Couples without children have two main tasks when it comes to estate planning: the first is determining how to distribute the assets in the estate. The second, and arguably trickier task, is to assign a person or people who will handle your medical and financial affairs in the unfortunate event…
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New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
Bullying and Conflict in Nursing Homes
New research released last week reported that conflict and violence among nursing home residents is widespread and that extremely high rates of violence are common in some facilities. The author of the study, Karl Pillemer, is a professor of gerontology at Weill Cornell College of Medicine, and he presented his…
LGBT Spouses Denied Social Security Survivors’ Benefits
Grieving LGBT spouses who recently lost a loved one are being dealt another harsh blow by the Social Security Administration, which is refusing to pay survivors’ benefits to same-sex spouses living in states where their marriage is not recognized. One couple married in Boston but living in Texas was together…
Five Reasons for Parents to Share Estate Plans
Many parents with adult children find the idea of discussing their estate plans uncomfortable, embarrassing, or unnecessary. Few parents want to think about their mortality or bring up the subject with their kids. Concerns about family fights over parts of the estate, which child is getting what, or reliance on…
How Naming Rights Can Go Wrong
For wealthy donors who wish to put their name on a building, beware. There can be a lot of disappointment for donors who give away large sums of money, thinking that they would get to see their name on a building or institution like a university, science lab, or cultural…
Avoid the Estate Planning Aggregator Scam
One estate planning scam is growing in popularity for people who are looking to begin crafting their estate plan and have amassed wealth or business over their lifetimes. The estate planning aggregator claims to do comprehensive planning for people who have concerns about taxes on their wealth or business issues…
Creating an Estate Plan for Your Treasures
One New York resident, now 65 years old and in retirement, has amassed a Las Vegas chip collection worth an estimated $500,000 over the course of two decades. However, he is childless, and no one in his extended family has expressed an interest in keeping the collection. He is also…
Bracing for an Increase in Falls with Our Elderly
As the population ages and people live longer, the number of elderly Americans who fall and suffer serious injuries, or death, is soaring. As a result, retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes where millions of senior citizens reside across the nation are trying to balance the safety of…
Back to Basics: Special Needs Trusts
If your loved one has special needs or development disabilities, you may want to consider establishing a special needs trust. Also known as a supplemental needs trust, this type of trust is a legal tool used to help disabled people keep more of their income or assets without losing public…
Long-Term Care Insurance Alternatives
As many seniors reach retirement age their health can begin to decline. Yet, very few seniors have any kind of plan or coverage for chronic or long-term illness. This happens for a variety of reasons – some believe that they will pass away before this type of coverage is needed…