Category: August – September 2018

  • August – September 2018

    August – September 2018

    As morning dawned on December 5, 1941, a fisherman cast his net along O‘ahu’s north shore. A college student helped his father open a new business. A volunteer took kids to the beach in Waimānalo. It was pretty much like most other days, for most people. But Sunday, December 7, 1941, would become known as…

  • Overcoming Securities Fraud

    Only one out of every 44 cases of financial abuse among the elderly ever gets reported and even fewer make it to trial. This is the true story of one of those cases.

  • ‘What’s My Line?’ Elder Abuse-style

    “What does a con artist look like?” The answers I receive are oftentimes humorous. Descriptions of used car salesmen and politicians are shouted out, with visuals of “shifty eyes,” bad toupees, rapid speech, and loud aloha shirts added in for effect.

  • By Invitation Only

    Ideally, estate planning is “by invitation only.” Most people misunderstand this to mean that we, as the lawyers, are the ones doing the inviting. In actuality, it’s you, the clients, who are doing the inviting, by inviting us into your unique and textured lives.

  • Boost the Impact of Charitable Giving

    Another way to consider gifting assets is to set up a charitable trust. Trusts can help you manage highly appreciated assets in a more tax-efficient manner while, in some cases, allowing you to split assets among charitable and non-charitable beneficiaries

  • 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.

  • Retirement Planning Q&A

    Q: I’m trying to decide when to retire. Can Social Security help? A: The best place to start is with a visit to the online Social Security Statement. The statement provides you with estimates of benefits for you and your family as well as your earnings record and information you should consider about retirement and…

  • Mobilizing in an Emergency

    The Big Island again finds itself dealing with a large number of people displaced by a lava event. “The fast-moving lava flow from Kīlauea volcano on May 3, 2018, forced 1,500 residents out of their homes and in search of shelter,” says Kimo Alameda, County Executive on Aging.

  • Don’t Let the Vog Bring You Down

    I visited Kīlauea several years ago with my hula sisters for the Merrie Monarch Festival. Walking toward the crater to bear ho‘okupu (offering) for Tutu Pele, my lungs suddenly tightened up and I was literally gasping for air.

  • A Five-generation Caregiver Team Challenge

    I don’t know if anyone is really prepared for family caregiving — it all happens so suddenly,” says Terri Jorgensen of Maui. She became a family caregiver in 2016, when Maui Memorial Hospital discharged her 101-year-old Grandma.