Tips on Setting Up a Successful Business
Starting a business can seem like a daunting task to some, while others approach the matter without a plan of action, which can result in a disastrous outcome down the road. It is important for every individual planning to start his or her own business to set up a road map concerning how the business…
Before You Buy a Condominium
There are several unique aspects to condominium ownershipthat few people understand prior to buying a condominiumunit. Before you buy a condominium, you should do yourhomework.There are many benefits to condominium ownership. In thecase of most condominium developments, there are no outsidemaintenance obligations to be performed by the unit owner.Gone are the worries of plowing the…
Disability Advocates Breathed a Sigh of Relief as the American Health Care Act was Pulled from a Vote on Friday, March 25, 2017
While this was a victory for disability advocates, we need tounderstand that we may have won this battle, but the waragainst critically needed supports and services continues.Speaker Paul Ryan acknowledged that he did not have the votesto pass the AHCA. Families/advocates need to understand itwas pulled simply because members of the Freedom Caucus(the most conservative…
Home Control and Ownership: Real Homes for Real People
Theresa Varnet and Richard Spain have written a manual onhome control and home ownership for persons with disabilitiesto provide individuals and families with information to assistthem in their effort to secure control over where the familymember with a disability will live and with whom they will live.The manual provides information about government benefits,trusts, estate planning,…
Federal Healthcare Reform Act
As Massachusetts residents and business operators know,then-Governor Mitt Romney signed into law the MassachusettsHealth Care Reform Act in 2006. In March 2010 PresidentObama signed into law the federal Health Care and EducationReconciliation Act of 2010 and the Patient Protection andAffordable Care Act. Collectively, these two pieces of legislationhave become known as the new federal Health…
OUI Dos and Don’ts
This is written for those who, on occasion, enjoy a beverageaway from home and must return there via a motor vehicle.Getting stopped by the police can happen to anyone. Acautionary tale comes to mind. I recall sitting by a window atthe Firehouse Café in Worcester years ago with two friends,one a veteran state police trooper…
Emerging Industry: The Purchase of Life Insurance Policies
Have you decided that you no longer need your seven-digit lifeinsurance policy, and would you like to receive significant cashfor it? A new industry has emerged mainly involving hedgefunds, investment speculators and large investors who acquire lifeinsurance policies with the hope of collecting hefty policy payoffsupon the insured’s demise. The price at which investors may…
Home Control Through Trust and Estate Planning
Living in a home of one’s own is a dream for many but it can bevery difficult to realize, especially for individuals with a disability.With proper planning, owning or renting a home of one’s own isa viable option for even those persons with severe developmentaldelays and/or health and physical challenges. Families can maximizepublic and private…
Social Host Responsibility: What Every Parent of a Teenager Ought to Know
The at-home consumption of alcohol by minors is an age-oldproblem. It has become more problematic in recent years asfamilies have two parents working, or a single parent workingfull-time. Until recently, the illegal consumption or possessionof alcohol by a minor at a private residence was not a violation ofcriminal or civil law. The only exception was…