Estate Planning

Hey folks, Dale Davidson here—the Dear VA Guy. If you’re a veteran trying to navigate the VA disability claim process, one of the most important documents you’ll need to write is your stressor statement. Some people call it a nexus letter, but I like to call it what it really is: your opportunity to tell your […]

If you’ve already taken the step of setting up a living trust or revocable trust—congratulations! That’s a wise and powerful move toward protecting your assets, avoiding probate, and preparing for the unexpected. But I need to tell you something that may come as a surprise: simply having a trust isn’t enough. You have to fund it. Let

I want to talk to you about something that’s come up a lot lately in my practice—guardianship and how it intersects with long-term care planning, Medicaid, and protecting the assets of a loved one. Whether you’re already serving as a guardian or conservator, or you’re about to step into that role, you may be wondering: Can I

In this blog I want to talk to you about a challenge I see all too often—what happens when it’s time to pass down a family business, but the kids haven’t all contributed equally over the years. If you think that sounds like a recipe for drama, you’d be right. Let’s dig into one of those

I want to share a real-world example of one of the most common trust mistakes I see in estate planning—and how it turned a seemingly simple plan into a legal and emotional mess. This story is a perfect reminder that when it comes to trusts, the devil is in the details. And if you don’t plan for

Back in December 2022, I released a video titled Five Ways to Lose Your VA Benefits—Don’t Do This. Now, despite the title, I actually included a bonus sixth way to have your VA benefits reduced. That video received a lot of positive feedback, so I thought I’d revisit this topic and expand on it with even more

Back in March of 2023, I published a video titled “The Government is Trying to Reduce Your VA Benefits.” At the time, I got a lot of flak from keyboard warriors who accused me of fear-mongering and spreading clickbait. They said these VA budget cuts would never happen. Well, here we go again. On December

I want to talk about a topic that comes up quite often: why elderly parents should not be gifting homes to their children. Now, I get it—when we reach a certain age, we start thinking about what’s going to happen to our possessions. It’s natural to want to pass our homes down to our kids

Hey folks, Dale Davidson here from Davidson Law Offices. I’m so glad you’re here today because we’re diving into something critical—Estate Planning. Over my 30-plus years helping families plan their estates, I’ve seen some real horror stories unfold when proper planning wasn’t in place. Today, I’m sharing nine estate planning nightmares that you’ll want to

Today we’re doing a deep dive into some PACT Act changes that have recently been made official. These PACT Act changes expand the legislation so that it includes even more Veterans (and family members) than it did in the past. Below we’ll explain some of the changes which will hopefully help you and your family.

Let’s talk about a topic that’s been raising a lot of questions and concerns: VA rating reclassification. Back in March 2023, I published a video titled “The Government Is Trying to Reduce Your Benefits,” which garnered over 145,000 views. Thank you for that! While my premise was sound—the government is indeed trying to reduce benefits—the

Hey there, friends. Dale Davidson here—your friendly Dear VA Guy. It’s a great day to have a great day, so let’s jump right into something you need to know about: changes to the VA’s diagnostic codes. If you’re a veteran relying on VA benefits, these updates could directly impact your disability rating and the compensation you

In this blog we’re diving into an important topic that affects many veterans: how to qualify for VA compensation for high blood pressure (hypertension). This is a common condition among veterans and can have a significant impact on your health and quality of life. If your high blood pressure is connected to your military service,

In this blog I wanted to share a couple of letters that came across my desk. These cases highlight some important aspects of dealing with the VA, specifically when it comes to pursuing a Clear and Unmistakable Error (CUE) and understanding the differences between a higher-level review and a supplemental claim. These can be tricky areas to

With the holidays just around the corner, many of us are preparing to visit family—parents, grandparents, and other loved ones. It’s a joyful time, but for those with aging family members, these visits can also raise some tough questions. If you’ve noticed memory lapses, confusion, or unusual behaviors, it may be time to consider whether

In this blog I want to dive into one of my favorite topics—estate planning—and give you my top 10 dos and don’ts. Now, before you think, “Dale, estate planning is just for the wealthy, right?”—let me stop you right there. Estate planning isn’t just for the rich and famous, like the Elon Musks of the

Hey folks, Dale Davidson here, the Dear VA Guy. Thanks for tuning in today! A special shoutout to all veterans and their spouses—today we’re diving into a crucial topic: back pay for VA disability benefits. If you’ve recently filed a claim, you might be hearing a lot about this term. So, let’s break it down

When it comes to filing for VA benefits, it can be an overwhelming process. I’ve helped countless veterans navigate the system over the years and get the benefits they deserve. Here I want to talk about what truly defines effective representation before the VA and why having an experienced Veteran advocate is so important, especially

I want to address a topic that often confuses veterans and their families—where to go for help with veteran services. Do you need to visit your local Veteran Services Office (VSO)? Should you see a VA-accredited representative? Maybe even hire a lawyer? There’s a lot of information floating around, and it can be overwhelming to

When I first heard about pet trusts, I thought it was one of those things that people joke about—another quirky idea for overly pampered pets. But after diving into the topic, I realized how vital it can be for those of us who see our pets as family members, or as we often call them

Hey folks, Dale Davidson here from Davidson Law Offices. I want to share something deeply personal yet universally relevant. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent more time planning your next vacation than considering the possibility of needing long-term care someday. But here’s the thing: 70% of us will need some form of long-term

Hey folks! Dale Davidson here from Davidson Law Offices and I’m glad you visited our blog today! I want to dive deeper into estate planning and discuss the last will and testament, an estate planning document that’s crucial for everyone, regardless of their financial status. It’s a common misconception that estate planning is only for

While the term “spring cleaning” is typically used in reference to projects around the house, spring is also a great time to make sure your estate planning documents are correct. Below we’ll go through our estate planning checklist to help you ensure you have what you need to protect yourself and your heirs. We’ve covered

Hey there, fellow planners and forward-thinkers! Today, we’re shaking things up a bit. We’re shifting gears from our usual discussions about VA benefits to delve into the realm of estate planning and organization. Now, stick with me because trust me, this discussion about creating a road map going to be valuable. Remember the days when

Lately we’ve received a lot of questions regarding having a joint will. They’re kind of rare, but I thought I’d add a blog to give you my spin on them. Generally joint wills are created between a married couple. They make a joint decision as to who is going to get their property, how it

Lately we’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding wills and probate. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding whether or not you have to probate in certain situations. So in this blog we’ll do a little fact or fiction regarding wills, trusts, and in which cases you have to probate. When Do

In this blog we’re going to be talking about estate planning, how to avoid probate, and make sure the right people get your “stuff” when you pass. Personal finance expert Suze Orman once said, “Estate planning is an important and everlasting gift that you can give to your family. Setting up a smooth inheritance isn’t