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It is not unusual for a client to contact me and ask to review their estate plan. This may be precipitated by a recent diagnosis or simply by the passage of time. I have a checklist that I use when reviewing an estate plan if they have a taxable estate.

What is probate? When a person dies and leaves a Will, and there are assets in the Decedent’s individual name that do not pass by operation of law, there is a legal process that takes place that is called probate.

My father is about to enter a nursing facility. He may have to spenddown some of his money in order to qualify for Medicaid. I was told that he could pre-pay his own funeral and he may be able to pay for his children’s funeral as well. Is this true?

My sister recently passed away and I just found out that I was named executor of her Will. I am really busy with my job and family and really do not want to serve. Can I decline or resign from being executor?

I am unmarried and have no children. My parents are deceased and I have one sibling, a sister. I currently have no will. Who would inherit from my estate if I died without a will?

Do all Wills have to go through probate?

I read somewhere that the New York State Estate Tax Exemption was increasing again this year, could you explain this to me?

My mother passed away with $20,000 in credit card debt. As the Executor of her estate, am I liable for these bills?

I am the Executor of my father’s Estate. The Surrogate’s Court has asked me to provide them with an “Inventory of Assets”. What is an Inventory of Assets?

New York’s Estate Tax law has just seen its most dramatic change in recent memory. Finally, the exemption has increased from $1,000,000.00 where it has remained since 2002, with the exemption set to increase annually until it matches the federal estate tax exemption in 2019.