New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog

The Basics – Guardianship and the Elderly

Published on: March 15, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

As we continue to age, it can be difficult to admit when you are no longer able to handle personal affairs and financial matters on your own. There are a number of alternatives available to those seeking to have their affairs managed by another party, depending upon the individual’s mental capacity to comply with assigning these rights. Those providing caregiver services to the individual, commonly a loved one, may seek retaining legal guardianship of the elderly individual, assigning durable power of attorney and health care power of attorney to specific individuals, or establishing a trust.

Guardianship

Guardianship is a legal status given by the court to create a relationship between someone who is incapacitated or unable to care for themselves and a person determined to be suitable to administer and manage the incapacitated person’s affairs. In order to get a guardianship order, a person must file a petition with the court to review the case at hand. The court assesses the situation, the petitioner, as well as the elderly person to determine what will be the least restrictive method of guardianship. The appointment may include only managing financial affairs, but may also assign responsibility for day to day decision making including support, maintenance, and personal care.

When Equal Estate Distribution Isn’t Necessarily Fair

Published on: March 12, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

There are many factors that can influence how we decide to distribute our assets to heirs after our death. Most of the time, a large portion of our estate is left to our closest family members, including a spouse and children. However, determining exactly what we leave to those family members can be challenging especially when we consider the many additional factors that can be important in this part of the process.

When Equal Isn’t Necessarily Fair

Many individuals seek to make the asset distribution process easier by simply dividing assets among their heirs equally. However, depending on the personal dynamics of your family, that may not be the wisest choice. The following example, adapted from a recent article from Forbes, helps highlight this type of situation.

Early Onset Dementia and the Importance of Estate Planning

Published on: March 11, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease affects more than five million Americans today. While a large majority of those affected are over the age of 65, it is not just a disease for the elderly. Symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease can occur in individuals as young as 30 years old, and currently affects an estimated 200,000 people in America. The diagnosis can often be missed or misdiagnosed as another condition or an association with the changes both men and women go through during their 40s and 50s, however, a comprehensive medical examination is required in order to properly diagnose those with early onset dementia. While the cause of the disease is not yet known, it is important to look to your family history as a way to determine if you or your loved one should be monitoring specific behaviors and changes in personality.

The thought of losing your memories, ability to perform basic tasks, as well as ability to think clearly, remember the time, date, or place, is a very scary feeling for anyone. As these functions start to go, it is important that the loved person, either elderly or young, has in place a comprehensive medical and estate plan, when the day comes that he or she is no longer able to make decisions for themselves. The unfortunate reality of this disease is that it is not a question or if, but of when they will no longer be able to make their own decisions based on a lack of capacity.

First, the individual in question must have their legal capacity assessed to determine if they are able to understand and appreciate the consequences of their actions in signing documents that give specific power to named individuals. In doing so, you should also consult a medical professional if you have doubt as to their ability to understand and make decisions. Also, if the individual has previously executed any wills, trust, or power of attorney documents, those should be revised as necessary to accommodate their current condition while still respecting their wishes.

Digital Property and Estate Planning

Published on: March 9, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Almost every facet of today’s world seems to be based on technology in one way or another. From the phones we use to the cars we drive, technology is everywhere and new technology is emerging each day. We use technology to manage many of our assets as well as to store personal mementos and other important items. You may also have important information about insurance and retirement accounts stored online that isn’t necessarily readily accessible to your heirs. Unfortunately, traditional estate planning practices don’t always protect your digital property. The Legal Intelligencer recently reported on the importance of protecting your personal digital property with proper estate plan provisions.

Types of Personal Digital Property

Protecting your digital property begins with understanding exactly what is included, which can be more than you might think. The article breaks down personal digital property into three categories, which include:

New York Elder Law Estate Planning: Unitrusts

Published on: March 6, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

There are a variety of different types of trusts that an individual can use to their benefit while they are alive or in order to preserve their wealth for their family after they pass. Depending on it’s purpose, the grantor of a trust will make either a irrevocable or revocable trust. Irrevocable trusts cannot be modified without permission of the beneficiary since the grantor is giving up rights to their assets to the trust, versus a revocable trust where the grantor can modify the trust terms as they desire during their lifetime and upon their death, the assets transfer to the trust.

One unique type of trust that a grantor can establish for their benefit and for the benefit of a charity is a charitable remainder trust unitrust. Charitable remainder unitrusts are a type of irrevocable trust with specific characteristics setting it aside from other trusts. This type of trust distributes a certain percentage of the value of the assets in the trust to a beneficiary that is not a charity, usually a grantor of the trust or whomever the grantor has named to receive the named distribution. The grantor sets a specific timeline for the distributions to the beneficiary, and upon the termination of that timeline, the remaining assets are distributed out to the charity named.

