Q: How do I know if I need to update my estate plan? As a new year-- and a new decade--recently began, many people made New Year’s resolutions to improve their lives. Quitting unhealthy habits like smoking, or adopting healthy habits like eating well and exercising are common resolutions--but they require a long-term commitment and...

Q: How are creditors’ claims against estates handled? When people think of estate planning, they often think about what assets they have and who they want to leave them to after they are gone. Similarly, when beneficiaries think of estate administration, they may focus on what money and property they are going to receive—and how...

Q: Should you talk about your estate plan at the holiday dinner table? New York and New Jersey estate planning attorneys often encourage their clients to tell their adult children about their estate plans. You might even consider working estate planning talk into the holiday dinner conversation if the mood is right and the...

Q: Can I disinherit my spouse? Even in the best circumstances, the relationship between an adult child and their divorced parent’s new spouse can have its rough moments. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the field of estate planning, as New York and New Jersey estate planning attorneys can attest. There is a literal...

Q: Why should people plan for incapacity?

New York and New Jersey estate planning attorneys not only prepare people’s wills, but draft several other documents that together make up a comprehensive estate plan.

What documents are needed when planning for incapacity?

Q: How do my Social Security benefits impact my estate planning? Life has a way of creeping up on us. One day we’re just starting out in our 20s and before we know it, retirement is upon us. Are you physically, mentally, and financially prepared for it? Ideally, people create an initial estate plan when they...

Q: What happens when an estate has many creditors or claims against it? New York and New Jersey estate planning attorneys and the general public are watching with interest how the administration of the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein will pan out. Most people have heard the news reports that the late multimillionaire financier committed suicide by...

Q: What is considered “property” for estate planning purposes? New York and New Jersey estate planning attorneys know how difficult it is for clients to make an appointment to have their last will and testament prepared. One common reason is that nobody likes to think about dying. Another is that some folks are overwhelmed...

Q: Why would I need to revise my will? Nobody likes to think about death or face their own mortality. For that reason, people often delay consulting a skilled New York or New Jersey estate planning attorney to have a comprehensive estate plan prepared. When they finally do it, they may consider the task...

Q: Who will get my children if I die? Most people would probably guess that the most popular reason people delay or avoid seeing a New York and New Jersey estate planning attorney to draw up a last will and testament is that many people don’t like to think about their own mortality. Some...