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On January 1, 2020, as we entered another year without any idea of what was on the horizon, a new federal law took effect regarding retirement accounts. The SECURE Act, “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement”, affects millions of Americans who have been saving through tax-deferred retirement plans.

A Last Will and Testament allows you to direct where your assets go at your death and who will be legally in charge of the estate. New York law sets forth specific requirements for a legally valid will. Failure to follow such requirements will result in the Surrogate’s Court rejecting the Will as invalid.

An ownership interest in real property is a combination of a bundle of different rights, the rights to possession, use, transfer, encumber and exclude. A life estate is a type of joint ownership of real property with ownership “split” between a present interest and a remainder interest.

The Build Back Better Act was passed by the House of Representatives on November 5, 2021 and is headed for the Senate. None of the major provisions that would have affected estate planning were included in the House version.

Couples who are both U.S. citizens receive the benefit of the unlimited marital deduction on federal estate and gift taxes. The idea is that the surviving spouse pays any estate tax at their death. In contrast, transfers from a U.S. citizen to a noncitizen spouse do not enjoy this benefit.

A contingent beneficiary is the person or entity designated to receive proceeds from a life insurance policy, retirement account or transfer on death account if the primary beneficiary predeceases the account owner or otherwise is unable or unwilling to accept the inheritance.

The Automated City Register Information System, more commonly referred to as “ACRIS”, is New York City Department of Finance’s online portal. The portal allows one to view property records (such as deed filings), calculate property taxes, apply for exemptions, and prepare transfer tax forms.

If you have been named as a trustee of someone’s trust, you may be wondering what you are supposed to do. It is important that the trustee understand their duties and responsibilities.  The most important thing to remember as trustee is that the trust assets are not your assets.

Wills and revocable trusts often refer to the terms “per stirpes” and “per capita”. When you create a last will and testament, or a revocable trust, you choose specific beneficiaries to inherit your estate at your death.

On December 20, 2019, a Federal law relating to retirement plans was enacted, entitled Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act). The law was implemented on January 1, 2020 and impacts retirement accounts and the rules for those who own and inherit them.