Next Steps: A Practical Guide to Planning for the Best Half of Your Life
The authors of a nationally syndicated newspaper column on elder law have written a book based on decades of experience helpi...
Read moreKaren Jones. Death for Beginners: Your No-Nonsense, Money-Saving Guide to Planning for the Inevitable . Linden Publishing. Fresno, CA. 2010. 244 pages.
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This is the one "how-to" book that no one wants to believe they'll need -- but if the past is any guide, it covers a topic that all of us will encounter eventually. Burial or cremation? Funeral or memorial service? Organ donation or body farm? The choices are numerous and without some guidance and advance planning, our loved ones may be consumed with anxiety about what to do, and in the rush to take care of myriad details they may end up spending far more on our demise than necessary.
In Death for Beginners, author Karen Jones takes we the living through all the options involved in exiting this mortal coil, presenting the costs, the pros and cons, and crucial "how to" information. And in doing so Jones accomplishes the seemingly impossible -- she has written a book about death that's actually fun to read. Her breezy, conversational style is peppered with humorous asides (in the section on organ donation she laments that fat cells can't yet be donated), and she gives readers frequent breaks from the morbid subject at hand by presenting strange facts and oddities, such as the brutally honest 2008 obituary for one Dolores Aguilar.
Topics covered include the many different ways to dispose of the body, choosing a funeral home, planning a memorial service, composing an obituary, writing a will and dealing with grief. Along the way Jones provides ample information for holding one's own against the funeral industry and addresses important questions we perhaps never knew we had. Is embalming necessary? Which is more "green": cremation or green burial? Can one take cremated remains on an airplane? Readers learn that Costco sells caskets (now starting at $949.99), that one person can save or enhance up to 60 lives through organ and tissue donation, and that cell phone addicts can order a wooden coffin in the shape of a Nokia phone that was hand-sculpted by the famous Ga coffin carpenters of Accra, Ghana. (No word on choice of ring tone.)
The book's appendices include worksheets that, if completed, will make it easy for loved ones to divine anyone's after-death predilections and provide a clear road map for them to follow. An accompanying Web site, DeathforBeginners.com, gives a trove of links and updates, as well as downloadable versions of the book's worksheets.
Paradoxically, reading Death for Beginners and applying its advice may enhance your remaining years, as you'll be secure in the knowledge that you and your loved ones are well prepared when you finally move from Beginner to Expert.
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Read moreIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MOREIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
READ MOREDistinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.
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READ MOREWe need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.
READ MOREDistinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.
READ MORELearn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.
READ MOREUnderstand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.
READ MOREWe need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.
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READ MOREUnderstand the ins and outs of insurance to cover the high cost of nursing home care, including when to buy it, how much to buy, and which spouse should get the coverage.
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READ MOREGet a solid grounding in Social Security, including who is eligible, how to apply, spousal benefits, the taxation of benefits, how work affects payments, and SSDI and SSI.
READ MORELearn how a special needs trust can preserve assets for a person with disabilities without jeopardizing Medicaid and SSI, and how to plan for when caregivers are gone.
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