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  • Deborah Hoskins, JD, CFP
    The Wise and the Wary

    Who can you trust? Deb hears this question over and over again in her professional practice as an elder law attorney and a fee-only, holistic financial planner. Let Deb teach you how to protect yourself and your assets from those who might not have your best interests at heart. [Editor's note: Deb no longer contributes to Silver Planet, but we have made her archived blog entries available as a service to our readers.]


PACE: Services Are the Focal Point

Who pays depends on income eligibility

By Deborah Hoskins, JD, CFP
PACE services are offered at the client’s home, the PACE Day Center, and in the community in general. The day center offers on-site physician and nursing care, prescription drug dispensing, lab work and X-ray services, and basic dental care. The center also provides physical, occupational, and recreational therapy; behavioral health assessment and counseling; social work; and dietitian-directed meals. Read More >>


PACE: A Team Effort

Holistic care catches any changes in client

By Deborah Hoskins, JD, CFP
The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provides “one-stop shopping” for seniors’ health care and much of their social well-being as well. Every PACE client has an interdisciplinary team of professionals at the PACE Day Center that oversees the client’s well-being. This team includes a physician, registered nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, recreational therapist, home health nurse, personal care assistant, social worker, and dietitian as well as mental health personnel and transportation staff. Read More >>


PACE: An Overview

Program of care helps keep seniors at home

By Deborah Hoskins, JD, CFP
Last week, I attended a seminar for elder law attorneys on an innovative program for senior care. The model has been around for almost 30 years, and Medicare and Medicaid funding has been available for the program since 1992. Yet few of us have our clients in the program. Indeed, only about 15,000 seniors across the country have enrolled. I’m talking about the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. Read More >>


How to Dig Out of Debt, Part 2

Paying only with cash changes your outlook

By Deborah Hoskins, JD, CFP
Have you lived without your credit cards for the last week? Has it seemed rather mid-20th century, or even un-American, to go “cash only” for all of your purchases?

If it feels odd, just remember that your ancestors lived this way for all of history; consumer debt is a recent luxury. You may also feel like a little kid again, carrying your weekly allowance around in your pocket for purchases. Trying anything new is bound to feel strange until it becomes a new habit. Read More >>


How to Dig Out of Debt, Part 1

Overspending and income levels are not necessarily correlated

By Deborah Hoskins, JD, CFP
At the end of 2008, the total credit card debt of Americans exceeded $972 billion. For those households that had a credit card, the average outstanding credit card debt was $10,679. Uninsured medical expenses, lost jobs, and other emergencies no doubt contribute to many Americans falling behind. However, overspending—otherwise known as deliberately living beyond your means—is a significant cause as well. Read More >>