Excuse me -- 'be normal'? Excuse me, - that' no way to start a conversation. Pls. go away or in the alternative, don't participate in threads I originate. YOU can tie your leaves to a stake, I don't care to, don't like how it looks & don't need to. What I'm doing works just fine w/out needing you or your opinion. I am not asking for your help, nothing is broken here that needs you or your fixing. It is offensive & presumptuous of you to keep assuming we're all broken & in such need of your rescue. Continuing to insert yourself & your opinions into discussions where your assistance is not requested is unwanted & unwelcome. "Sansevieria has the fastest turn around for rooting from even dead dried roots over almost any plant in the plant kingdom." One of your more absurd statements to date. Perhaps you could observe the fact that several of us here at Sans. forum simply WILL NOT INTERACT W/ YOU. Jeff: Thx for the rots of ruck rooting ... little 'holder' pot has no ID on it, I've got about 4-5 of 'em -- great for mini-crassulacae, etc. You know how you prop up your cuttings w/ rocks, we'll w/ no yard for rocks, I've found these small pots do a nice job. Helli: Thx for the Fischeri suggestion, I see the older name for that was Singularis. I've got a Sans. from Logees (I think, it was a a gift) identified a Singularis, which looks very different. (When my camera is fixed, I'll try to post pix.) Woodnative, Hi, we're sort of neighbors huh? Wasn't that one of THE strangest weeks of weather you've ever seen?

I think that "avoiding probate" has been *far* oversold as a benefit of living trusts. Living trust proponents, IME, usually overstate how expensive, difficult and lengthy the probate of a simple estate is. I'm a lawyer, I prepare living trusts when requested, and I still think that the vast majority of living trusts do nothing but make more money for lawyers. (I'm happy to take the money, of course, though I nearly always advise against it.) Honestly, if $800 is what's standing between you and a professionally-prepared living trust, I can't imagine that the estate is big enough that probate is a real concern. Living trusts were created as a way for the rich to keep their financial affairs private, because probate records are open to the public. As far as whether a DIY trust will hold up, it may well, simply because the only ones who might contest it are creditors or other beneficiaries. (Though Jim24 is correct that estates are often contested.) If you pay the bills and your entire family (including the children of deceased siblings) agrees with what you're doing, there's no one to contest the trust. Unfortunately, the usual sort of living trust (a revocable trust, where your mother would maintain control over her assets and have the right to change the terms of the trust) won't protect her estate from Medicaid estate recovery. (There is another sort of trust, an irrevocable trust, where your mother would give up the assets and the right to change the terms of the trust, but that has exactly the same effect as giving your assets away. Then you get the stepped-up basis on the house and you have the five-year lookback period for Medicaid.) The bottom line is, many (most?) people are trying to do what you're trying to do - impoverish the parent so that the state will pay for long-term care, while still keeping the assets in the family. The government, not unreasonably, is trying to make sure that individuals use their own money to pay for their own care, as much as possible. I think Chisue's suggestion of speaking with someone at a senior center for advice is a great start. This is a ridiculously complicated area of law, and even lawyers who know far more than I have a tough time keeping up.

Due to the way the capital gains law is structured, you should try to avoid listing a joint owner (non-spousal) of RE assets that have appreciated. I don't believe they get the critical full "step-up" basis that an inherited asset would receive. For those with larger estates, it's crucial to pay attention to the changing limits on Federal Estate Taxes. The limit is $3.5M in 2009. In 2010 there is NO limit (your state of domicile may still have estate taxes due, however). If Congress does nothing the Federal Estate Tax limit reverts to $1M in 2011. Although there is talk they will keep the 2009 limits, NOTHING has been actually decided. I've been the executor of a will and the trustee of a Trust. There is no contest - a trust is easier to close than a will. That said, I mean a **properly done trust** - not a boilerplate document created on the cheap by someone who couldn't be bothered to ask the necessary questions before creating the trust. Our MIL's trust, and our own RLT, was created by an excellent attorney for $2500 flat fee (apiece). This included over seven hours of pre-trust meetings to establish what each trust needed to be, creating not only the two trusts but also the necessary additional documents: pourover wills, financial power of attorney, durable healthcare power of attorney. The attorney also filed the trusts and RE deeds in court to transfer the largest assets to the trusts (we were responsible for transferring the bank checking/savings and brokerage accounts). Neither us nor my MIL have what I'd consider complex financial situations. Nonetheless, the attorney took a great deal of time to clarify goals and customize each trust so that we're fully confident they reflect our individual preferences. I apologize for drifting OT, but for us, a trust will make settling our estate infinitely easier for our heirs.

You need to check to see what is needed in your particular state. You may even have some county regulations to follow.