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Ideally, estate planning is completed before a health crisis or dementia diagnosis. But a diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean it's too late. If a loved one has recently been diagnosed, it's important to find out what can still be done before those options become more limited.

In New York, a proposed fiduciary may apply for Preliminary Letters, which allow them preliminary authority to make decisions on behalf of an estate. 

When a recipient of homecare or nursing home Medicaid passes away, a state agency will send a letter to the recipient’s estate with the value of the services it rendered for the last ten years preceding the recipient’s death. However, recovery only applies to recipients who were aged fifty-five or older.

Many families assume that if an older adult's monthly income exceeds Medicaid's income limit, they are automatically disqualified from receiving Medicaid home care. In reality, that is one of the most common misconceptions in elder law.

In a landscape that is increasingly shifting “online,” non-tangible and virtual assets have become a meaningful and integral part of everyday life. If you are the executor of an estate, you should not be quick to overlook these.

As home prices continue to rise, many parents are helping their adult children purchase their first homes. Many parents do not realize that this type of financial assistance can have estate planning implications.

When an estate sells a co-op, the process can be unexpectedly complex, particularly if the Executor doesn’t know what to expect. Luckily, an experienced estates attorney can help navigate you through the process.

While no document is completely immune to a legal challenge, a Trust offers meaningful advantages over a traditional Will.

Because retirement accounts can often represent a significant portion of a family’s wealth, but also come with tax implications and distribution guidelines that are beneficiary dependent, beneficiary designations should be reviewed whenever an estate plan is created or updated.

When a person passes away in New York state with assets that are solely in her name, a legal representative needs to be appointed to manage her estate. The Surrogate’s Court of the county where that person lived prior to their death appoints these representatives and grants them authority to act.