A Living Trust is an estate planning vehicle that helps you avoid probate by transferring property to the people and charities of your choice. The assets are held in the trust’s name and not in the name of the individual. For this reason, it is important to appropriately name the…
Articles Posted in Wills
Estate Planning for the Single & Childless
Estate planning for families is important. It allows a person to plan for the care and wellbeing of their family members and loved ones long after they have passed. What about people who do not have families to consider? More and more people are staying unmarried; according to the U.S.…
Estate Planning & Financially Dependent Adult Children
According to the Pew Research Center, more Americans age 18-34 are living with their parents than in any other living situation. Over 32% of people in that age group live in their parents’ house which leads to an interesting estate planning dilemma for the parents. While some adults who…
The Danger of Unrestricted Bequests and Gifts
The Inheritance Left To University of New Hampshire By A Long Time Library Employee Was Spent In A Way That Raised A Few Eyebrows Longtime University of New Hampshire library cataloguer died last year at the age 77. As his final wish to the world he left the entirety of…
IRS Rules Now Reflect Updated Same Sex Marriage Rulings
New Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service Final Regulations Now Reflect Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges and Windsor v. United States Rulings On September 2nd, the final regulations that reflect the holdings of the Supreme Court rulings that upheld same-sex marriage laws around the country as well as…
Back To Basics: Witnesses and Your Will
It is common knowledge that in order for a New York will to be valid that there must be other people to witness you signing your will as well as putting down their own signatures on your will. Despite this knowledge though improper execution of the will is the most…
Gifts to the Dead in New York: Are They Still Effective?
Most people plan their estate believing that everyone they have left money or bequests to will survive them, such as when a parent specifies that money or property will be left to a child. But sometimes unexpected deaths happen and when it does, many people are left wondering what will…
Hollywood Tragedy: A Life Lost Unexpectedly
2016 will not relent in claiming high profile celebrities. This week’s death was as tragic as it was needless. Anton Yelchin, aged only 28, an only child, was killed in his Hollywood home’s driveway when his Jeep rolled down a slope and pinned him between a brick wall and the…
Back to Basics: Discussing Death and Your Estate In New York
No one likes discussing their own demise. The topic is generally considered taboo amongst most people and is possibly the most uncomfortable conversation topic. This is unfortunate for everyone though, because if a person is unable to discuss their own death, chances are they are unwilling to plan for it…
PROTECTING YOUR INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT FROM CREDITORS
STATE SPECIFIC PROTECTIONS The current aggregate value of retirement assets in America is roughly $21 trillion, with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) amounting to the largest single investment asset. While many, if not most, types of retirement assets and accounts are protected against creditors, the IRA is not necessarily one of them.…