Last week the Wall Street Journal‘s “Family Values” blog discussed the often challenging estate planning issues faced by families who are providing for a disabled loved one. Our New York estate planning lawyers know that more families are in this situation than some might suspect. The latest U.S. Census data…
There is often a default assumption that local parents wish to provide all of their children with equal shares of an inheritance as part of their New York estate plan. However, no two families are identical, and there are a variety of reasons why some parents feel it necessary to…
No matter what stage in life, all local residents have much to gain from conducting New York estate planning. However, proper financial preparation is particularly vital for those who have assets built up over a lifetime or who are nearing the age when long-term care planning is becoming more of…
One of our New York estate planning attorneys, Bonnie Kraham, Esq., recently authored an article that shares information on the increasing use of trusts in the estate plan of many local middle class families. The story was published in this weekend’s Times Herald-Record, and explains the various types of trusts…
Last month we shared information on the unique estate planning issues related to the inheritance rights of children conceived posthumously. A growing number of community members are cryopreserving their gametes for use through in vitro fertilization. This is a particularly popular process for those diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy…
Thousands of same sex New York couples have wed since the state became the sixth to legally allow such unions last month. At the time our New York estate planning attorneys noted how the change means that these couples are no longer required to pay state taxes on domestic partnership…
These tough economic times have placed many local residents in difficult financial situations. Many established families in our area may be considering ways to help out their less fortunate friends or family members who have faced recent financial bumps. However, there are often concerns about how tax issues will affect…
Our New York elder law estate planning attorneys are proud of our work as counselors at law, acting as trusted advisors for the clients who count on us. In this capacity we spend each day meeting with community members to understand their family dynamics and listening to their concerns and…
The most recent survey from the Humane Society found that there are at least 78.2 million owned dogs and 86.4 million owned cats in the United States. The data indicated that nearly 40% of all American households own a dog while roughly 33% own cats. Pet ownership rates are near…
Some local residents believe that they do not need to worry about creating a New York estate plan if they only want to divide all of their assets between their children equally. These community members are under the incorrect assumption that the default legal rules will ensure that everything works…