Wills

DISINHERITED HEIRS NOT ALWAYS A SURPRISE

Published on: January 15, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

It happens often enough that a parent for many reasons decides to disinherit one, several or all of his/her children. At the same time, this is often not a controversial decision and is just as common both understandable and predicable. Perhaps a person promised their estate to a specific child, stepchild or niece or nephew for taking care of them instead of being required to be sent to a long term continuing care facility. Perhaps the parent provided financial largesse to his/her via college education, graduate school and even helped them purchase a house but had one child who had special needs who always lived at home and insured that child’s future by funding a trust during his/her lifetime and then disinherited all of his/her other children by putting the whole of the estate into the trust.

Mickey Rooney was a very well known and well paid actor that had a long career, with many children and many marriages and disinherited his children. He instead left his estate to his stepson and explained that his kids were better off than he was. By the time Mr. Rooney passed, his estate dwindled to just about $18,000, so there was little incentive for any of his kids to contest the will, although the same did not hold true for Mr. Rooney’s then current spouse. Unfortunately for some families, this can be a shock and there are sufficient incentives for the family to contest the will.

INVALIDATING THE WILL

LET GO OF MY INHERITANCE – INTERFERENCE WITH AN EXPECTANCY

Published on: January 6, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

WRONGFUL INTERFERENCE WITH WILL

It is known by many different names, depending on the state and the era. Most recently it made its appearance in news headlines with the name – intentional interference with expected inheritance, sometimes even shortened it IIEI. The United States Supreme Court referred to it as “a widely recognized” cause of action and as the “tort of interference with a gift or inheritance” in the Anna Nicole Smith case. Marshall v. Marshall, 547 U.S. 293, 296 (2006). The matter has surfaced in the news over at least the last century, most famously (perhaps infamously) in the Father Divine case in New York, in 1949. Latham v. Father Divine, 299 N.Y. 22 (1949).

The American Law Institute published the The Restatement of Torts (Second) of Torts in 1979. That was the first time that the tort, known by many names, was formally recognized as such. Prior to this, the principal and concept was recognized but only in the most egregious of circumstances. There are several seminal cases that speak to the larger concept, one of which was the New York case dealing with Father Divine case noted above.

INVALIDATING A WILL

Published on: December 21, 2015 | by Ettinger Law Firm

WHAT HAPPENS IF A WILL IS INVALIDATED?

Wills are perhaps the most basic and simple form of passing on property and the transmission of wealth from one generation to the next. It allows the testator to give away the property and money that they own and have on hand as they see fit. A person can write a person out of a will, with certain limitations, include another non-child in the distribution and treat them as if they were a child or even leave it all to a charity. While the vast majority of wills are honored and respected without question, there is always the possibility that a potential heir may contest a will. In the event a will is invalidated a Surrogate’s Court must still resolve the issue of how and to whom shall the property be distributed. One possible way of dealing with issue of distributing the property if a will is invalidated is to utilize the state’s default, intestate distribution scheme. Another means is to revive a previous, otherwise valid will. This latter method is called the doctrine of dependent relative revocation.

DOCTRINE OF RELATIVE REVOCATION

INHERITANCE RIGHTS OF POSTHUMOUSLY CONCEIVED CHILDREN

Published on: December 5, 2015 | by Ettinger Law Firm

GROWING LEGAL ISSUE

The federal Department of Health and Human Services estimates that there are currently approximately 600,000 frozen embryos in the United States and the number continues to grow each year. Of these, it is estimated that approximately 60,000 could be implanted for full term pregnancy. In still other cases, a father or mother may freeze and store some sperm or eggs for future family planning purposes. In either event, a mother must have artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization or the embryo implanted. It is possible, even likely, that some of these embryos may be implanted and born after the passing of the father or mother with the use of a surrogate mother. The legal rights of these posthumously conceived children are still being fleshed out in legislatures and courtrooms throughout the country. In 2012, the United State Supreme Court dealt with rights of a posthumously conceived child to the Social Security survivor’s benefits of the deceased parent in Astrue v. Capato.

FEDERAL AND NEW YORK LAW

Power of Attorney Capabilities

Published on: June 5, 2015 | by Ettinger Law Firm

If you are granted a durable power of attorney over another person, it means that you have the right to make financial and legal decisions on their behalf. However, the power of attorney does have its limits, and a recent case that went to the Supreme Court in South Dakota illustrates the importance of clarifying what the capabilities of the power of attorney entail.

