A credit shelter trust is a mechanism utilized by married couples in order to take full advantage of their combined estate tax exemptions.  They are most useful for couples who reside in states where there is an additional estate or inheritance tax on top of the federal estate tax. It is commonly believed that credit […]

Blended families are incredibly common, and this term encompasses a vast array of family situations.  Very often, however, blended families involve a marriage in which one or both spouses have children from a prior relationship.  Sometimes the couple also has children in common, but this is not always the case.  Because families are all different […]

New York State has enacted an update to its Power of Attorney Law that will take effect on June 13, 2021.  New York’s Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney, last updated in 2010, was notorious for its complexity and difficulty to execute.  It often baffled clients who didn’t know where to sign or initial and […]

Living trusts are a much talked about topic in the field of estate planning, and for good reason. You may have heard financial planners or attorneys mention these trusts as a “must have” item in your planning portfolio but may be confused as to what a living trust really is, what it accomplishes, and most […]

You might think that you have done the work of creating an estate plan - you combed through your assets, made tough choices about beneficiaries, executors and guardians for your minor children - and now you can close the book on that task forever.  However, you may find that before you know it, several years […]

According to the ASPCA, 1.5 million animals are euthanized in the United States each year.  That’s why it’s so important to have a plan for your pet in the event of your death or disability. With a proper plan, your pets will be cared for by the person you chose who can be provided with […]

A frequent request I receive when working with a client on a probate or administration matter is to help them locate all of the assets in the estate. They want to make sure they collect all of the accounts, policies, and real property that their loved one left behind, but they may not know what […]

Making the decision to finally sit down with an estate planning attorney to discuss your wishes can be a daunting prospect. Concerns about cost should not address stress to the process. In this article, we discuss four tips that consumers should take into consideration to maximize their value and keep costs down. Tip #1. Talk […]

As the saying goes, “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” In the context of estate planning, this reality drives the estate planner’s desire to minimize taxes upon death as much as possible. In fact, the world of estate planning is consumed with the minimization of taxes in all of its forms. New York estate […]

Costs of Estate Planning While estate planning is one of the most significant things you can do to safeguard your loved ones after you pass on as well as to ensure your care in case of incapacity, it is generally thought of as expensive. If you have been putting off the idea of planning your […]