Local experts write guide book

2009-07-10 / Society

Contributed by Quill Driver Books

Jan Collins Two Columbians

have recently had Next

Steps, A Practical Guide to

Planning for the Best Half of

Your LIfe published by Quill

Driver Books. Jan Collins,

journalist, writer, and editor

and also a writer and editor

at the Moore School of Business

since 1983 is co- author

with Jan Warner. Warner is

the fo u nd ing partner a nd

shareholder of ElderLaw

Services of South Carolina,

P.A./Warner Payne & Black,

L.L.P., a law firm that limits

its practice to matters

Jan Warner affecting the family and the

e lde rly. Th e two are

c o - a ut hor s of " F l yi ng

Solo®," a weekly newspaper

column a bout divorce

and "Next Steps®," a weekly

newspaper column about

matters affecting the elderly.

Next Steps is a book

about advice on how to

secure your future and

avoid costly mistakes. There

are more than 36 million

American s 65 or over and

22 million family- member

ca reg iv ers, a ll g ra pp l in g with the major decisions

that accompan y the latter

st ages of life. Thi s bo ok is

for them.

The books is writt en

by two experts with decades

of experience between

them. The books is a comp

rehensive guide that

instructs readers how to put

together a plan, backed by a

supporti ng cast of professionals,

that will maximize

their options and ensure

their wishes are met on an

array of topics:

• financial power of attorney • health care power of attorney • financial planning • Medicare and Med icaid • guardianships/con servatorships • medical directives • reverse mortgages • living with adult children • avoiding elderly targeted scams • living trusts

Next Steps thoroughly

covers topics such as

c oha bi t at ion , di vorc e,

r em arr ia ge , in ca pa c ity,

medical directives, and long

term care. Al so discusse d

are sensitive issues such as

how to avoid family power

struggles over an incapacitate

d paren t's health- care

wishes or estate, and how to

protect your rights in a