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In New York, proactive estate and incapacity planning is legally essential. Unmarried partners have no automatic right to make financial or medical decisions for each other during a period of medical incapacity. Unlike married spouses who enjoy automatic legal...
Creating a trust is an important step in an estate plan, but it does not automatically change ownership of your home. Many homeowners assume that signing a trust agreement automatically places the property into the trust. In most cases, that is not how the process...
A deathbed will is a legal document drafted by the person who is facing imminent death. Sometimes these wills are contested in court based on the circumstances under which they were signed. Since the testator is usually in a vulnerable state while signing, the court...
As a founder, you have built a legacy – a business, a home and security for your family. That legacy deserves a plan that protects it all and a trusted advisor who understands the complete picture should be the one to guide it. True security, however, is not found in...
Writing a will is one of the most important tasks you can complete, but it may also be extremely daunting. Beyond the legal complexities, there are significant emotional hurdles that make this process difficult. Understanding these challenges can help you move forward...
Planning your estate represents a critical step in protecting your family and legacy. Without a comprehensive plan, your loved ones may encounter confusion and unnecessary stress following your passing. People often use wills and trusts for estate planning. While both...
Even when you want to leave an inheritance to a beneficiary, you may be concerned about leaving them the entire inheritance at once. Perhaps the beneficiary is still relatively young, and you are not sure that they are going to make wise decisions with what could be...
Some families choose to buy property together for practical reasons. A parent may help an adult child purchase a first home. Siblings may invest together. Others plan for shared living across generations. These arrangements often begin with trust, familiarity and a...
If you are writing an estate plan and you ask your beneficiaries what they expect, they may tell you that they assume the plan will be equal. For example, if you have two adult children, they may have long assumed that your estate would simply be split evenly between...
Much of estate planning revolves around leaving assets to singular beneficiaries. You may choose one person who gets the family home, another person who gets a vacation property, and a third who gets a small business. Family heirlooms like book collections or jewelry...
