closing day. Imagine you’re just leaving the settlement office with the keys to your dream home. As you enjoy the tunes on the drive home you hear an ad about the importance of creating an estate plan. The voice in your head chimes in to say, I don’t need to worry about that because these shiny new house keys came along with a thirty-year mortgage. If I have debt, surely I don’t have an estate to plan for.

For Delaware residents, the best end of life estate planning tool is almost always the Revocable Living Trust. L...

Planning Considerations for the Business Owner

My grandmother is going to be 92 this year. I’ve always known her to be a very private person, not wanting anyone, to include her children or grandchildren, to know of her affairs, including the status of her health, the assets she owns or her coveted spaghetti sauce recipe. This has been a sticking point for many years because our family is increasingly concerned with being prepared to help her as she ages or being prepared to settle matters at her passing.

I have come to learn that my grandmother is not an anomaly. Rather, she is part of a group of individuals who choose privacy to p...

Social Security Announces Redesigned Statement -- Now Available with a my Social Security Account

Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, today introduced a new look and feel to the Social Security Statement, available online through the my Social Security portal at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount and by mail. The Statement is one of the most effective tools people can use to learn about their earnings and future Social Security benefits. This fresh look will allow millions of people to see their earnings information and estimates of future benefits quickly and securely.

“One of my top priorities is to provide i...

Your Family Might Not Want Your Stuff Contributed by: Mindi K. Cooper, Estate Planning Coordinator

A few months ago, my family and I were visiting my 92-year-old great-grandmother. Her health had started to decline, and we wanted to spend some time with her while we still had the chance.

Mommom Jeanne was an interesting lady and loved all things fashion. She worked for Strawbridge and Clothier Department store in the shoe department and always had the trendiest new shoes. While we were visiting, Mommom insisted that I look through her closet and that I could have anything I wanted. I tried telling her that I didn’t need anything, and the ...