Dementia refers to the loss of cognitive ability to a degree beyond what is expected from normal aging. It is not a specific disease but simply a phrase to collectively refer to a set of symptoms. In later stages of the condition, the affected may have severe impairments, becoming disoriented…
Delineating what family members, friends, and charities will inherit after one’s death is a large part of New York estate planning. However, intrinsic in the process is also distinguishing who will not receive any part of one’s estate. Disinheritance is therefore just as much a part of the process as…
Over the past few months there has been a surge in awareness efforts by agricultural publications around the need for farm families to take estate planning seriously. For example, late last week Agri-View published an article re-emphasizing the need for families to get serious about their succession planning if they…
The New York Times reported last week on the seeming end to one of the most high-profile New York estate planning feuds in decades. For almost five years Brooke Astor’s only son was engaged in a prolonged battle to settle his inheritance and control over other portions of the family…
“Lawsuit-proofing” an estate is a common goal in estate planning. Of course, this refers to use of strategies and tools to ensure the inheritance process does not lead to legal fights down the road. A benefit of having an experienced New York estate planning lawyer involved in the preparations is…
This week the USA Today shared a helpful story that analyzed some estate planning difficulties faced by certain families, often farmers, who have many physical assets but few liquid cash stockpiles. One obvious challenge for these families is dealing with the uncertainty of the estate tax. Estate tax considerations are…
The world is a different place today than it was in 1950. Several decades ago the vast majority of families were of similar make-up: father, mother, kids, dog, house, and car. Inheritance planning in those situations often followed very predictable patterns. A spouse received the assets after a death, and…
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a federal law passed in 1996 that defines marriage for federal purposes as only between one man and one woman. As our New York estate planning lawyers have often discussed, this means that same-sex couples married in our state are still not considered…
One important part of the elder law estate planning process involves working out inheritance details. This comes with unique concerns for each family as various assets have different meanings for each individual, far beyond their market-value. Accounting for these emotional attachments is a delicate process that should not be done…
A Reuters story late last week suggested that while estate planning feuds of the famous usually involve millions, the principle issues are the same as those faced by all local residents. Every case must be evaluated individually, but the same main issues are found again and again. That is why…