At what age may I start creating an estate plan?
An estate plan is a tool that you may create and update at any age. If you have young children or an elderly parent, you may begin thinking about who would care for them in the event of your unexpected death. With the right legal documents in place, you may designate a relative or an […]
Planning for the potential of estate taxes
Past posts on this blog touched upon the fact that New York residents fact the potential of both state and federal estate taxes. Knowing this might dishearten those engaged in the estate planning process, with them assuming that there is nothing they can do to avoid this liability against their estates. However, that may not […]
How should you prepare an estate plan for a special needs child?
Every family has unique estate planning needs and yours is no different. If you are the parent of a special needs child, you have to consider his or her needs when drawing your estate plan. According to Fidelity, special needs children may remain dependent on others for their entire life. You will not be there […]
Is it time to update your estate plan?
Your estate plan is a constantly evolving piece of legal work. You do not just create an estate plan and allow it to sit there, as-is. You want it to reflect your most current life circumstances at any given point in time. To this end, it is important to understand when you need to update […]
The New York health care proxy: What is it, and do you need one?
When you begin your estate planning tasks, you will likely hear or see terminology that is not 100% clear to you. For example, do you know what the term health care proxy means? Most Mount Morris, New York, residents do not have a firm grasp of this term and how such a document can benefit their estate […]
What should you know about incentive trusts?
You may have heard of incentive or conditional trusts. They are typically established by people as part of their estate plan to motivate beneficiaries (often adult children) to do things like finish college, maintain a job, participate in charitable organizations or remain sober. The beneficiaries will receive proceeds from the trust only if they meet […]
Do you need to plan for estate taxes as a New York resident?
There are so many considerations you have to keep in mind when planning your estate. You need to think about all of the assets you have and the needs of the people you love. You may also have to think about whether creditors or government insurance programs can make a claim against your estate. For […]
If you have an estate plan, you’re in the minority
Estate planning is a necessity for almost everyone in the United States. If you have any assets whatsoever, you need a legal plan to pass them on to your designated beneficiaries. That’s true regardless of your net worth, even if the value appears to be negligible. Estates with higher value may become more complicated, but […]
How to set up a trust without ruining your kids
If you are like most parents, you want your money to go to your children after you die. It is your way of continuing to be there for them financially when you can’t be there physically. Setting up a trust may seem the logical thing to do, but do it wrong, and you could do more harm […]
Do you have a medical power of attorney?
Imagine that you came down with a serious illness and could not tell your doctors what type of treatment you wanted to try. Or, imagine that the same thing was true after a serious injury, perhaps in a car accident. Regardless of what happened, you can’t communicate. Now what should the doctors do? While they […]