Sumner Redstone, founder of Viacom, once again had made headlines recently in his decision to alter the terms of his will, raising questions about his decision making capacity. Mr. Redstone suddenly removed two longtime trusted businessmen and friends, the chief executive and director of Viacom, from the trust that controls…
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New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
Ensuring Your Special Needs Trust Stays a Special Needs Trust
Special needs trusts are helpful estate planning tools that allow family members to leave behind assets to loved ones with special needs without risking the beneficiary’s ability to receive Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid benefits. Without a special needs trust, any extra income that they receive such as an inheritance…
Back to the Basics – What is a Bequest?
When writing a will, many people seek to ensure that certain people in their lives get specific things, such as a family heirloom necklace, property, or an allotted amount of money. The gifting of property or assets to a certain person through the provisions of your will is called…
Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Contested Estate: Muhammad Ali’s Unhappy Heirs
It seems that Muhammad Ali’s estate is destined for trouble, similar to other celebrity estates that we have covered on this blog recently. It is unknown if the boxing legend died with a will, but even if he did, a will contest may be likely. Forbes reports that Mr. Ali…
Back to Basics: Deciding Who Will Inherit from Your Estate
A person planning their estate for the first time is confronted with a lot of uncomfortable questions that they most likely have never had to address. There are medical decisions to be made, executors and trustees to be chosen and appointed, burial instructions to spell out, and perhaps most importantly…
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…
Two Wills, Two Different Countries
International Will Issues As our world continues to grow and technology allows us to move places once never thought imagined, many individuals have the opportunity to live abroad throughout the course of their lives. After spending time in a specific area, whether it is for the majority of your life…
Keep It Close or Outsource It: New York Corporate Trustees
Who you name as a trustee is possibly the most important decision that a person who decides to create a trust will make. The trustee is responsible for distributing income and principal to the beneficiaries of the trust according to the terms of the trust. This typically involves extensive recordkeeping,…
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…
What To Do When There are Multiple Wills Written: Which Takes Precedence?
Over the course of your life, you go through many stages. For some people that includes moving to and from different states, entering or dissolving a marriage, having children, losing loved ones, and having significant changes in income. As these events shape your life, your outlook and perspective on how…