513-721-1513 | ZimmerLawFirm.com October 2026
The Right Insurance, Ownership, and Trust Strategies Can Safeguard Your Assets Asset protection is not just for wealthy families, people with complicated estates, or people in risky businesses. Ordinary risks that affect any of us can turn into expensive problems. What You’ve Built — Before Trouble Strikes
Long-Term Care Insurance Asset protection isn’t only about lawsuits. We also see families lose a great deal to nursing home and assisted living costs. In Ohio, 2025 data from a Genworth study put the median annual cost in Ohio at about $110,230 per year for a semi-private room, and about $124,666 median cost per year for a private room (skilled nursing care). For assisted living, it was about $73,230 median annual cost per year (see Investor.Genworth.com/news-events/press-releases/ detail/1054/carescout-releases-2025-cost-of-care-survey-results). Long-term care insurance can help cover these costs. These policies are designed to pay for extended care, including assisted living, nursing home care, or care at home. For some families, that coverage is the first and best layer of protection. The problem is that not everyone qualifies, and some older policies no longer come close to the current daily cost of care. Medicaid Pre-Planning for Asset Protection More and more people today are planning for costs of long-term care while they are healthy by making a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT). These trusts are effective because Medicaid is a resource-based program. If you don’t have enough resources to pay for cost of care without impoverishing your spouse, an MAPT made at least five years before applying for Medicaid assistance can protect a family’s wealth. Unmarried persons can benefit as well. That means reviewing what you own, how those assets are titled, and identifying those assets that could be protected with an MAPT before future care bills force a spend-down. When done properly and in observance of the rules, MAPTs can be very effective. It’s not a last-minute fix, and it has to be planned carefully. For the right client, though, it can be one of the strongest tools available to preserve assets that long-term care costs might otherwise consume. If you haven’t reviewed your liability coverage, ownership structure, or long-term care plan in a while, call our office and schedule a review. It’s better to find weak spots now than after a crisis begins.
It might be a serious car accident, a claim involving a rental house, a business dispute, or a nursing home stay that lasted far longer than anyone expected. These events can do real damage to savings if a family has not planned ahead. The point is not to hide assets or create a complicated legal structure. It’s to make sure you have the appropriate layers of protection in place before something goes wrong. Insurance and Umbrella Coverage For most people, liability insurance is a good place to start. Auto and homeowners coverage are the first line of defense if someone is injured in an auto accident or on your property. That sounds obvious, but it’s where many people fall short. Depending on your current situation, policy limits that seemed reasonable years ago may not look so strong today. Plus, older policies may not cover all risks consumers typically face. An umbrella policy adds coverage above the limits on your underlying liability policies. If a claim is larger than your auto or homeowners insurance can handle on its own, that extra layer can give you more breathing room before a claim starts reaching your own assets. It is usually affordable and readily available, making it a prudent option for many people. Business and Property Protection For business owners and people who own rental or commercial real estate, the risk is often greater. Insurance is still essential, but it’s typically not enough on its own. Planning for such people should be to ensure that a claim tied to a business or property doesn’t affect personal assets. Or that a personal claim does not affect business or investment assets. That’s where smart ownership structure and property titling come in. A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is the entity that comes up most often in these situations. Used properly, it can help contain liability connected to a business or rental property and protect investments from personal claims against its owners. Irrevocable trusts may also be a powerful solution, especially for clients who want a deeper layer of protection.
