When a person dies without leaving a valid will in New York state, the assets of the deceased are divided up according to the laws of intestacy. If a person dies intestate and has a spouse and no children, the spouse inherits everything. If a person dies intestate and...
Updating an estate plan can help to protect a family’s children
The estate planning documents that someone drafts remain valid, in most cases, until they replace or update them. However, existing estate planning documents do require occasional reviews and updates. Families with minor children often have multiple, overlapping...
Creating a pooled income trust for Medicaid
Setting up a pooled income trust is an option for those in need of home care Medicaid in New York to ensure they can preserve excess income and maintain access to Medicaid. People in need of Medicaid who have over the threshold income limit can deposit excess monthly...
Estate planning when minor children are involved
Estate planning is essential when you have minor children. You want to provide financial support in the event of your death and have a say in who should be appointed as the legal guardian. Many parents feel that having someone who can care for minor children is even...
Why you should consider a special needs trust as part of your estate planning
Thinking about who will care for a family member with special needs in your absence can cause significant worry. Fortunately, there are various ways your estate plan can provide for your loved one. One of those options is a special-needs trust. What is a special needs...
How to protect your assets if your heir divorces
You may hate to think that your heir(s) will ever end their marriage, but the reality is that between 40 and 50% of all first marriages do end in divorce, with the rate of second-marriage divorces also rising even higher. Though you may not be able to predict the...
Avoiding New York’s estate cliff tax
The current estate tax rate in New York ranges from 3.06% to 16%. According to these tax rates, estates over 6.11 million per individual in 2022 are subjected to taxation. In addition to these tax rates, the state has a tax cliff that mainly targets larger estates....
What makes a will valid or invalid in New York?
The vast majority of estate planning happens without incident, but what if you suspect that your loved one was incapable of making legal decisions about their estate due to age or illness? Read on to learn about what makes a will valid or invalid. What is a will? A...
Loan forgiveness: an estate planning option that benefits heirs
The lengthy discussion on loan forgiveness for college graduates and students reached a crescendo with President’s Biden’s recent decision allowing millions to forego repaying certain amounts to the government. In estate planning circles, such news may make some...
Strategies for minimizing your New York estate tax burden
Most of us realize we have to pay taxes when we’re alive. This includes income, capital gains, and property taxes. However, your estate might also have to pay taxes on a state and/or federal level. New York is one of the few states that imposes an estate tax, or...

