My son likes action movies. Especially ones that depict comic book super heroes. It seems lately that there’s no shortage of movies adapting comic book icons to the big screen. This year, one of the biggest such films is the Avengers. The other night, at his insistence, I bought the DVD and sat down to watch the movie.
I remember the Avengers comic book series well from my own youth and the movie lived up to my fond nostalgic memories. But this is no movie review.
Like most advisors, as I watched the movie, my thoughts kept running to the case I was consulting on earlier in the day. Conscientious advisors never stop thinking of the cases they’re working on. If you’re like me, you’re constantly thinking about the case different angles, wondering if you’ve covered all the bases, and dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s.
One of the reasons the people I work with can sleep easier at night is because I’m a firm believer in the team approach to Medicaid Planning. It’s often the case that we assemble a team with a variety of necessary professionals to achieve a successful Medicaid eligibility plan. There are often documents such as powers of attorney or trusts that need to be drafted by local counsel. Most strategies involve the use of Medicaid-compliant annuities (either as part of a Modern Half-a-Loaf strategy or to protect qualified assets) or funeral trusts which are provided by the financial advisor. A CPA may need to be called in when the case involves taxable accounts or helping with cost-basis information or business valuations. The care manager is often critical to working with the nursing home while a Medicaid plan is being developed and in shepherding a case through the Medicaid agency. Everyone on the planning team has a role.
The team approach is a lot like the Avengers. Everyone comes together with their own area of expertise and together they use their unique talents to get the job done for the client. Sure, they might not have super powers, but when a team works well to achieve Medicaid Planning objectives for a client amazing things happen. When a family faces a catastrophic health crisis, they are often caught off guard and look to the Medicaid Planning team to guide them through one of the most difficult times of life and protect their life’s savings. The end result can save them tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands of dollars and make sure a healthy community spouse doesn’t go broke while caring for the spouse in the nursing home.
To that family, you’re a real life super hero – and with the right team, you can rest assured that every base is covered.
To continue with the Avengers analogy, we’re a lot like S.H.I.E.L.D.: our team is here to help you build and support your team. Often we fill in the missing gaps by providing case design support or by connecting Medicaid Planning attorneys with financial advisors and vice-versa and connecting people with critical-need cases to a Medicaid Planning team in their area. We provide training, education, marketing, and support services to help your team reach its fullest potential.
A lot of people out there need real help from Medicaid Planners during these critical times. They need help protecting what they have. If you’re in a role to help them, it’s time for you to suit up and join the team.