Your estate plan exists to make sure that your wishes are known and fulfilled. In particular, you have a will to make sure that your family is provided for and that your assets go to the people you want to care for and believe are deserving. However, failure to keep…
Schedule an in-office, Zoom or phone consultation Here.
New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
What is a Delaware Directed Trust?
A directed trust is a type of investment trust that appoints a particular trustee, usually a bank or firm, to administer specific aspects of the trust. Trustees who are responsible for directed trusts generally have a number of other professionals who assist in their administration of the trust by providing…
Back To Basics: Preventing Will Contests
Every family has at least one horror story of a death in a family turning into a protracted legal tragedy well documented publicly by a probate court. An angry heir dissatisfied with their share of inheritance or a disinherited family member desperately trying to claim a stake of the predeceased’s…
Back to the Basics – The Notice Act
Rising Medical Bills Experiencing a life threatening accident or injury is one of the scariest and most confusing times in a person’s life, but what further complicates these emotional times are the staggering medical bills received after, without warning. In an effort to combat receiving these unexpectedly high bills and…
Keeping Your Life and Assets Private
Prince’s lack of estate planning in life has made quite a mess for his potential heirs as we have covered in the past. The slow moving probate proceedings are also preventing his estate from fully monetizing his image and collecting potential revenue. This week though the Minnesota probate judge gave…
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
Estate Taxes When the proceeds from an estate are being distributed after death, many beneficiaries are surprised to find that they receive a substantial amount less than anticipated due to the federal estate tax or the state tax that must be paid on these proceeds. Specifically, life insurance proceeds tend…
Qualifying Your Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust
A charitable remainder annuity trust or CRAT as is it more commonly known is a type of irrevocable trust that is used to pass on property to a charity while still receiving an income from the assets in the trust. The way it operates is that a fixed amount of…
Understanding Testamentary Capacity Under New York Law
In order to make and execute a valid will under New York law, a person must meet certain requirements. One of these requirements is that the testator or person creating his or her will have testamentary capacity. Testamentary capacity refers to a person’s ability to understand and execute a will.…
Diversification in Your Portfolio
Depending on the purpose of a trust, a trust may be able to further sustain its’ life and generate additional income by investing the funds originally set aside by the grantor in a variety of investment tools. In order to generate additional income, a professional investor will seek to have…
Estate Planning Under 40: Why You Need It
Making an estate plan tends to be something people ignore until the last minute. These documents are considered important, but only for those who are old or dying. Why would a person under 40 need an estate plan? Estate planning is a safety net. It is there if the unthinkable…