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The Shortest Will: It May Hold the Record, But It Won’t Hold Water
Have you ever wondered just how little you could get away with in your last will and testament? Aletta Stager of Brooklyn, NY holds the distinction of having executed one of the shortest wills on record—a mere 2 lines long! “Nov. 29, 1895. I give to my cousin, Nettie M. Cowan, all money that I […]
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Women: Take Charge of Your Finances… And Your Future!
A woman today often has to wear many hats: daughter, wife, mother, employee, boss, caregiver, family CFO, etc. Women are unique contributors both within their families and in society at large, often taking care not only of young children but of elderly parents as well; but too often women can forget to take care of […]
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Taking Care of the Details After the Death of a Loved One
Sadly, a few of our clients have recently passed away. “The death of a loved one imposes cruel demands on the closest survivors.” The truth of that statement from this article in moneywatch.com is known to anybody who has lost a close friend or family member. We’ve written a lot on our blog about going […]
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Changes to New York Powers of Attorney May Lead to Changes for All
An interesting article in this week’s Time Magazine online addresses some of the weaknesses in the Durable Power of Attorney (POA) document—especially as regards the elderly—and how New York State is addressing these weaknesses. If New York’s experience with the beefed-up POA is favorable it is quite possible that other states will adopt similar changes. […]
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How to Leave Meaningful Mementos to the Next Generation
When clients come into our office to design their estate plans one of their biggest concerns is how to dispose of their tangible personal property. Sometimes clients spend more time determining how to dispose of these personal mementos than they do the big ticket items such as bank accounts, real property, and investments. This is […]
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Don’t Wait for Congress to Settle the Estate Tax—Better to Take Action Now
Schoolchildren aren’t the only ones putting their noses back to the grindstone after this warm summer and long Labor Day weekend; Congress is also returning to work, and among the many issues they will be discussing is that of the estate tax, which is set to expire for a year in 2010. According to The […]
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Should You Talk to Your Kids (Or Your Parents) About Inheritance?
The subject of inheritance is one that most people studiously avoid for a number of different reasons: superstition, fear, lack of knowledge, or—as this article by Gordon Powers points out—they don’t want to appear greedy. Furthermore, many older adults were raised to believe that money was a private affair, and that talking about it was […]
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What We Can Learn From the Kennedy Trusts
While I was up in the San Francisco Bay Area last week, I sat and watched the moving memorial of Senator Ted Kennedy. Whether you agreed with his politics, the recent death of Ted Kennedy has given us an opportunity to reflect on the unique nature of trusts not only as a tool to protect […]
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Do Life Insurance or Retirement Benefits Have to Go Through Probate?
We acquire so many assets over the course of our lives now—bank accounts, stocks, real property, life insurance, retirement, and more—it’s sometimes confusing to know what has to go through probate and what doesn’t. The answer to the question above is: life insurance and retirement benefits do not have to go through probate if the […]
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Blended Families Bring Unique Challenges for Caregivers
A recent study about how divorce may affect your health has been making the rounds in the news sources lately. This article discusses how the added stress of divorce, family upheaval, and tighter finances can be so detrimental to your health that the effects can last years into the future. Because our law firm works […]
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