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Elder Care Review, circulated to thousands of professionals in the elder care industry, has named Ettinger Law Firm as its Top Elder Law Firm 2025. Here are excerpts from the full article: For over four decades, Ettinger Law Firm has been transforming the way legal services are provided to older…
Bob and Laura were ready to move forward with their estate plan to save estate taxes and avoid probate. The only hitch was who would take care of their beloved pets, Samson, the dog and Delilah, the cat, after Bob and Laura passed away. Under New York law, trusts for…
Why don’t more people do the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT)? The answer is that clients often get the wrong advice from well meaning but ill informed professionals, family and friends. Here are some of the most common MAPT myths. 1. You Can’t Sell the House. The MAPT may sell…
The current New York estate tax exemption stands at $7.16 million while the Federal exemption is at $13.99 million. While the Federal government only taxes the amount over the Federal exemption, New York takes a different approach. Once you go more than 5% over the exemption amount in New York,…
For 2025, the exemptions for estate taxes rise to $7.16 million for New York estate taxes, and to $13.99 million for Federal estate taxes. The annual gift tax exclusion rises to $19,000. If your estate is, or may become, greater than the New York threshold, early intervention can avoid the…
The Corporate Transparency Act came into being this year as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. This act is designed to combat terrorism, tax fraud and money-laundering. Under the act, corporations and LLC’s are required to report who their “beneficial owners” are in a Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOI report)…
Many people are afraid to go and see a lawyer for estate planning. They may not want to look foolish, knowing so little about the subject. They may feel intimidated by the knowledge and authority of the attorney. Some are frightened about the cost or being taken advantage of. They…
The first myth to explore about estate planning is that you can do it yourself over the internet. This supposes that a trust is a generic legal document where you plug in names, addresses and amounts you want to give and then off you go! However, experienced estate planning lawyers…
If you have a son, daughter, sister, brother or parent living alone for whom you are responsible, and they unfortunately become incapacitated or die, apart from the emotional and medical burdens, you may have significant legal and financial troubles. A little planning in advance for these contingencies will go a…
To qualify for community based Medicaid, meaning receiving medical care in the home, an individual cannot make more than $1,752 per month and a married couple cannot make more than $3,853.50 per month. Obviously, these minimal income standards make it very difficult to qualify for community Medicaid. However, applicants can…