A daughter calls me from Manhattan. Her father passed away, and she’s the sole heir named in his will. She has lived in the family’s
I once worked with a family in Brooklyn where a father named his eldest son as trustee for his two younger siblings. The son, an
A prospective client called me last week. “I can get a will online for a hundred dollars,” he said. “Why is working with a law
You’re sitting in the front pew of a funeral home in Brooklyn when the decedent’s eldest child leans over and whispers, “Will you say a
A family in Brooklyn recently came to my office. Their father had passed away, leaving behind a straightforward will and a paid-off brownstone. They assumed
A client in Manhattan, recently appointed executor for his mother’s estate, found a pre-approved credit card offer in her mail. It was three months after
A few years ago, a client came to our office—a retired teacher from Brooklyn who had meticulously set up Payable on Death (POD) designations on
A couple I met last year bought their brownstone in Park Slope in the late 1980s. They raised their children there, paid off the mortgage,
A few months ago, a man came into my office after his father, a lifelong Brooklyn resident, passed away. “It’s all straightforward,” he told me.
Understanding Pooled Income Trusts A Pooled Income Trust is a unique financial arrangement that can provide valuable benefits for individuals in New York who require
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who left behind a brownstone, a few investment accounts, and a simple will, the surviving children often assume
A family in Park Slope loses their matriarch. For fifty years, she was the heart of the home—a classic brownstone she and her husband bought
A client from Manhattan recently came to me with a wonderful goal: she wanted to help her grandson with the down payment on his first
When a business owner in Queens dies unexpectedly, his two adult children often assume they can step in and divide his property, his investment accounts,
An executor for a Westchester County estate recently called me, distressed. He had just received the first legal bill for his late mother’s probate, and
A client came into my Manhattan office last week with a will she’d signed in 2012. In the years since, her husband had passed, a
I once worked with the family of a Manhattan executive who was wrongfully arrested due to a case of mistaken identity. While his legal team
When an elderly parent passes away in a Manhattan apartment, the grieving family often assumes the lease dies with them. They pack up the family
The call from a Manhattan hospital is a moment no family is ready for. A parent has fallen, and a doctor is asking about their
Executor vs. Trustee: A Critical Distinction A nephew calls our office after his aunt passes away in Manhattan. He’s been named the “executor of her
When a Manhattan executive sits across my desk and asks how to fund a trust for their own eventual reanimation, the conversation shifts quickly from
A few months ago, a new client came into my office with his late father’s will. He’d found it in a desk drawer in his
A new client recently sat in my Manhattan office, notebook open, ready to discuss his estate plan. “Russel,” he said, “I’ve been reading online, and
I once worked with a couple on the Upper East Side who had spent a lifetime building a significant art collection. Their concern was not
I often meet with families who have spent decades building a life in Brooklyn. They’ve turned a house into a home, a small business into
When a Manhattan father passes away, his family generally assumes his Last Will and Testament is the absolute final word on his legacy. Suppose his
I once worked with a family whose patriarch—a successful business owner in Manhattan—had meticulously planned almost every detail of his estate. He had a valid
When a Brooklyn family loses a spouse or child to suicide, the emotional devastation is immediately compounded by harsh bureaucratic realities. Before the family has
I often sit with clients in our Manhattan office who are about to name a trustee. They’ll say, “My brother is great with people, I’ll
A son called my office recently from his late mother’s apartment in Manhattan. He held her will, a document she had carefully prepared, which left
