An Advance Health Care Directive is a set of documents consisting of a Power of Attorney for Health Care and a Living Will, that allows you to make decisions about future health care issues, by allowing you to give health care instructions, select a health care agent  or do both. By using an Advance Directive, you can also make decisions about life-sustaining procedures in the event of persistent vegetative state, terminal condition,  or end-stage conditions. You can also use the advance directive to make any other health care decisions.

You can find various examples of Advance Health Care Directives here.

An indemnity agreement is a contract where one party agrees to protect another party against certain future claims or losses. For example, suppose Jack would like to enter into a contract with Jill to build a playground, but Jill is hesitant because of the potential future liability of such an endeavor. In this case, Jack could chose to indemnify Jill against future claims that may arise due to Jill’s participation in the contract. Jill is protected and Jack gets Jill’s participation. Indemnity agreements will memorialize this understanding and will also set out some of the basic terms of the indemnification. Here is an example of an indemnification agreement.

It occurred to me that with the burst of the housing bubble, many people are now renting out properties that they could not sell. This has turned many property owners into Landlords. Becoming a Landlord can be a rewarding and often profitable venture, if the Landlord is smart about managing his or her property, and is thorough in verifying prospective tenants.

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I know that most people don’t like to think about irreversible comas, terminal illness, ending up in a persistent vegetative state or any other debilitating diseases. Perhaps far worse than the idea of these horrible events, is the idea of putting our family members and loved ones through the tough decision of how to care for us, when we can no longer care for ourselves. However, should these fears become reality, one can be prepared.

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I think it is a sad truth that society, as a whole, has become desensitized to the idea of divorce. Turn on the television and you’re bound to hear about a celebrity who has just ended one marriage and is already planning a dream wedding with another celebrity.

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Unless you were living deep in an underground cave in 2004, you remember the heart-wrenching story of Terry Schiavo and the controversy surrounding her death. Perhaps the only thing more tragic than the fact that the by all accounts wonderful person was living in a persistent vegetative state, was the battle that ensued between her ex-husband and her parents over whether to remove the feeding tube that was artificially maintaining Terry’s life.

If you’re like most of us, this story forced you to confront the issue of your own mortality, and what fate would befall you if you were in Terry’s situation. The good news is this does not have to be a roll of the dice. All of the arguments and heartbreak that took place within Terry’s family could have been prevented had she had a Living Will.

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When considering to whom you should rent your property, the old Ronald Reagan adage “Trust, but verify” couldn’t be more applicable. You may have a good “gut feeling” about someone, but who among us can claim a 100% success rate with our guts?

What should I, as a Landlord do?

Start with the basics. Make sure to use a thorough rental application that covers the applicant’s credit history, references

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When it comes to property division, how you divide your assets makes all the difference. The following are some basics to help ensure that you get your fair share.

“Community Property” vs. “Equitable Distribution’ states

Division of martial property conventions in the United States fall into two basic categories: (1) the “community property” states, and (2) the “equitable distribution” states.

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It occurred to me the other day that many of you might have money that you do not know, or have forgotten about. This money is just sitting there waiting for you. Yes, I know it sounds too good to be true but this is truly legitimate.

It’s called “Unclaimed Property” and according to the Department of Treasury, one out of eight people in the United States have some sort of “Unclaimed Property.” This is usually money, but sometimes it’s also stocks, or other types of securities that belong to you. It could be money that was sitting in an old bank account that you forgot about or a deposit you had with the phone company that you never got back.

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