Medicaid preplanning is a strategic approach to protecting your assets in retirement before a health crisis occurs. Through careful planning starting around age 62, Winkler Legal helps shield your assets from the devastating costs of long-term care, which average $10,000-12,000 monthly in Central Ohio. Many families don’t realize how much they can protect through early planning–every day of preparation provides additional protection for your family’s financial security. With proper Medicaid five-year planning in Columbus, we can often protect most of your assets while ensuring access to quality care if needed.
Why Choose Winkler Legal for Columbus Medicaid Preplanning
- Strategic experience in the five-year lookback rule and asset protection
- Proven track record protecting assets in retirement, often sheltering large portions of wealth
- Experience structuring trusts that protect assets while maintaining your access to them
- Clear guidance on protecting both assets and spousal financial security
- Specific strategies tailored to retirees with $100,000 to $2 million in assets
“With proper Medicaid pre-planning, we can help protect the majority of your assets rather than depleting them. Our strategic approach ensures predictable outcomes for your family’s financial security.”
– Dirk Winkler
Pricing for Our Medicaid Preplanning Services
Our Medicaid preplanning services in Columbus typically start at $5,500 for comprehensive asset protection trust planning. The investment in planning can help protect hundreds of thousands of family assets.
5-STEP PROCESS FOR GETTING STARTED WITH MEDICAID PROTECTION PLANNING IN COLUMBUS
- Book a free phone consultation to assess your situation
- Complete our estate planning questionnaire
- 60-minute deep dive meeting ($250, credited to final cost if you proceed)
- Develop a comprehensive protection strategy
- Create and implement irrevocable trust planning
5-STEP PROCESS FOR SUCCESS
Frequently Asked Questions About Medicaid Retirement Planning
The date when you apply for Medicaid, they review all financial transactions from the previous five years. Assets placed in trust before this period aren’t counted for eligibility. However, even if you don’t make the full five years, every day your assets are protected reduces your potential exposure.
Yes. While you give up ownership, you can still live in your home, receive income from the assets. The trust protects the assets while maintaining your lifestyle.
We can still help. If you need care at 48 months, for example, you will only need to expend a portion of your assets to cover 12 months of care costs to reach full five year protection. We would apply for Medicaid only after your assets have been in the trust for the full five-year period. The planning provides value even if you don’t reach the full five-year mark.
With Medicaid preplanning in Columbus, we can often protect the assets that are in the trust for five or more years. You may also transfer assets to the trust any time you want, but those assets will have their own five-year period. For example, with a $1.5 million estate, we might protect $1 million through five-year planning and then shelter additional assets through crisis planning if needed.
The best time to start is when you retire or age 55 or older. Starting early gives you the most protection options, but it’s never too late to begin planning.