A client recently came to our Manhattan office after moving from Florida. He had meticulously planned his estate there, using a “transfer on death” deed
When a parent passes away in Queens leaving behind a paid-off family home, the children often assume they can immediately put a “For Sale” sign
When a Manhattan widower decides to remove an estranged sibling from his estate, the most common instinct is often the most destructive. He pulls his
A client came to me last week with what he thought was a simple plan. “Russel,” he said, “I’m just going to sign the deed
A Will Is Private—Until It Isn’t A client recently called me with a common question. His estranged uncle, a longtime resident of Queens, had passed
When a Brooklyn family discovers that the brownstone their parents bought in 1982 for $150,000 is now appraised at $4.5 million, the conversation quickly shifts
After a funeral service on Long Island, I watched a family gather. The legal documents—the will, the trust, the powers of attorney—were all in order,
A client from Queens called me last week in a panic. His mother had been in a skilled nursing facility for several months, and he
Three months after their father passes away, a pair of siblings walks into the Kings County Surrogate’s Court with a manila folder. Inside is a
I once met with a family whose father was in an ICU bed at a Brooklyn hospital, unable to speak for himself after a sudden
I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count. A family in Staten Island loses a parent, and in their grief, they discover there
A grieving family gathers in a mahogany-paneled office in Manhattan. The attorney clears his throat, unseals a heavy envelope, and begins reading the deceased patriarch’s
A client came to my office last month with a common but frustrating problem. Her father, a successful Brooklyn business owner, had left her a
When a family sits in my office after losing a parent, the conversation eventually turns from grief to process. An executor receives a thick packet
Parents often ask me how they can treat their children fairly when their needs are so different. One child is heading to college, another is
When a Manhattan father suffers a severe stroke, his adult children often rush to his bank with a downloaded Power of Attorney in hand. They
I recently met with three siblings who had inherited their parents’ brownstone in Brooklyn. One lived in the city and wanted to keep the home.
I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count. A family from Staten Island walks into my office after a parent has passed away.
I often meet with families in our Manhattan office who have owned the same home for 30 or 40 years. They bought a brownstone in
A client recently came to our office. Her brother had named her as the successor trustee for his children’s trust, and he had just passed
When a Manhattan family loses a parent who named all three children as co-executors to be “fair,” the next two years rarely go as planned.
A client from Brooklyn called me last week. His mother had just passed, and a credit card company was already on the phone, demanding payment
In the realm of estate planning, a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust stands out as a powerful tool for safeguarding assets and ensuring peace of mind
A client once came to me after hearing a rumor that his estranged father, who lived alone in Queens, had passed away. They hadn’t spoken
An executor in Brooklyn is clearing out her father’s apartment and finds a file cabinet filled with a decade’s worth of Medicare Summary Notices. The
A client from Queens calls our office. He wants to add his daughter to the deed of the family home where she grew up. He’s
A grieving widow in Manhattan sits at her dining table, staring at a stack of mail. Mixed in with the condolence cards are three aggressive
When a Brooklyn family discovers their father died without a Will, the oldest sibling often assumes he is the “executor” by default. He heads to
When a Queens family loses a father who never signed a will, the grief is quickly compounded by a harsh reality in Surrogate’s Court. If
A client recently sat in my Manhattan office with a difficult question. He wanted to name his sister as the trustee for his children’s inheritance.