Facts of the Case

In the case of Studt v. Black Hills Fed. Credit Union, Dorothy McLean invested a certificate of deposit (CD) with the credit union in 2008. Then in 2012, she moved in with her son, Ronald Studt, and also named him as her attorney-in-fact with a durable power of attorney form. In his role, Mr. Studt would be allowed to transfer and gift property to persons or organizations as long as Ms. McLean’s financial needs could still be met and that the transfers were for estate planning purposes.

Social Media Estate Planning: Adding a Facebook Legacy Contact

Published on: February 23, 2015 | by Ettinger Law Firm

In a time where social media accounts are part of your estate plan, figuring out what should happen to your accounts when you die is something that must be considered. The developers at Facebook have been dealing with this issue for years. Previously, they allowed for a basic memorialized account that people could view but not manage. Now, Facebook has launched a new feature that allows you to choose a legacy contact, a trusted person who can manage the account after you die.

Purpose of a Legacy Contact

The purpose of a legacy contact is to allow someone to manage your social media account after you pass away. While technically you can just give your password to another person, it is a violation of Facebook’s terms of service. In addition, there is no guarantee that the something might happen with your password that would lock your account manager out of your page.

Tax Issues to Consider When Closing an Estate

Published on: February 20, 2015 | by Ettinger Law Firm

When a person dies, someone else must step up and close the estate. If that responsibility falls to you, as an executor you must identify all of the estate’s assets, pay off creditors, and distribute what is left to the heirs. However, an added responsibility as the executor is that you must also file all of the tax paperwork for the estate, as well. There are four major tax considerations that you must complete as the executor of an estate.

Filing the Final 1040

The first thing that you must do as an executor is file the deceased’s personal tax return for the year that the person died. The standard 1040 form covers from January 1 of that year until the date of death. If there is a surviving spouse, you can fill out the 1040 as a joint return and is filed as though the deceased lived until the year’s end. A final joint 1040 includes the decedent’s income and deductions up until the time of death in addition to the surviving spouse’s income and deductions for the entire year.

The Right Tools for Retirement

Published on: February 6, 2015 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Just like you would not attempt a do-it-yourself project around the house without the proper hardware tools, you should not go into retirement without the proper estate planning tools. This means that you need to have the right planning vehicles and strategies in place that will ensure that you are receiving a paycheck or funds for decades into retirement. Thankfully, there is a basic estate planning toolkit that can help you get started on your retirement planning.

Realistic Budget

The foundation of every retirement plan is a realistic budget that plans for all incoming money from things like Social Security, pensions, and savings as well as plans for all outgoing expenses like basic necessities, medical care, and miscellaneous costs. This is not a tool that is created and forgotten; you should revisit your budget frequently to make sure that your finances are still on track.

Having a Bon Voyage – Specifying End of Life Decisions that Lay Out Your Last Wishes

Published on: May 23, 2014 | by Ettinger Law Firm

It has been said that life is a journey, not a destination. So it makes sense that in our last days, on our final journey, we should strive to have a good one–a bon voyage.

While talking about end of life issues–particularly our own–can sometimes be uncomfortable, the best way to make sure that your end of life wishes are honored is to lay them out in writing and make sure that your loved ones are aware of them. Don’t miss the opportunity to have a bon voyage–take the opportunity to set out your end of life wishes and take control of your journey.

Unfinished Life Matters

Common Reasons for Contested Wills in New York

Published on: May 2, 2014 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Many people know that having a will is necessary in order to properly ensure the deceased’s wishes are followed and desired transfers are carried out once they are gone. However, the importance of having the proper documentation in place does not end there. Careful estate planning is crucial to a will being upheld as valid in the event it is contested. If estate planning documents are not properly executed, the document is in danger of being challenged and may be ultimately revoked.

Common Challenges to a Will

An estate planning document such as a will may be contested for a number of different reasons. Perhaps heirs are not satisfied with their inheritance, or maybe family members fear their loved one made a bequest against their will. No matter the reason, the fact remains that wills do get challenged. Some of the more common challenges involve the following: