by michelle | Nov 30, 2017 | Estate Planning, Estate Taxes and Gift Taxes
Everything You Need To Know About The New Proposed Tax Changes By Ethan R. Okura & Carroll Dortch On November 2, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was released. It is a Republican-sponsored bill from the House of Representatives that is intended to simplify...
by michelle | Oct 25, 2017 | Estate Planning, Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
Is Medicaid Going Away? By Ethan R. Okura & Carroll Dortch There has been a lot of political changes in the federal government over the past year. With a Republican president in office and a Republican majority in Congress, some people are concerned about...
by Ethan Okura | Sep 15, 2017 | Estate Planning
One of the frequent questions that we hear at Okura & Associates is: “Will I be responsible to pay for my mother’s (or father’s) nursing home expenses?” This can be a scary thought for a working adult who can’t physically provide care...
by Ethan Okura | Aug 31, 2017 | Estate Planning, Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
Did you know that there are some exemptions that you can employ to save on your property taxes in Hawai‘i? One of the most commonly used exemptions is the real property tax exemption for homeowners. If you own a home in Hawai‘i, your property tax exemption is based on...
by Ethan Okura | Jul 24, 2017 | Estate Planning, Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
Recently, the Hawaii State Legislature passed two bills that affect our elderly population and their health care. One was Senate Bill 534, the Kupuna Caregivers Act; the other was House Bill 1396, Relating to Community Care Foster Family Homes, both of which were...
by Ethan Okura | Jun 24, 2017 | Estate Planning
One of the most important things you can do as part of your estate planning is authorizing someone to make decisions on your behalf in the event you become incapacitated and can’t make decisions for yourself anymore. This person whom you authorize is called your...
by Ethan Okura | May 8, 2017 | Estate Planning, Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
Last month we talked about the different types of nursing homes and long-term care facilities available in Hawaii. We covered ARCH, Adult Foster Homes, and Nursing Homes. There are also assisted-living facilities, which we did not discuss, but which are an important...
by Ethan Okura | Apr 23, 2017 | Estate Planning, Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
We have had hundreds of clients over the years who have gone to nursing homes to provide for their care as they aged. Some of them lived full, rich, engaged lives in the nursing home until the very end. Others suffered from severe physical disabilities or dementia...
by Ethan Okura | Mar 6, 2017 | Estate Planning
Spring is in the air! So what does that mean? It’s time for spring cleaning; time to get rid of all the junk that accumulated over the past year; time to deep clean the house and freshen it up. It’s also time to clean up and update that old estate plan! Remember that...
by Ethan Okura | Feb 9, 2017 | Estate Planning
As you may be aware, the United States is one of the most litigious countries in the world. This means more people sue each other in court in the US than almost anywhere else. We have one lawyer for every 252 citizens in the US, as compared to only one lawyer for...
