by Ethan Okura | Feb 10, 2016 | Estate Planning
One of the most common mistakes in Estate Planning is: A person will go to a lawyer (or some non-lawyer salesperson will come to their door) and they are talked into “purchasing a Trust” to help protect the person’s assets and to avoid probate...
by Ethan Okura | Jan 6, 2016 | Estate Planning
Hau’oli Makahiki Hou! (That’s Happy New Year in Hawaiian for those of you reading on the mainland). Here is a 2016 update on important numbers used in Estate Planning and Medicaid Planning in Hawaii. How much money and property can a person have at death...
by Ethan Okura | Dec 4, 2015 | Estate Planning, Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
When people come to us for advice on how to qualify for Medicaid to pay for their nursing home cost, we hear this phrase “Spend Down” all the time. Many people who have researched Medicaid benefits for long term care have heard that they should...
by Ethan Okura | Nov 4, 2015 | Estate Planning
I can already hear you thinking, “Of course I’m going to hear a lecture on why I need an estate plan, coming from an estate planning lawyer!” Well, I decided to check with Google to see what it thought about the topic. I ran the search...
by Ethan Okura | Oct 9, 2015 | Estate Planning
A SHORT EXPLANATION OF THE TRANSFER TAX SYSTEM Have you heard of a Generation Skipping Trust before? Have you been told that it’s a trust that will cut out your children from your inheritance and leave everything to your grandchildren? That’s what the name sounds...
by Ethan Okura | Sep 9, 2015 | Estate Planning
WHICH BUSINESS ENTITY IS RIGHT FOR ME? Last month I wrote about why every American should start a small business—even if it’s just setting up a lemonade stand or buying a condo to rent to tenants. I explained how there are significant tax benefits to business owners...
by Ethan Okura | Aug 10, 2015 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning
WHY YOU SHOULD START A BUSINESS When you are starting a new business there are so many things to think about and so much varied advice that comes from different sources. Some people think the first thing you have to do is register a business entity like a...
by Ethan Okura | Jul 10, 2015 | Estate Planning
IDENTITY THEFT: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America in the past two decades. In fact, last year it was the number one complaint category according to the FTC, with 12.7 million victims of identity fraud in 2014. The...
by Ethan Okura | Jun 12, 2015 | Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs
DOES A LIFE ESTATE STILL WORK FOR MEDICAID? Back in March, April, and May of 2010, my father wrote a three-part series for the Hawaii Herald called “Protect Your Home From Medicaid Liens.” It explained that the best way to protect your home is to...
by Ethan Okura | May 27, 2015 | Estate Planning, Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives
I often encounter clients (or their families) who have some confusion about their rights and responsibilities as a legal representative of a family member or friend. Usually, the person is named as an agent under a financial power of attorney or a...
