Thanks to all for some great comments. Over the weekend, I saw a commercial on TV for a legal document drafting website and software, that was endorsed by a well-known attorney, but one who is not licensed in New York (according to the attorney directory at...
Year: 2008
The Curious Phenomenon of the e-Will
A new client was recently referred to me by a colleague. The client had gone online and prepared her own Will, and my colleague was concerned that it might not be valid. I reviewed the client's draft Will, and although it was awkwardly written and contained provisions...
Is New York Taxing Out the Elderly?
My evidence for this is completely anecdotal, but it seems like more and more of my clients these days are considering moving out of state for estate tax reasons. New York has an unlimited marital deduction for estate taxes, which means that assets passing from one...
$12 Million Inheritance Not Enough for These Heirs
We've all heard of the "Prudent Investor" rule for Trustees and Executors of estates. But just how "prudent" does a Trustee have to be? Does a Trustee have a duty to do some possibly risky planning to avoid estate taxes on the death of the income beneficiary of a...
Test Tube Babies Can Be Trust Fund Babies, Too
Technology has drastically changed the ways in which children can be conceived, and children can now be conceived in a laboratory long after one or both parents have died. Trusts and Estates law, however, has been slow to catch up, and has not always followed the...