- Here’s An Opinion On:
- Residential Parks NSW
Submitted by: Paul J. Sulla, Jr.
When people begin to age, most hope that they will age gracefully. That is: their looks, mobility and health will fade gradually, their finances will carry them through their retirement, and there will be no messy legal disputes about their estate and long-term care. However, as the baby boomers are rapidly exceeding retirement age, more and more elders are finding themselves in a vulnerable position, legally and financially. The foreclosure crises and financial recession of the past five years has unfortunately come with innumerable heart-breaking tales of elders being foreclosed on, evicted, scammed and financially abused by strangers, caregivers, banks, and family members alike. And in almost all cases, the harm that occurred was preventable. Times are tough and elders are easy prey. Finding affordable counsel to represent you and dig you out of such messes once they happen is much harder than preventing these messes with careful legal planning in the first place.
In a terrible indicator of the times, law offices in Hawaii are hearing from more and more elders that should be enjoying their retirement in Hawaii but instead are losing their family home to foreclosure, getting evicted, or ending up with unkind caregivers who they dont want, who have full control over the elders assets. With proper estate planning and proactive decisions in consultation with an experienced attorney anyone can place assets safely in trusts, designate future guardians, and renegotiate debts such as mortgages to prevent harassment from aggressive debt collectors later on, when elders are the least able to defend themselves.
According to attorney Paul J. Sulla, who practices Elder Law, Trusts and Estate Planning, Real Estate and Foreclosure Litigation, every once in a while he does see a miracle. In the past year alone, he had two disabled eighty year olds come to him after foreclosure and eviction proceedings and hours before the sheriff was to come to physically remove them from their lifelong family homes. With creative payment plans, some quick thinking, and aggressive litigation in their defense, including asserting financial elder abuse claims against the banks, the clients were able to not only stay in their homes, but one has had their foreclosure reversed and their mortgage modified to an affordable monthly payment and re-instated and the other bank has offered to rescind the foreclosure. In other words, by hiring an experienced attorney with a focus on elder law issues, these clients actually witnessed what some consider to be the legal equivalent of a miracle: the law firm turned back time.
Rather than waiting for the situation to get extreme and then hoping for a miracle fix, Paul J. Sulla, Jr., Attorney at Law, recommends that elders act now to prevent potential economic and physical harms to them in the future. With a free initial consultation, anyone with their elder years rapidly approaching can gain clarity as to their legal options, and prevent personal disaster. After all, there is nothing more graceful than a well-thought out plan that keeps you solvent, in your home, and with those you want to be with as you age.
About the Author: Since 1973, Paul Sulla has been practicing law in Massachusetts and Hawaii. He is focused on Elder Law, Trusts and Estates, Real Estate Law, Foreclosures & Loan Modification, and Litigation. For more information go to
pauljsulla.com
or call 808-933-3600.
Source:
isnare.com
Permanent Link:
isnare.com/?aid=1831907&ca=Aging}