As the year draws to a close, it’s worth taking a step back to assess the legal framework that governs how your assets will be managed during life and transferred at death. Many financial and tax-related decisions, including retirement account contributions, charitable gifts, and certain trust funding activities must be completed by December 31 to […]
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New Yorkers Returning to Florida in the Fall – Be Mindful of Your Residency Status
Many former New York residents are enjoying being north for the summer, escaping the heat and humidity of Florida or other warm climates to visit with family and friends. If you’re a snowbird, you need to be mindful of your activities and how long you stay visit, lest you be deemed a resident of New […]
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No Estate Plan Means an Estate Disaster for Many American Families
Less than half of Americans over 55 have an estate plan in place – – which means, even after COVID, the number of households with an estate plan to distribute assets after death has fallen. People age 35-54 have placed their families and minor children at risk at even higher levels, with only 28 percent […]
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Anne Heche Had No Will–Another Celebrity Estate Planning Lesson
Like many people who don’t expect to die in the near future, Anne Heche did not have a will. She leaves behind one minor child and one adult child, who is asking the court to be named her administrator. The Heche case follows in the footsteps of many celebrities—and regular people—who may not realize the […]
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Top Six Reasons to Delay Having an Estate Plan
Despite two years of COVID, two-thirds of Americans still lack an estate plan It doesn’t make sense but is true. While we’ve never so closely known life’s fragility and know the importance of having a will, trust, or Power of Attorney, only a third of Americans have actually sat down with an estate planning attorney […]
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Britney Spears isn’t the only one with a guardianship problem
The news about Britney Spears’ battle with her father Jamie to end his guardianship has garnered its fair share of headlines. But Britney’s high profile guardianship battle is hardly the first and won’t be the last. A recent study published in The Lancet reveals the number of children who have lost parents or caretaking grandparents, […]
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Here’s How Wrong the IRS Can Be: Michael Jackson’s Estate Big Tax Court Win
Seven years after it began, the estate of Michael Jackson has won big in U. S Tax Court. Following a ruling that found the singer’s name and likeness was worth far less at his time of death than what the IRS had claimed, the estate will pay far less than the $700 million initially deemed […]
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Estate Planning Tells Them You Really Care
Another box of chocolates, another dozen roses, but after Valentine’s Day has been and done, and these are fleeting moments. What is not fleeting is an estate plan, which may not sound romantic until considering how much an estate plan shows your love. We’re not kidding. An estate plan includes a will. That gives your […]
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Happy Groundhog Day – Is Your Estate Plan in a Time Loop?
If you wake up every morning thinking that you need to get your estate plan updated, or worse, created, you might feel like Bill Murray in the classic movie “Groundhog Day.” Actually, a lot of days in 2020 felt like Groundhog Day: a never-ending time loop of working from home, dining at home, working out […]
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Get Your Important Documents, Including Advance Directives, Ready Now
There has never been a time in our lives when the need for an estate plan has been more critical. The sheer numbers of people who have died from COVID-19, in our community and worldwide, is something we have never witnessed. And while it may have seemed at first that the elderly were the most […]
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