Chawla Legal Group, PLC

03/25/2026

Long-term care costs are rising — and planning now can protect your savings and your family. Our new blog breaks down what long-term-care insurance covers, who should consider it, and key factors to evaluate before buying. Read more: https://wix.to/2JaJ7Wk

The extreme cost of skilled care is leading to many more people looking into additional benefits to help cover those costs. The average cost of a semi-private room in a skilled nursing facility in Michigan currently sits around $144,000 per year, for 2026. Assisted living, home health aides, and in....

03/24/2026

Long-term care can be expensive — and planning now can protect your future and loved ones. Our latest blog breaks down what long-term-care insurance covers, costs to expect, and key questions to ask when choosing a policy. Read more: https://wix.to/2apGOAx

02/25/2026

Real example (names changed):

Parents wanted to make life easier on their kids.

So their trust said:

• $10,000 to their friend Bill for serving as Trustee and Power of Attorney
• Everything else (the “residue”) split 50/50 to their two children

Sounds thoughtful, right?

Here’s the problem.

At the death of both parents, the trust only had $18,000 left.

What happens?

The $10,000 gift to Bill is a specific bequest.
Specific gifts get paid first.

So Bill gets $10,000.

Then what’s left for the children?

$8,000 total.
$4,000 per child.

The parents thought:
“We took care of Bill AND our kids.”

What actually happened:
They accidentally prioritized Bill over their children.

And no — the Trustee doesn’t get to “be fair.”
He legally must follow the document exactly.

This is one of the most common trust drafting mistakes:

People write fixed dollar gifts inside an estate that will almost certainly shrink due to:
• final expenses
• medical bills
• long-term care
• taxes
• liquidation costs

By the time the estate settles, the math has changed… but the document hasn’t.

A better approach is usually percentage-based compensation or a conditional payment structure — not a hard dollar amount that was picked 15 years earlier.

Estate planning is not about documents.

It’s about how the math actually works at death.

The law doesn’t care what you meant.
It only cares what you wrote.

And families end up fighting over that difference every day.

Want to learn more on how to prevent planning mistakes? Leave a comment or send a message. Let’s talk!

For a lot more information on planning, register for one of our workshops! Link in comments.

02/24/2026

Everyone thinks a prenup protects you in a divorce.

It doesn’t.
It helps — but it’s still just a contract between spouses… and divorce courts regularly rewrite those.

Here’s the story not often told:

Judges can ignore a prenup if it feels unfair later.
They cannot divide what you don’t legally own.

That’s why high-net-worth families don’t rely only on prenups — they use asset protection trusts. Trusts that we use regularly in practice for the middle-class as well!

A prenup says:
“Please don’t take my property.”

An asset protection trust says:
“It isn’t my property.”

Very different courtroom conversation.

There’s no such thing as divorce insurance.

But ownership structure comes pretty close.

You don’t plan for divorce because you expect one.
You plan because courts divide assets… not intentions.

Business owners, second marriages, inherited money, real estate investors — this matters more than you think.

Any questions? Leave a comment or send a message!

02/03/2026

Most people think estate planning and elder law are about death.

They’re not.

They’re about control while you’re alive.

✔️ Who makes decisions if you’re incapacitated
✔️ Protecting your home and savings from long-term care costs
✔️ Avoiding court, chaos, and family conflict
✔️ Making sure illness or aging doesn’t wipe out everything you built

Good planning doesn’t kick in when you die.
It kicks in when life goes sideways.

👉 Comment “PLAN” and we will send you a simple checklist that shows what you should have in place before a crisis hits.

01/08/2026

Without a business succession plan, the family doesn’t inherit a business—
they inherit a legal problem that happens to own a business.

If you’re a small business owner and this resonates with you, let’s talk!

01/07/2026

DIY mistakes. Lack of funding. Wrong beneficiary designations. Just a simple Will isn’t going to accomplish goals. “Set it and forget it” mentality on Trusts.

All reasons we offer a Second Look Service.

For $550, Chawla Legal Group will audit your plan, review your intent and goals, and provide you with options to close any gaps.

If you did your plan on your own and want a legal review, or if you used another attorney, but want additional peace of mind, this service is for you!

Call 586-273-7157 to set up a plan review or comment/message “Review” and we will reach out.

01/05/2026

Fun story.

Dad left life insurance to his daughter. He left a note and there was an alleged family conversation about that insurance payout covering the cost of his funeral and to pay off the remaining mortgage on his condo.

Well, now that the money is in daughter’s bank account, she is refusing to pay for the intended expenses. She is using the money to cover her debts instead.

Sound awful? From a legal perspective, she is well within her rights as the sole beneficiary of that policy.

Having that policy cash out into a Trust with those same instructions could have prevented the impending argument about those funds.

For more information on what type of estate planning is right for you, give us a call at 586-273-7157 and get your free 15 minute consultation.

12/23/2025

For those that ask, “why?”

12/22/2025

We often get asked to review and update plans written by other attorneys. Regardless of the reason, this is a service we offer.

It is our Earate Plan Audit service.

What you get:

1. Our attorney, Dinesh Chawla, will review your current plan against our 15 point estate plan audit form;

2. Dinesh will then sit with you to figure out how important each of those 15 points are to your plan - if the item is important and has been identified as “in the plan”, then that point is working for you. If it is important and identified as “not in the plan”, then you have a gap to address;

3. At the end of the meeting, you will be presented with a gap analysis and recommendations.

The fee for this service is $525.

If you have not had your plan reviewed in more than 3 years, you could be at risk of it not working as intended due to life changes outpacing plan changes.

Call today to set up a plan review. 586-273-7157

Chawla Legal Group is mobile and virtual. We will come to you.

11/26/2025

A little humor and a lot of Happy Thanksgiving!

10/13/2025

Join us this Wednesday for our "Third Wednesday" workshop on estate planning. Learn how to avoid probate, navigate wills, powers of attorney, and trusts. This session will also cover key aspects such as business succession, asset protection for small business owners, and Medicaid qualification for long-term care needs. Don’t miss the chance to safeguard your assets for future generations!

https://conta.cc/4ofbz4K

Email from Chawla Legal Group You don't want to miss this complimentary workshop.   This Wednesday, at 12:00pm, Chawla Legal Group will be holding it's "Third Wednesday" monthly workshop. This worksho