In order to determine how much the non-charitable beneficiary will receive, the trustee must use a formula that requires minimum distributions from the trust annually. The trustee will first determine the fair market value of the trust at the end of the given year by obtaining a valuation of the assets in the trust and then will distribute out the percentage of that asset value named in the document.

Differences Between a Living Will and Healthcare Proxy

Published on: March 4, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

While serious illness and death are certainly difficult topics of conversation, they are nevertheless extremely important. If you do not express your wishes regarding healthcare in situations where you cannot make such decisions yourself, choices about your care will often be left to family members. When a loved one becomes too ill to make decisions about their care, there are many questions that arise about medications, procedures, and other treatment options. That’s why it is extremely important for you to communicate your wishes to those close to you.

Not only does doing so help to ensure that your specific wishes for your healthcare are carried out, but it can also provide a great deal of relief for family members that may have otherwise had to make such decisions on their own. However, while talking about such things is important, you may also want to include options like a living will and healthcare proxy as part of a comprehensive estate plan to legally memorialize your wishes. The following information may help you decide if one or both options is right for you.

What is a living will?

New York Elder Care – Pain Treatment for the Elderly

Published on: March 1, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Aging comes with a number of considerations, including how to deal with ailments, conditions associated with older age, as well as how method of treatment is best for you or a close loved one. Today, there are an overwhelming amount of options to choose from when it comes to pain management and treatment for chronic conditions, however, many of them can become very addictive. One somewhat controversial treatment option for pain management being used by a number of elderly citizens is the use of medical marijuana.

Although the use of marijuana whether medicinally or recreationally is illegal under federal law, over half of the states have decriminalized and now approved it for use medicinally. Based on numerous studies and research, it has been shown that as compared to other pain management treatments, the use of marijuana leaves less risk for addiction, fewer side effects, as well as allowing individuals to still go about their daily lives while managing health issues. Health issues associated with aging include autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, as well as cancer, dementia and Parkinson’s disease, which have all been approved under conditions managed using medicinal marijuana.

While the current elderly population has been somewhat skeptical of what they have known as an illegal drug being approved for use in the medical setting, as more states make it legal for use, approval among the older generations increases. Since many seniors are seeking to determine if use of marijuana is suitable for their condition, many nursing homes and assisted living facilities have had to come up with their own policies, either endorsing or shaming it’s use. Almost a dozen nursing homes in the state of Washington have amended their policies to respond to the demand for approval of medical marijuana as treatment in their facilities.

Common Ways to Transfer Property After Death

Published on: March 1, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

The estate planning process is individual and unique to each person that goes through it. There is no one-size-fits-all template that will work for everyone. There are various tax concerns to think about, familial relationships, and many other factors that influence how we decide to distribute our assets after we die. The process can be confusing, but an experienced New York estate planning attorney can help simplify it for you. However, assets transfer in four ways common for almost everyone.

Transfer Via Last Will and Testament

Most people are familiar with the concept of a Will. A Last Will and Testament is a written document that expresses your wishes as to how your assets should be distributed upon your death. While many assets simply require nominating a beneficiary, which is discussed below, other assets require you to specify how you wish your assets to be distributed upon your death. A Last Will and Testament generally only includes property that is individually owned and is subject to validation by New York’s Surrogate Court.

The Role of the Executor

Published on: February 26, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

There are plenty of fancy words in law that actually have very basic definitions. Estate planning law is no different, with plenty of legal terms that can often be hard to unpack and understand. One such term that gets thrown around a great deal in the field of estate planning is “executor.” Who is an executor? What is their role? The following information may help you understand more about an executor and their role in your estate planning.

What is an executor?

The person creating a Will, known as the testator, will name someone that will be responsible for administering the provisions of the will in compliance with the law known as the executor. Basically, an executor oversees making sure that debts are paid and remaining assets are distributed per the testator’s wishes. Depending on the characteristics of your estate, some of the executor’s jobs may include:

Fixing a Broken Trust

Published on: February 24, 2017 | by Ettinger Law Firm

We recently posted about situations that may make it important to revise your estate plan, and about how reviewing your estate plan is an important part of ensuring it is accurate and secure. One component of an estate plan that continues to grow in popularity and functionality is a trust. However, what happens when a trust no longer serves the purpose for which it was established? Life events and other factors can significantly impact how effective your trust will be, and it is important to monitor your trust on a regular basis to ensure it still meets your needs – and to take steps to fix it if it doesn’t.

When might a trust break?

The law is always changing. Estate planning law is no exception. Some changes in laws that affect estate planning decisions can cause a trust to break. For instance, if a trust was created many years ago when the gift tax, estate tax, and generation-skipping transfer taxes had lower exemption values. Consequently, such trust may no longer be necessary to help you avoid certain tax burdens that they were designed to avoid. The changing exemptions and other factors surrounding these taxes can also make the prospect of paying taxes associated with the trust less appealing than taxes that would be due without the trust.