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Leaving an inheritance is one of the most personal acts of love a parent can offer. But what happens when you don’t intend to divide it equally among your children? Parents choose unequal inheritances for many valid reasons. One child may be significantly more financially secure than the others. A child may have provided years of caregiving or lived with the parent later in life. Some families have children with special needs who require extra support, or one child may already have received a substantial gift, such as help with a business or a down payment. Blended families and estranged relationships can add even more complexity to the already difficult decision. An unequal inheritance usually isn’t what causes conflict after a parent passes. It’s the silence around it. When heirs are left to guess why, hurt feelings and disputes follow, but there are strategies that can help protect your wishes and your family’s relationships. Start by working with an estate planning attorney to put your intentions in writing, clearly and specifically. Vague language leaves room for THE ESTATE PLAN THAT NEEDS AN EXPLANATION Leaving an Unequal Inheritance Without Family Conflict
interpretation, and interpretation is where conflict begins. If you’re reducing what a specific person gets or leaving out an heir entirely, avoid doing so without explanation. A personal letter included with your legal documents can also help soften the emotional impact. Even though it carries no legal weight, a sincere explanation of your choices can reduce hurt and confusion more effectively than financial details alone. Honest conversations with your heirs may also prevent misunderstandings down the line. In situations where conflict is likely, appointing a neutral executor or trustee can ensure fair decisions and prevent family members from feeling caught in the middle. The families who handle this well aren’t the ones who split everything evenly. They’re the ones who leave nothing unexplained. That’s the part worth getting right, and it’s something the right legal guidance can help you put in place.
WHEN A TINY DOG MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
Meet the Chihuahua That Helped Save Its Owner’s Life in the Swiss Alps
Sometimes, a lifesaving hero weighs less than 10 pounds, has four tiny paws, and refuses to leave their favorite human’s side. That’s exactly what happened recently in the Swiss Alps, where a determined Chihuahua proved that courage has nothing to do with size. According to Air Zermatt, a Swiss rescue, training, and transport company, a man was exploring the Fee Glacier when he broke through a snow bridge and plunged nearly 26 feet into a hidden crevasse. Thankfully, he had a walkie-talkie and managed to contact someone nearby, who alerted emergency responders. There was just one problem: No one knew exactly where he fell.
man had fallen. Rescuers rappelled down, safely pulled him out, and flew both the man and his loyal companion to a nearby hospital. According to Air Zermatt, the Chihuahua’s persistence made all the difference. Air Zermatt spokesman Bruno Kalbermatten summed it up best: “Imagine if the dog wasn’t there. I have no idea what would happen to this guy. I think he wouldn’t survive this fall into the crevasse.” The company didn’t hesitate to give credit
where it was due, calling the Chihuahua a “four- legged hero” that likely saved its owner’s life. Stories like this are a wonderful reminder that our pets often understand far more than we realize. They comfort us when we’re sad, celebrate us when we come home, and, every now and then, remind the world that loyalty is one of the greatest superpowers of all. So, the next time someone jokes that Chihuahuas are all bark and no bite, you can tell them about one fearless little dog that helped rescuers find its owner.
For about 30 minutes, a rescue helicopter searched the vast glacier without success. Then someone on the rescue crew noticed something unusual … a tiny, fluffy Chihuahua pacing back and forth on a rock. That little dog wasn’t wandering aimlessly. It was waiting. The rescue team flew closer, and as they focused on the Chihuahua, they finally spotted the opening to the crevasse where the
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In 1587, more than 100 people stepped off a small ship onto an island. Within three years, every single one of them was gone. They left no graves, wreckage, or signs of trouble, only a single word carved into a wooden post for whoever came looking. That colony was Roanoke, located off the coast of present-day North Carolina. John White led the expedition, funded by Sir Walter Raleigh. In total, 90 men, 17 women, and nine children made the crossing. Among them was White’s own daughter. Days after they landed, his granddaughter, Virginia Dare, became the first English child born in America. Soon after, the colonists convinced White to sail home for supplies, and he fully intended to return within months. Instead, war intervened. The Spanish Armada was bearing down on England, and Queen Elizabeth refused to release ships that