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Virtually every month now has multiple awareness labels attached to them as advocates for various causes seek to raise public support for different causes. For example, this month is known in some international circles as “Leave a Legacy” month. Considering that many New Yorkers continue to delay estate planning and…
Upon visiting an estate planning lawyer for the first time and learning about available options, many are surprised at the flexibility of different legal tools involved in the transfer of property. Far from simply doling out assets to specific friends and family members, one has immense control in deciding how…
Most discussions of elder financial exploitation include accusations of unique scams targeted at trusting seniors. As we discussed last week, many wrongdoers try to swindle the elderly community via insurance frauds, home repair schemes, and similar techniques. These are very real dangers that must be guarded against. However, it is…
Estate planning attorneys frequently urge residents to be careful about creating long-term plans to avoid family feuding. Careful consideration of inheritances, open communication between families, and prudent use of tools like trusts are usually the best way to ensure that families are not torn apart after a passing. Some seniors…
On the whole, studies continue to show that seniors citizens are more “trusting” than younger demographics. Sadly, that trust is often exploited by those seeking to scam seniors out of significant sums of money, including retirement savings. These scams take many forms, and each are a reminder for families to…
The more complex a family arrangement, the more tailored estate plan is likely needed. For local residents this often takes the form of second or third marriages, with children and different step-relatives. The “default” rules may not be good at accounting for these various relationships and balancing the unique needs…
The Post-Star recently published a story with the provocative headline: “Old Age is Coming, and We Are Not Ready.” The article touches on some practical issues in New York state that have often been discussed in the wake of the national demographic shift that is already underway. As most know,…
The results of a comprehensive new research effort on Medicaid’s effects on low-income residents was just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The full summary of the article can be found online here. As discussed in the New York Times late last week, the project compared individuals who…
The reverberations of Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the city are far from finished. We will be cleaning up and adapting for many months–likely years–into the future. Considering the predictions of some, we may even have to deal with large storms of this magnitude on a far more consistent basis. It…
Last week we shared information about the revelations in the New York Times that efforts to curb New York Medicaid costs have been less than successful–mostly because of expanded enrollment in certain programs, like senior day care centers. These assistance centers are locations where frail and sometimes vulnerable elderly community…