The Red Wagon Estate Planning & Elder Law Show

The focus on client education at Bellomo & Associates stems from Jeff's commitment to ensuring that what happened to his family doesn't happen to yours. When Jeff Bellomo was a law student and his mother was ill, the family needed information about care options and how to pay for them, but help was nowhere to be found. Today, the free workshops offered by Bellomo & Associates set the standard for...

Putting your house in a trust has many benefits—from financial savings to peace of mind. You can continue to live in the home and control the property. You can avoid the capital gains tax, the 2% transfer tax, and the inheritance tax while still qualifying for the homestead exemption and the Clean and Green tax benefit. And, of course, a trust protects your assets to pass the wealth to your loved...

As we look to 2025, Jeff shares Pennsylvania's updated estate and gift tax numbers. We invite you to attend our free Medicaid workshop to understand how these numbers can affect your Medicaid eligibility. This is also a good time to emphasize the importance of planning for your family's financial future. Be sure to choose a law firm with experienced and licensed attorneys in estate planning and el...

We get great questions from our clients and others daily, so we've put together a potpourri of questions and answers about estate planning. We believe education is the key to making smart decisions, and we are here to help. Check out our website to learn more about our free educational workshops.   Thank you for sending in your questions—keep them coming! Jeff is happy to explain and break things...

Divorce can significantly impact your estate plans, so knowing how to update your documents and beneficiary designations is essential. Jeff discusses the key steps to take after a divorce. He guides us through important topics like updating your full inventory of estate planning documents, protecting assets for children from previous marriages, ensuring the financial future of blended families, an...

In response to listener requests, Jeff explains financial planning options for individuals with special needs. In addition to common estate planning tools, you'll learn about third-party and first-party special needs trusts, pooled trusts, and ABLE accounts. These strategies can help safeguard governmental benefits and create long-term financial stability for your disabled loved one.   WHAT YOU NE...

When Pam Witwer started her business, Lancaster PA Notary, she sought an attorney to act as a strategic partner. After some stealth vetting of Bellomo & Associates, she knew she had found a team with a stellar reputation that shared her values and commitment to customer service.   Pam travels to seniors in the community to provide notary services at their locations. Her work is not limited to seni...

Christine Oyler, Services Planning Coordinator at Bellomo & Associates, is the firm's Medicaid team member. Since 2016, Christine has used her nursing experience and Medicaid knowledge to help clients better understand the Medicaid system and make the best choices for themselves and their families. As part of this work, she sits down with Jeff to discuss some of the lesser-known factors that can a...

Welcome to the second installment of our two-part series on asset protection trusts. In our previous episode, we explored advanced concepts related to the types of trusts established during a person's lifetime. Now we will focus on the options available for setting up trusts after death. There are many important factors to consider, and we want you to be well-informed so that you can make the best...

We're thrilled by the level of engagement we see in our clients and podcast listeners. Your questions are always welcome because understanding the concepts in estate planning and elder law helps you make the best decisions for you and your family. Lately, we've received a lot of inquiries about trusts so we will dedicate two episodes to a deep dive into asset protection trusts.  If you're a regula...

Carolyn (Carrie) Pugh is an attorney with Bellomo & Associates. In addition to elder law and estate planning, she is experienced in family law, custody conciliation, Social Security disability, and other areas that make her the perfect person to sit down with Jeff and answer your questions about the legal guardianship process.     WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (00:00) Episode introduction. (02:40) In Penn...

Fran Gibbons is the senior director of development for the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. The organization serves western, central, and northeastern Pennsylvania, helping people with Alzheimer's disease and all other dementias. Fran's fundraising efforts provide support groups and educational resources while advancing crucial research and public policy initiatives. Th...

Joshua Hummer found that he had a passion for helping people with the intricacies of elder law and estate planning. However, he soon noticed a recurring issue among his clients. While his work fulfilled their needs for wills and trusts, it did not address their deeper concerns about family relationships and values. Recognizing this, Josh developed ways to use estate planning to help his clients st...

