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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New York Allows Remote Notarization of Trusts, Wills and Related Documents
As of February 25, 2022, New York State has joined several other states making it legal for notaries to perform Remote Online Notarization (RON). Remote notarization was temporarily authorized by Executive Order 202.7 in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Governor Hochul has signed Senate Bill 1780C into law, making this permanent. The law […]
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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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It’s Time To Have “The Conversation” With Your Loved Ones – Today
If you haven’t had “the conversation” with your adult children, it’s time. For adult children, this is the conversation that closes a circle that began when your parents had a conversation with you about an important life event. For aging parents, this is the conversation that you may dread – but you will be giving […]
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Documents in New York State May Now Be Signed Remotely – Call for an Appointment
The Law Firm of Stephen J. Silverberg is continuing to provide our clients and their families with all the services they have come to rely on us for. We are using telephone, email and video services to stay in touch with clients and members of our team. Now that the Governor of New York has […]
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