If you are getting remarried, it is essential to understand your spouse’s inheritance rights and your rights. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). Before you get married for a second or third time, you want to be aware of the rights your spouse will have to your estate and vis versa. We highly encourage that you work with an estate planning attorney to draft a prenuptial agreement, prior to exchanging vows. Then, you want to be familiar with the intestacy laws in you ..read more

According to GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team, ransomware continues to be the biggest threat to healthcare entities. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). Over 540 healthcare organizations reported breaches to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) in 2023. The majority of the attacks were carried out by established groups with well-defined tactics. Historically, healthcare data was considered ‘off-limits’ for hackers as targeting healthcare ..read more

Often, we hear from clients that they want a simple estate plan. What they really mean is that they don’t have the time, understanding, or bandwidth to devote to their estate plan. We understand. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). If you can relate to our clients who are intimidated by the process of estate planning, here are some tips that may help you: Understand that quick “fixes” can lead to a lot more work in the future. Don’t take shortcuts now, that could c ..read more

Sometimes, people will tell us that they did their trust a few years ago so they are done with estate planning. This may or may not be true. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). When people tell us that their estate plan is done, many questions come to mind. Is it irrevocable or revocable? Is it funded? Are any updates necessary? Are all the ancillary documents done (i.e. powers of attorney, advanced directive, etc.)? When we ask about funding, often times, people ar ..read more

The answer to this is almost always, no. Adding someone to your bank account, even someone you trust inherently, can have huge risks. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). When you add someone to your bank account, they have all the same rights and ownership of the account as you. This means, they have full ownership and access to all of your money in that account. If they wanted to, they could completely empty out your account.  They will also immediately inheri ..read more

While it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is also an important time to protect your practice. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). The holidays are often chaotic in healthcare. Healthcare entities are often short-staffed, less focused on work, and experiencing larger incidents of breaches and an increase in patient volume. Unfortunately, cyber hackers and auditors know that the holidays are an ideal time to find healthcare en ..read more

Many of our clients want to protect their children’s inheritance. We help them plan to protect their children’s inheritance. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). There are many ways to maximize your children’s inheritance. One major way is to plan early and often. We work closely with your financial advisor to ensure that you are protected in life and in death. Once you pass away, we often utilize staggered distributions. Staggered distributions provide money for you ..read more

There is a recent trend of physicians charging patients for emails and portal messages. This comes in the wake in a steep increase in electronic communications from patients. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). Health systems that have started charging for patient messages have seen a decline in messages to doctors. This has both benefits and disadvantages. Physicians were swamped trying to respond to online consultation questions, however, now patients are complain ..read more

Exciting news!  This weekend, Lori-Ann Rickard, President of Rickard & Associates will be speaking in Washington DC at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). Ms. Rickard is a renowned speaker, and has presented on a variety of topics, ranging from contracting, to billing, to estate planning and beyond.  Ms. Rickard was a partner in a large Detroit law firm, corporate counsel at Ascension St. John Hea ..read more

While many people think that they don’t need an estate plan, because they don’t think they have enough money, that often isn’t the case. There are many reasons to have an estate plan. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date.  (To subscribe to our blog click here). It is likely that if you are over the age of 18, you need some estate planning. While that may be minimal, such as a Healthcare Power of Attorney and a Financial Power of Attorney and a simple will, these documents can allow your loved ones to be inv ..read more