Author: Scott A. Makuakane, Counselor at Law, Est8Planning Counsel LLLC

  • Don’t Be ‘Buried Alive’

    Protecting personal privacy is generally a good thing, but can also have unexpected results. Consider the plight of a 90-year-old lady (“Nancy”) who was the life of her weekly exercise classes. Nancy was very well known for youthful outlook and zest for life. So when Nancy missed class one day, her friends tried to contact…

  • Smart Charitable Giving

    The people of Hawai‘i are generous with public charities. On the other hand, most of us do not have money to burn. Here are some good ideas about choosing where and how to give…

  • Smart Charitable Giving

    The people of Hawai‘i are generous with public charities. On the other hand, most of us do not have money to burn. The following are some good ideas about choosing where and how to give.

  • What Is a POLST & Do I Need One?

    A POLST is a special document in which you say what measures should be used to keep you alive. The acronym stands for — Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment. It’s different from an Advance Directive in that it will be followed by emergency personnel before you reach the hospital, provided that they are aware…

  • When Should I Review My Estate Plan?

    Unless you keep up with critical changes, your estate plan will become ineffective and maybe even become harmful to you and your ‘ohana. What kinds of changes are we talking about?

  • Blessing or Curse?

    Receiving an inheritance is like winning the lottery. What could possibly be wrong with that? Callie Rogers, age 16, won $3.1 million in a British lottery. By the  age of 22 she was broke, living with her mother, and working three cleaning jobs. William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania Lottery in 1988…

  • Everybody Should Have One

    We have a right to say “enough is enough” when it comes to medical care, including the use of respirators and tube feeding. We also have the right to name who will speak for us when we cannot speak for ourselves. Having a clear and comprehensive advance health care directive is only way to be…

  • Who Gets my Stuff?

    Is estate planning really all about “who gets my stuff”? Your assets may be important, but when you sift through the reasons for doing estate planning, you may find that identifying who gets your stuff takes a distant back seat to far more important considerations.

  • Hiring a Private Caregiver Can Be Tricky

    When hiring a caregiver, you may be tempted to try to make the process as simple as possible by treating the caregiver as a “private contractor.” You tell the person “I will pay you so much an hour, and you deal with the IRS and the State when it comes time to pay taxes.” After…

  • Three Documents Everybody Needs

    There are three estate planning documents that every competent adult living in the State of Hawai‘i should have. Of course, “competency” can be an elusive quality, but once a Hawai‘i resident has turned 18, the law of our State presumes that person to be competent.