Last week the Wall Street Journal‘s “Family Values” blog discussed the often challenging estate planning issues faced by families who are providing for a disabled loved one. Our New York estate planning lawyers know that more families are in this situation than some might suspect. The latest U.S. Census data…
Articles Posted in Estate Planning
Estate Planning Tips For Providing One Child a Larger Share of Inheritance
There is often a default assumption that local parents wish to provide all of their children with equal shares of an inheritance as part of their New York estate plan. However, no two families are identical, and there are a variety of reasons why some parents feel it necessary to…
Many Middle Class Families in New York Use Trusts in Estate Plan
One of our New York estate planning attorneys, Bonnie Kraham, Esq., recently authored an article that shares information on the increasing use of trusts in the estate plan of many local middle class families. The story was published in this weekend’s Times Herald-Record, and explains the various types of trusts…
Proper New York Estate Planning Necessary to Combat Possible Legal Challenges
Our New York elder law estate planning attorneys are proud of our work as counselors at law, acting as trusted advisors for the clients who count on us. In this capacity we spend each day meeting with community members to understand their family dynamics and listening to their concerns and…
Common Pitfalls of Pet Bequeaths
The most recent survey from the Humane Society found that there are at least 78.2 million owned dogs and 86.4 million owned cats in the United States. The data indicated that nearly 40% of all American households own a dog while roughly 33% own cats. Pet ownership rates are near…
Estate Plan Still Needed to Divide Properly Equally Between Children
Some local residents believe that they do not need to worry about creating a New York estate plan if they only want to divide all of their assets between their children equally. These community members are under the incorrect assumption that the default legal rules will ensure that everything works…
New Website Services Offers Online Method of Distributing Personal Property
Most New York estate plans have various components and include several legal documents. Most will have a Revocable Living Trust, Medicaid Asset Protection Trust, or both. A pour-over will is also frequently added as a failsafe to cancel an old will and ensure that any assets left outside the trust…
Season Tickets, Frequent Flier Miles, and Other Unique Assets in Estate Plan
Local residents visit our New York estate planning attorneys for professional assistance to protect and pass on their assets. Many also expect guidance identifying the items that should be considered an asset and included in the planning. Most area families need to consider things beyond homes, cars, investment portfolios, and…
Estate Planning is Not Just for Senior Couples
Some area residents may think that New York estate planning is only for married seniors who have big families and substantial wealth. Fortunately, more and more people are coming to understand that this planning is a necessity for all community members, no matter what their situation in life. The Calgary…
Parents Grapple with Effect of Inheritances and the Meaning of Money
New York inheritance planning involves passing on values as well as assets. No matter how large the family estate, most parents think long and hard about how their inheritance will affect the lives of their children. For many there are no easy answers to questions like how new wealth will…