Estate Planning

When people think about estate planning, they often focus on the big things like a home, savings account or important family heirlooms. Smaller or less obvious assets can easily slip through the cracks, especially when life gets busy and financial accounts become...

If you have a will, congratulations. You are already ahead of most of your peers. Recent estimates find more than two-thirds of adults do not have a will in place. Although having a will in place is already a big win, it is important to also include three specific...

Imagine your family gathers after your passing, only to find no access to your digital accounts or any record of your preferred funeral arrangements. While a will handles your assets, it often remains silent on the immediate, practical details your loved ones need....

Many people assume writing a will is simple. Online forms make the process look quick and easy, but New York law sets clear rules that decide whether a will is valid. Without a valid will, the court may distribute your estate under New York intestacy law instead of...

Creating a will or trust is an important first step, but estate planning does not end there. Life moves forward, and your plan needs to keep up. Major changes in your family, finances or health can make an outdated plan unreliable or even harmful to the people you...

In New York, when a person takes the necessary step of creating an estate plan, they might get conflicting information from family members, colleagues and friends about the best way to go about it. However, estate planning is based on the individual’s needs. What...

Through the estate planning process, you can support charitable organizations that you believe in. There are many ways to do this, though, which is why it’s important to fully consider how to navigate this piece of your estate plan. In this post, then, we want to look...

Most people know that an estate plan is mainly used to pass on a home, car or bank accounts. But what about your email accounts, social media profiles or the thousands of family photos stored in the cloud? In our digital world, these "digital assets" are frequently...

Don’t let New York’s probate court make your family's most personal decisions. Estate planning is not just for the wealthy or older people. It is an essential step for every adult. Without the proper legal documents, your wishes will not matter. Instead, New York...

In New York, estate planning and Medicaid eligibility often intersect. If an heir is eligible for Medicaid and a person creating an estate plan is leaving them assets, it could impact whether they maintain their Medicaid eligibility. While leaving property to a loved...