News & Knowledge
Keeping our clients updated, educated, and informed.
Mom Says She's Never Giving Up the Car Keys. Now What?
Your parent insists they’re never giving up their car keys, but you are increasingly concerned about their safety. When does protecting an aging parent cross the line into interfering with independence? During Long-Term Care Awareness Month, we explore the legal, emotional, and practical challenges families face when an older loved one refuses to stop driving, and how thoughtful planning can help balance safety, dignity, and personal autonomy.
Is It Too Late to Protect Assets if Mom Is Already in a Nursing Home?
Mom is already in a nursing home and the bills are mounting. Does Medicaid’s five-year lookback mean it is too late to protect her assets? Not necessarily. Learn why crisis Medicaid planning may still offer options to preserve assets and avoid costly mistakes.
What Happens to the House if a Parent Goes Into a Nursing Home?
If your parent enters a nursing home, will Medicaid force the family home to be sold? Not necessarily. Learn how Medicaid treats the family home, when special protections and transfer exceptions may apply, and why you should get advice before selling, transferring, or changing the deed.
Long-Term Care Can Change Everything. Planning Ahead Can Make All the Difference.
Long-term care can place a significant financial and emotional burden on families. This November, during Long-Term Care Awareness Month, learn how advance planning, Medicaid strategies, and essential legal documents can help protect your assets, preserve your independence, and provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
New York's Estate Tax Cliff: It Could Be Closer Than You Think
As the greatest generational wealth transfer in history unfolds, New York families may face an unexpected financial threat: New York's Estate Tax Cliff. Even when no federal estate tax is owed, the death of a loved one could trigger a substantial New York estate tax bill, reducing the inheritance left to children and grandchildren. Learn how proactive estate planning can help protect your family's wealth and preserve your legacy.
My Mother May Need a Nursing Home. How Do We Protect Her Assets and Get Medicaid?
If your parent may need nursing home care, do they have to spend everything before Medicaid will help? Not necessarily. Learn how Medicaid planning may help protect assets, preserve the family home, and avoid costly mistakes before making important financial decisions.
My Children Are Adults. Do I Still Need an Estate Plan?
Having adult children does not mean you have outgrown estate planning. From protecting inheritances and planning for grandchildren to choosing who will manage your affairs and reviewing beneficiary designations, an estate plan should evolve as your family changes.
What Happens if I Become Incapacitated Without an Estate Plan?
What happens if illness, injury, or cognitive decline leaves you unable to manage your own affairs? Without proper estate planning, even the people closest to you may lack the legal authority they need to help. Learn how advance planning can protect you, your family, and your wishes.
Five Estate Planning Documents Every New York Adult Should Consider
Estate planning is about more than deciding who inherits your property. Learn about five essential documents every New York adult should consider to protect themselves, their family, and their wishes during life and after death.
You Already Have an Estate Plan. When Was the Last Time You Looked at It?
You already have an estate plan – but does it still reflect your family, finances, and wishes today? Learn why periodically reviewing your Will, Trust, Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, Living Will, beneficiary designations, and other planning documents can help ensure your plan still works as intended.
National Estate Planning Awareness Month: Protection, Security, and Peace of Mind™
October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month – a timely reminder to make sure your estate plan protects you, your family, and everything you have worked to build. From Wills and Revocable Living Trusts to incapacity planning, Medicaid planning, and asset protection, thoughtful planning today can provide Protection, Security, and Peace of Mind™ for the future.
What happens to home and auto insurance after a policyholder dies?
Insure.com, article by Barbara Marquand, "What happens to home and auto insurance after a policyholder dies?".
7 Things Your Estate Planner Wants You to Know Before You Die
Jeffrey Asher was quoted at Realtor.com, a National Association of REALTORS company, on the 7 Things Your Estate Planner Wants You to Know Before You Die.
Digital Assets in Estate Administration
Digital assets are many things: music, videos, medical records, tax documents, financial records, bank statements, photographs, whether stored on a computer hard drive, online, and/or in the Cloud. Digital assets can also include accounts on social media websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Instagram. Digital assets are also email accounts, such as at Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail. Or accounts at online merchant websites, such as eBay, PayPal, and Amazon.
Five Things to Know Before Becoming an Executor of an Estate
When someone asks you to serve as an executor of their Last Will and Testament, it is an important role that you need to take seriously. If you don't have experience as an executor, it is important to know what to expect. There are a few main facts to understand to ensure you're prepared and can avoid mistakes.
Prenuptial Agreements and Estate Planning
There are many complexities with estate planning that you have to navigate with the help of a legal professional. If you're planning on getting married, you may also be wondering how prenuptial agreements affect your estate planning. With the help of an attorney, you can discover how prenuptial agreements are a useful tool in estate planning.
Top Mistakes Fiduciaries Make (Liability Landmines)
The common (but not small) mistakes:
Not marshaling all of the assets.
Not determining all of the debt.
Not disposing of all of the debt.
Not paying the expenses on time, including the estate taxes owed by the decedent’s estate.
Making distributions prior to the seven (7) months.
Paying the decedent’s creditors without confirming the claim(s).
Not heeding the concerns or needs of the beneficiary(ies) of the estate.
What it Means to Be an Executor
Whether you are called an executor or administrator, or anything in-between, your job is relatively the same. Marshal the assets of the estate, pay the legitimate claims of the decedent, dispose of the illegitimate claims against the decedent, distribute the net estate pursuant to the terms of the dispositive instrument (e.g., the Will) and/or state law (e.g., in the event there is no Will), as the case may be, prepare the necessary estate tax return(s), and file an inventory with the court.
Estate Planning for an Ailing Senior
My mom’s health is failing rapidly. What should I do to get ready to handle her decisions in the event she becomes mentally incapacitated?
Issues Facing Clients with Real Estate in More Than One State
If you own real estate in more than one state (New York and Florida, for example) you may need to probate your Will or administer your estates in each state.