Michigan Long-Term Care Planning Law Firm
Plan Ahead for Quality Care Without Losing Your Savings
At Rutkowski Law Firm, we help Michigan families prepare for future care needs, protect assets, and preserve dignity—through proactive long-term care planning.
Trusted by Over 450 Clients with a 4.9 Star Rating
This practice is amazing. I was calling for information for my mother's elder care legal situation. She is in Indiana and no other firm would talk to me since I am here in Michigan. Kevin put me on hold and came back with resources for me in Indiana with helped us tremendously! Very impressed. I would use and recommend them in a heartbeat. Highly recommend!
I needed to get paperwork done for power of attorney and medical power of attorney while the person was in the hospital. They expedited everything with a Zoom meeting.
Real Life, Real Lessons
How Planning Ahead Saved a Family’s Home
Because they reached out before the crisis peaked, we were able to use Medicaid-compliant strategies to protect the home for the healthy spouse, preserve assets for future needs, and qualify for benefits without losing everything.
Long-term care planning isn’t just about protecting money—it’s about protecting options, dignity, and peace of mind.
Protect Your Assets and Your Care Choices
What Long-Term Care Planning Covers
We help you navigate care options, understand costs, and put legal and financial protections in place—so you get the care you need without impoverishing your spouse or losing your legacy.
- Medicaid Planning :
- Qualify for benefits without losing everything you’ve worked for.
- Asset Protection Strategies :
- Protect your home, savings, and retirement accounts from being drained by care costs.
- Spousal Protections :
- Ensure the healthy spouse can remain financially secure while the other receives care.
- Long-Term Care Insurance Review :
- Evaluate whether your current or potential coverage fits your care and financial goals.
Who Especially Needs Long-Term Care Planning?
Planning Ahead Is Especially Important If You–
- Own a Home or Significant Assets :
- Protect property and savings from being spent down on care.
- Have a Spouse or Dependent :
- Ensure they remain financially secure if you need extended care.
- Have a Family History of Illness :
- Plan ahead for conditions that may require costly care.
- Want to Choose Your Care Setting :
- Keep the option of in-home care or preferred facilities open.
Comparison
Estate Planning vs. Life Insurance Alone — Why You Need Both
Life insurance provides money, but it’s your estate plan that decides how, when, and to whom it’s given — and protects it from loss along the way.
Control Over Distributions
With an Estate Plan: Directs exactly who gets what, when they receive it, and under what conditions.
Life Insurance Alone: Payout goes directly to named beneficiaries, even if circumstances have changed.
Protection for Beneficiaries
With an Estate Plan: Can shield money from creditors, divorce, or poor money management through trusts.
Life Insurance Alone: Lump-sum payout can be lost to debt, lawsuits, or impulsive spending.
Covers All Assets
With an Estate Plan: Coordinates insurance with home, savings, investments, and business interests.
Life Insurance Alone: Only covers the death benefit — leaves other assets unprotected.
Avoids Probate
With an Estate Plan: Keeps all assets — not just insurance proceeds — out of costly, public probate.
Life Insurance Alone: Only bypasses probate for the policy payout; other assets may still go through court.
Special Provisions
With an Estate Plan: Creates trusts for minors, special needs beneficiaries, or multi-stage distributions.
Life Insurance Alone: Minors may require court-appointed guardians; special needs benefits can be disrupted.
Tax Strategy
With an Estate Plan: Uses gifting strategies and trusts to reduce estate taxes and preserve more wealth.
Life Insurance Alone: No tax planning beyond policy design.
Our Process for Long-Term Care Planning
From your first call to fully implementing your care and asset protection strategy, we make the process clear, compassionate, and focused on your family’s future.
Step 1: Book Initial Consultation
- Connect with our Customer Success Team by phone or online to schedule your consultation.
- Call us directly or request a call back at a time that works for you.
Step 2: Initial Call
- Meet with our legal team to review your goals, family dynamics, and assets.
- We’ll listen without judgment and explain options in plain English.
Step 3: Strategy & Plan Design
- We compare wills, trusts, probate avoidance, asset protection, and tax considerations.
- You receive a clear action plan with steps, timelines, and expected outcomes.
Step 4: Plan Implementation
- We draft and review documents, coordinate signings (virtual or in person), and guide funding.
- If needed, we align with your financial advisor and CPA to keep everything in sync.
Step 5: Funding & Beneficiaries — The Step Most Firms Skip
- We don’t just create your trust and wish you luck. Our team works with you to transfer assets into the trust, update beneficiary designations, and make sure every account and property is titled correctly.
- An unfunded trust can fail — costing your family time, money, and stress in probate. We make sure yours is ready to work from day one.
Step 6: Ongoing Support
- We check in, review changes in life or law, and update your plan when needed.
- You’ll have a trusted partner for the long term.
Estate Planning Guide
Estate planning protects your assets and makes sure your estate is distributed according to your wishes after your death.
Read the top 10 most common mistakes our estate planning team sees. Free to read, right on the page. No download or email required.
Common Questions About Long-Term Care Planning
Guiding the Firm, Protecting Families
Whether you need a will, trust, asset protection plan or are in need of medicaid crisis planning, our team is here to help! We are dedicated to providing you with the best legal representation possible. Call us today to book your consultation.
Meet the Whole Team
Estate Planning for Michigan Families
Don't leave your family with a useless binder.
Most firms hand you a template and expect you to do the work. We provide a Done-For-You process that handles Trust Funding and Asset Protection.
We specialize in protecting your home from the 5-Year Medicaid Look-Back, ensuring your house stays in your family and out of the state's hands. Plan now so you never become a burden to those you love.
Pick a time for your call
Choose a day and time below and our customer success team will call you then. It takes about 15 minutes, there is no cost, and no legal preparation is required.
What to expect: this is a short phone call (about 15 minutes) with our customer success team, not a Zoom meeting or a meeting with an attorney. We'll learn what you need and schedule your consultation, in person at one of our offices or by Zoom, at a time that works for you.
Loading availability…
Prefer to talk now? Call 248-792-9193.
Where We Serve Michigan Families
Serving all of Michigan by video
Rutkowski Law Firm's offices are in Troy and Rochester, but we work with families everywhere in Michigan, from Ann Arbor to Marquette. Every meeting can happen over Zoom, and a virtual notary handles the signing. So you can work with the team behind more than 400 Google reviews, rated 4.8 stars, without ever making the drive.
The tax-free VA benefit you might be leaving on the table
Why combat service isn't required to qualify for thousands in monthly long-term care assistance.
Founder / Attorney
Don’t let a Michigan Medicaid spend-down destroy your estate plan
How to qualify for long-term care benefits without sacrificing your family’s multi-generational goals.
Founder / Attorney
Is your estate plan a "death document" or a "life document"?
Why a standard Will or Trust isn't enough to protect your savings from the $12,000/month cost of long-term care.
Founder / Attorney