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Seeing a skilled New York and New Jersey estate planning attorney to create an initial estate plan should be on the list of every person reaching the age of majority, regardless of their net worth. Many people erroneously believe they need to have a lot of assets or be married with children in order to need a last will and testament.

But a comprehensive estate plan also includes documents that

New York and New Jersey estate administration attorneys know that regardless of how well someone may (or may not) have planned their estate before passing, helping an executor through the probate process is an opportunity to bring comfort and to ease the stress on the executor. 
Often, went a testator makes their last will and testament, or “will”, they name a close family member like a spouse, adult children or other close family or friends as the Read more . . .

New York and New Jersey real estate attorneys know that buying a home is one of the biggest purchases in your life. As such, the process can be understandably overwhelming. 

If you’re buying home on Staten Island, or in the New York City or New Jersey area, you need an attorney that simplifies and streamlines the process as much as possible.

Estate planning in New York and New Jersey has changed dramatically over the years as traditional estate planning doesn’t meet the needs of many of today’s modern, blended families.

For example, in the 1950s, when divorce rates were lower, the “standard” estate plan might have had each spouse leaving everything to the other and then the surviving spouse leaving everything to the couple’s children. But today, life is more complex and only “one-third of American households are ‘traditional’ (heterosexual, married, with children)”.
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New York and New Jersey estate planning encompasses far more than just a last will and testament (more commonly referred to simply as a “will”). Many people know that a will is a document used to designate legal guardians for minor children in the event the maker (or testator) dies while the children are still minors and that it also designates the beneficiaries that the testator would like to leave their property to after they are gone. 

But a truly comprehensive estate plan includes other important additional documents including but not limited to documents that Read more . . .

New York and New Jersey estate planning lawyers, as well as the public, will likely always remember the headlines surrounding the late hotel and real estate investment billionaire Leona Helmsley’s estate – – particularly the part where she left a $12 million trust fund to benefit her spoiled little Maltese dog, Trouble.

So, what do you plan on doing for Sparky, Fluffy, or Trigger after you are gone?

While most people consider their pets to be part of the family, they don’t often include them in their estate planning. But for those who live alone, or those who possess pets with extraordinary life expectancies--or those with excess riches-- it may be wise to include your pet in your estate planning.
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Many people who die in prison, especially those incarcerated for decades, may die leaving estates with little to no value. Some may not even have a will. But if they own anything that doesn’t pass automatically to the heirs, or if their estate has the potential of coming into money after their death, their heirs will likely need to go through an estate administration attorney to get it.

How might investors or homebuyers benefit from a cooling real estate market?

New York City’s once booming and seemingly unstoppable real estate market appears to have entered a cool down.  A report recently issued by Warburg Realty reveals that real estate prices have fallen between 10 and 20 percent since their peak in 2015.  Since the fall of 2018, sellers have been cutting prices and accepting lower offers in order to move their inventory.  Along with sagging real estate prices and higher inventories, rent prices have also decreased across the board.  Even in the in-demand neighborhood of Brooklyn, rents are down year over year.

If New York estate planning lawyers could get one thing through the heads of those who have put off estate planning on the common but mistaken belief that everything they have will go where they want it anyway, it would be that failure to properly plan for death or incapacity could be financially devastating to them and their loved ones before or after their death. 

First, anyone with a minor child needs a will for many reasons, but most importantly, to

If you lived in New York or New Jersey and were finally ready to have a comprehensive estate plan prepared, you’d seek out an experienced New York or New Jersey estate planning attorney. 

And if you were considering buying or selling real estate in New York or New Jersey, you’d likely seek counsel from a