might be needed for battle. White couldn’t return to Roanoke for three years. When he finally arrived in 1590, the settlement had been abandoned. The colonists had vanished without a trace, leaving behind just one mysterious clue. The word “CROATOAN” was carved into a wooden post, while the letters “CRO” had been etched into a nearby tree. White had told the colonists to carve a cross if they were in danger, but no cross was found anywhere. A storm rolled in before he could investigate further, and no European ever saw the colonists again. Historians have been searching for the answer to this mystery for centuries. The carvings they left behind led some to believe the colonists moved to nearby Croatoan Island, which is now called Hatteras Island. Others argue they moved toward the Chesapeake, as originally planned, or split apart and settled farther inland among the Tuscarora and Chowanoc. Modern archaeology has added new pieces to the puzzle. Archaeological excavations on Hatteras Island and in inland North Carolina have uncovered English pottery, a gold signet ring, and evidence of blacksmithing alongside Native American artifacts, suggesting the two cultures may have lived together. Many researchers now believe the colonists may not have vanished at all. Instead, at least some may have left Roanoke and been absorbed into the Native communities around them. Four centuries later, America’s oldest mystery may not be the tragedy most believe. It might be a story still waiting for an ending. ROANOKE’S VANISHING ACT STILL BAFFLES HISTORIANS The Colony That Disappeared
TAKE A BREAK
AUTUMNAL BLACK CAT CINNAMON CORNFIELD EERIE FOLIAGE HAUNTING HORROR LATTE MARIGOLD OPAL TWILIGHT
Cider-Braised Chicken
Ingredients
• 4 slices bacon, chopped • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 lbs) • 2 medium tart red apples, cored and cut into wedges • 1 12-oz bottle hard cider
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme • 2 tbsp whole grain mustard • 1 tsp kosher salt • 12 oz fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Directions 1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan, reserving drippings in skillet. 2. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook 10 minutes or until browned, turning once; remove from skillet. 3. Add apples to skillet; cook 4 minutes or until browned on both sides; remove from skillet. 4. Discard drippings. 5. Add cider, thyme, mustard, and salt to skillet, scraping up any browned bits. 6. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. 7. Add Brussels sprouts. Cover and cook 5 minutes. 8. Add apples and cook, uncovered, 3–5 minutes more or until chicken is at least 175 F. 9. To serve, divide chicken, Brussels sprouts, and apples among bowls or plates. Spoon cider mixture over top. Sprinkle each with bacon.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Closing the Gaps in Asset Protection
A Fair Approach to an Unfair-Looking Will
This Chihuahua Just Became Everyone’s Favorite Hero
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Cider-Braised Chicken
Digging Into History’s Most Puzzling Disappearance The Cat Who Had Everything Except an Inheritance
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A CELEBRITY CAT, A TANGLED ESTATE, AND A LESSON WORTH HEEDING What Choupette’s Missing Millions Can Teach Us
If there was ever a cat living her best life, it was Choupette. The beloved Birman of fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld traveled by private jet and dined from fine china. She also had not one but two personal maids attending to her around the clock, one for the day and one for the night. Those maids were even tasked with keeping handwritten daily journals of her every move so that Lagerfeld could read them later. He called Choupette “the center of the world,” and obviously meant it.
Lagerfeld passed away in 2019, and more than seven years later, not a single named beneficiary has received anything from his estate, which is estimated at somewhere around $200 million. The reasons for his estate issues are stacking up. French tax authorities have demanded approximately $45 million in back taxes. A mystery plaintiff has since emerged to challenge the claim that Lagerfeld was of sound mind when he signed his will, which could leave the estate to family members he’d cut out of his life decades earlier. Meanwhile, Caçote has had to hire lawyers at her own expense to pursue the claim. The lesson here has little to do with cats or couture. It’s about what happens when a person’s intentions meet unexpected legal and tax realities without a solid plan in place. Lagerfeld’s estate is extreme, but the fault lines that split it open, including steep tax exposure and a contested will, aren’t exclusive to the ultra-wealthy.
He also meant it when he promised she’d be taken care of after his death. Since French law doesn’t allow animals to inherit, Lagerfeld arranged for funds to pass to his
former housekeeper, Françoise Caçote, who would use them for Choupette’s care. That part was straightforward, and the rest of the story … hasn’t been.
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