Getting a will in place that you have thoroughly thought about can give you peace of mind that will allow you to enjoy your remaining years without fretting over what may happen if you pass without your final wishes being met. Even young people need to be thinking...
When a person dies in New York State the Surrogate's Court becomes the venue which will decide on the proper supervision of the decedent's assets and property. Typically, this process will begin by establishing the validity of the decedent's will. Generally, a will is...
While many people have estate plans, trusts and wills set up, they may not have anticipated that they would need someone to take care of making decisions for them while they are still alive. When people are incapacitated, however, and unable to make decisions for...
Every estate planner's worst nightmare is to have his or her circumstances change before death, without having enough time to update his or her will and estate plan. A lot goes into a well-designed estate plan and sometimes individuals just let their wills and trust...
Do you keep putting off making your will or your estate plan in New York? Maybe you're not concerned about it right now because it seems like such a distant future. Many people, for example, decide not to set up anything for future medical care because they figure...
Retiring is usually a happy occasion and a time in life when you feel free and relaxed. Unless you feel guilty, that is. Many retirees don't have an estate plan and live a fasted life upon retirement because they want to be sure to have something to leave as an...
In a previous blog post, we discussed how technological advances have forced certain changes in New York estate planning laws. In particular, we talked about how the duties of a fiduciary have grown to include handling the electronic and digital records for a...
A will may be the estate planning document that most New York residents are familiar with, but a living trust can also be beneficial in certain circumstances. A trust functions in much the same was as a will because it tells how your assets are to be divided, but it...
The cy-pres doctrine is employed when the original charitable purpose of a charitable trust is no longer possible to carry out. Because charitable trusts can continue on into perpetuity, it is not uncommon for trusts to outgrow or outlive their original purposes. When...
When a loved one dies and you expect to be included in the inheritance, it can be quite a blow to discover that you are not in the will. It may come as a shock and you may not know what steps to take because you are grieving the loss already. Contesting a will is not...
