Estate Planning

There is no such thing as a honeymooner’s will, but maybe there should be. Once the honeymoon is over, the dress put away, and every conceivable photograph posted to social media, it is time to start considering the legal implications of getting married. There may be a name change, joint bank accounts, IRA beneficiary change […]

Not unlike our homes and yards, our estate plans may be in need of a spring cleanup too! If it has been a few years since you have visited with your estate planning attorney, now is the perfect time to review your plan to ensure that your documents are up to date. 1.) Have you […]

Any divorce, regardless of the amount of assets of the couple, involves changes to the legal status between two individuals that will have a natural effect on your estate plan.  Meeting with your estate planning attorney and having that attorney coordinate with your matrimonial attorney can prepare you for the most positive outcome.  With input […]

Whenever I hear someone say they wrote their own Last Will and Testament, a familiar phrase comes to mind, “Don’t try this at home!” Unless you are an experienced estate planning attorney, it is not a good idea to write your own Will, or to order a Will off a generic, non-state specific website. There […]

Estate planning is just as vital for the single person as it is for a married couple. A comprehensive estate plan details how assets will be distributed upon death and also sets forth a strategy for incapacity. Incapacity can be short term or long term. A complete estate plan often includes a power of attorney, […]

When a couple marries later in life, after they both had children of their own, their estate plans need to take their blended family into account. For example, there are estate planning techniques such as a Qtip Trusts that allow income to the surviving spouse for life, with property passing to children upon the surviving […]

Certain Biden-Harris proposals may, if enacted, have a significant effect on your estate plan. 2020 was a monumental year with many changes and 2021 may bring changes that affect your estate plan.  There was a political shift in Washington, changes to the New York State Medicaid program, a world-wide pandemic, and amendments to state and […]