Q: Why do new widows and widowers need to see an estate planning attorney? If you are married, chances are you have already seen a New York or New Jersey estate planning attorney at some point and created a comprehensive estate plan. As the years went by, and circumstances changed, you might’ve even returned...

Did you finally give in and create an estate plan, only to find yourself worrying about whether that plan is sufficient to address all of your needs? Are you wondering if your existing estate plan is really comprehensive enough to meet the diverse needs of your family members, your business, and the changes you...

Q: What is a letter of instruction? For many, making an appointment with a New York or New Jersey estate planning attorney is one of those tasks that never makes it to the top of the to-do list. It lingers there at the bottom of the list or in the back of the mind...

You met with a lawyer and set up your estate plan to protect yourself in case you become incapacitated and to provide for your family. Many people simply stick the documents in a drawer and forget about them, but doing so can cause results you never intended down the road, because of changes in...

Q: Are your children ready to inherit your wealth? New York and New Jersey estate planning attorneys assist clients with comprehensive estate plans designed to distribute the wealth they’ve accrued during their lifetimes to the people and/or charities that matter most to them. Generally, the beneficiaries include their children, whether minors or adults. But what...

Q: What are asset protection trusts? Many people venture off to their first appointment with a New York or New Jersey estate planning attorney thinking they will come out of it with a last will and testament-- commonly known simply as a “will”. But that isn’t always the case. In fact, a comprehensive estate...

When you start a new job, your boss makes you fill out forms about your retirement account and any employer-provided life insurance. You write someone’s name in the “beneficiary” box, then forget about it. Years go by, and you do not think about revisiting those beneficiary selections. In that time, you might have opened...

For many parents, talking with their children about money is as stress-provoking as talking with them about the birds and the bees. The parents procrastinate, and many never get around to talking with their kids about how to manage their money. As estate planning lawyers, we see people who reach adulthood and do...

Q: What are advanced directives and why they are important in a pandemic? The global pandemic has caused a sense of urgency in people without a comprehensive estate plan. Many people know what a last will & testament is, even though less than one in three people have had one drawn up according to a...

Q: Should I divide my estate equally among my children? At one point or another during childhood – and even in adulthood – parents with multiple children have likely been accused of favoring one child over the other(s). While this kind of sibling rivalry is natural and generally harmless, how parents distribute an inheritance to...