In addition to seemingly endless gift lists to satisfy, the holiday season presents many with the perplexing issue regarding service tipping. Consumer Reports magazine states in the December issue that gratuities, in general, rose by approximately $5.00 over the previous holiday season. In general, Consumer Reports found that the experts they surveyed recommended a one-week more »
My wife and I are off to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine for vacation before the summer days slip away. I’ve left instructions with my capable staff on when and how to contact me if needed, with any luck they will be able to get by just fine without me for a couple of weeks. more »
Family dynamics play an interesting role in drafting an estate plan. Every so often I meet with clients who, for whatever reason, just don’t like a son-in-law or daughter-in-law, and want to figure a way to keep their son or daughter’s inheritance in the family in the event of a divorce, death, or other unexpected more »
You may be willing to trust your teenage grandchildren to house sit for you while you’re away for the weekend, but would you trust them to properly manage your entire bank account after you die? Paris and Nicky Hilton, heiresses to the Hilton Hotel fortune, are notorious for their party-girl ways. DUI charges and driving more »
Over my years of practice, I’ve seen an increase in the number of women looking to create an estate plan. Estate planning is important for women because they have a greater likelihood of ending up alone later in life. Women have a longer life expectancy than men and tend to marry older men often making more »
One of my clients is an avid stamp collector. He has decided that upon his death, his modest collection will go to his granddaughter who grew up learning about and loving his hobby during their summers together. Individuals pass more to their heirs than just real estate and money – a significant portion of wealth more »
The law is full of old rituals that today we would consider ridiculous. For example, in early Bavaria, to convey real property by sale, by gift, or by will, one had to box the ears of young boys to seal the deal. The idea was that by creating a memory of pain in the child, more »
It is estimated that by the year 2020, 12 million elderly Americans will be in need of long-term care. Many of them will have to rely on their adult children as caregivers. This imposes a heavy emotional and financial burden, even on happy and willing caregivers, and financial assistance for long-term care is sparse. Medicare more »
News of MetLife jumping ship on the long-term care insurance market has left people panicking or shrugging their shoulders.Either the fear is growing over how to handle future costs of long-term care, or people are continuing to deny that they’ll ever need it. This week, we’re looking at some of the realities of long-term care more »
My Dad was a guy who loved is family and took care of little things behind the scenes to make his kids lives a bit easier. One of those things was to prepay a cremation of his body and interment of his ashes at plots that he and my mother purchased years ago at Rose more »
After a loved one passes away, the personal representative (fiduciary) on behalf of the estate or trust is responsible for managing the estate and distributing the assets.When the decedent has a valid New York will or trust in place…
Under New York Law, a guardian is a person who has the authority to take care of your minor children if you are unable to as a result of a mental incapacity, illness, disability or you pass away. The legal guardian has the same authority and powers as a parent…