Jay Metzbower, Jr., is an attorney at Bellomo & Associates. After 10+ years in civil service, Jay decided to change careers and poured his dedication to community service into his education and the practice of elder law and estate planning. He can often be found leading one of Bellomo's many workshops or discussing with his colleagues the latest laws, regulations, and best practices in the field. ...

Jeff Bellomo has a knack for finding talent outside normal avenues. And so it was when Amber Rivera waited on Jeff's table during lunch over ten years ago. Since then, Amber has been a key player at Bellomo & Associates. As client relationship manager, she exemplifies the very best of customer service ideals. She guides her clients and supports her teammates with competence, empathy, and professio...

Today, many seniors live longer—often farther away from family—and want to avoid continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). They'd rather age at home in familiar surroundings. But, aging at home usually requires some degree of assistance, which can be difficult to find. Jeff's guest, Melissa Ressler, is the executive director of Lancaster Downtowners, a special and creative membership-based gr...

Jeff answers some questions that have been coming up in our conference rooms, workshops, and elsewhere. Generally, if a couple of people ask the same question, then we know that other people are thinking it, too. And, since we're dedicated to education here at Bellomo & Associates, we like to jump in right away and clear up any confusion that might be out there. We want everyone to understand the...

Carolyn (Carrie) Pugh brings a breadth of knowledge and a team-oriented attitude to Bellomo & Associates. In addition to her work in elder law and estate planning, she has extensive experience in family law, youth advocacy, and Social Security disability, among other disciplines. She loves people and helping others, but animals figure prominently in her life as well. Carrie studied animal science...

Jeff welcomes retired attorney and businessperson Susan Hunter. Before developing a state-of-the-art indoor dog park and boarding-grooming-training facility in Nevada, Susan ran a successful elder law firm in Indiana. Back then, Susan and Jeff took time from their practices to co-teach a systematized approach of practice to elder law, estate planning, and asset protection attorneys. Through their...

Jeff's guest is Julie Cassaday, a certified life coach and Level II Reiki Healer, whose unique approach to personal development and empowerment has transformed lives. Julie helps individuals reveal the best of themselves by untangling the obstacles to their goals. In addition to private coaching and Reiki, her work extends to communication and organizational training in workshops, webinars, and re...

Finding the right senior living community for yourself or a family member can be overwhelming, emotional, and time-consuming. Assisted Living Locators is a nationwide network that helps seniors find the community that best meets their needs. Rick Campomizzi, owner of the local Harrisburg-based office, provides free, personalized service and expert guidance through what can be a maze of confusing o...

It's that time of year when Jeff provides the newest and most applicable IRS and Medicaid numbers for tax and estate planning purposes. Many of these numbers are discussed in our free, educational workshops. Jeff also likes to review them here along with related questions we get from our clients.   WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW   (00:00) Episode introduction. (05:50) The federal estate tax limit is now $1...

This is the 2 nd part of our examination of celebrity estate plans. Using the real-life stories of some of entertainment's most famous figures, Jeff teaches us valuable lessons that can be applied to our own situations.    What You Need to Know  (00:00) Episode introduction. (02:56) Singer Whitney Houston created a will in 1993. She died 19 years later with the same will in place. The lesson: Keep...

It might not seem like it, but celebrities are people, too. Their estate plans prove that, just like us, some are forward-thinking and prepared while others fail to protect their assets. Jeff uses the stories of some of the wealthiest and most fascinating figures in entertainment and sports to teach us valuable lessons in estate planning because our legacies matter, too!     What You Need to Know ...

Jeff "inherited" probate paralegal Cathy Montague two years ago when Bellomo acquired a small elder law firm from a retiring attorney. It didn't take long for Jeff and the team to recognize Cathy's experience and value. And it didn't take long for Cathy to embrace her new environment and colleagues. Cathy sits down with Jeff to reflect on her long and impressive career. They discuss how sole owner...