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Mike Wells: Minimize your risks at home and on the road
Families today face many risks. Some are obvious, such as the risk posed by careless and reckless drivers or drivers under the influence. But some are less apparent, such as the risks that can be found around our homes.
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Mike Wells: How far will $1 million take you?
Q: Much has been made about how a million dollars saved for retirement is not what it used to be. It is often said that with safe withdrawal rates of 3 percent to 4 percent, you will have to stretch your money to live well in your later years. What I don't seem to get is this: If you have no children, and just your partner to take care of so you don't need any left at the end, can't you just spend the money down faster?
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Injuries on your property
What if someone gets hurt on your property? Could you be held responsible?
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Mike Wells: Common family legal problems
Legal Advice: common family legal problems
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Legal protection can help elders
So many families today have an older loved one who may have lost their ability to look after their financial affairs and to manage their personal physical care. Often, the loved one, who does not want to be told what to do, will fight any effort to give up control of his or her own life.
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Mike Wells: What you should do in early 2011
There are things that each of us can do to make our lives better. Some changes we make have more of a lasting impact than others. It is those to which we should devote our most concerted efforts. Here are a few of them:
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Holiday Craze: Simple steps will keep lawyers away
Through December and until after the first few days of the New Year, we have a lot of ground to negotiate. Here are some suggestions on how to avoid any legal snares along the way:
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BY THE BAR: Pamphlets cut out legalese
There are ways to learn about a variety of important legal topics without hiring an attorney.
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MEDICAID DETAILS: Knowing the rules helps greatly
Medicaid is a federal and state program that, among other things, provides a safety net for families regarding nursing-home expenses. Medicaid is different from Medicare. Generally, Medicare pays for medical bills.
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Employers have duties under law
North Carolina is an "at will" employment state. That means that employers have much more discretion in the reasons for which the company can let employees go, and in various policies related to employees.
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Spring cleaning goes beyond obvious chores
This is the season for spring cleaning in and around our homes. But it is not just our closets and windows that need attention.
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LEGAL LINGO: The right words are sometimes confusing
Legalease. Everybody despises it, including lawyers. It is often necessary, unfortunately, to adequately describe complicated matters.
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CHECKUP TIME: Legal and financial review is in order
The New Year can give us a fresh start to focus on matters of importance in our lives. In addition to our physical health, our legal and financial health should be examined, too.
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Mike Wells - Speak Up: Tell supervisor of injury
We discussed in the last column the basic elements of a workers' compensation (on the job) claim. This column addresses the most likely areas of disagreement between the injured employee and the employer and his insurance company.
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Hurt on the job? Report it to employer right away
The N.C. Workers' Compensation Act sets forth the duties and responsibilities that employers and employees have when an employee is injured on the job.
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Assessing injuries: Don't be rushed into making settlement
We have addressed in recent columns motor-vehicle law issues that confront virtually every driver in North Carolina: What do you do when you have been involved in a mishap? And if you have property damage, how do you go about getting a fair settlement of your property-damage claim?
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In a Wreck? Insurance companies at advantage
Virtually everyone who owns a motor vehicle has been involved in a fender bender at some time. More often than not, no one is hurt, so there is no real need to hire an attorney to assist in negotiating with the insurance company for the at-fault party.
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Proper paperwork should be in the car
A little known piece of courthouse trivia is that court matters involving the use and misuse of motor vehicles account for the single greatest number of filings in civil and criminal courts in North Carolina.
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Defensive: Even good drivers need enough insurance
If you are involved in a serious motor-vehicle accident that is not your fault, and there is inadequate liability coverage for the at-fault driver, the adverse economic effect on you can be significant.
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Is It Time? Tips can help with refinancing
The rapid changes in our economy have created a number of difficulties, but the reductions in the mortgage interest rates for our home mortgage may create a positive economic opportunity for many of us if we go about it in a thoughtful way.
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A Service: Power of attorney requires diligence, responsibility
One of the most important estate- and financial-planning documents that attorneys and other professionals recommend is a durable, or financial, power of attorney. This document allows you to give another person (generally called an agent, or attorney-in-fact) the ability to act on your behalf concerning various financial and business issues.
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You and the Law: Knowing your legal rights is all-important in divorce cases
Sadly, nearly one half of the marriages in our country end in divorce. When parties cannot seem to get along, they would be wise to invest more in marriage counseling than they do. If both parties work diligently to resolve their differences, studies show, the marriage has a decent chance of surviving, and maybe even growing.
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Bankruptcy: It should be a last resort
The challenging economy has forced many families to consider filing bankruptcy as a way to put their financial woes behind them. Although it is not a remedy anyone should consider except as a last resort, bankruptcy does provide an opportunity to start over financially.
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You and the Law: Parent's move to senior-care center merits review of finances
The transition of a family member from his home of many years to a senior-care facility has "a lot of moving parts," as my dad used to say. The selection of a senior-care facility requires some research and an examination of one's options.
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Update: N.C. alters health-care document
In our last column, we discussed a living will, an important estate-planning document. In this column, we will discuss another important document, a health-care power of attorney, which works in conjunction with a living will.
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