The recent verdict by a New York jury finding Anthony Marshall guilty of stealing from his aging mother, Brooke Astor, while she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease is a sad reminder that abuse of elders does occur. Elder abuse is an issue that is all too common in our society, but one that rarely gets much attention…. Read More »
Posts Categorized: Estate Planning
What To Do When Your Kids Don’t Like Your Will
In an ideal world elderly parents and their adult children always get along, and when those parents pass away their children quietly and respectfully follow their wishes regarding the distribution of their estate. Unfortunately, we don’t always live in an ideal world, and inheritance and estate planning can often cause tension between parents and children… Read More »
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… Read More »
5 Goals Your Estate Plan Can Help You Achieve
What is your estate plan all about? Is it about saving your assets from estate tax, or is it about leaving an inheritance for your children? Or is it something even beyond that—providing for your own financial security during your life, thus enabling you to leave a lasting legacy for your family? Estate planning—or what… Read More »
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… Read More »
If You’re Waiting on 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 one year in 2010. According to The Wall… Read More »
What We Can Learn From the Kennedy Trusts
The recent death of Senator Ted Kennedy has given us an opportunity to reflect on the unique nature of trusts not only as a tool to protect assets for future generations, but also as a way to leave a lasting legacy for your children and grandchildren. The Kennedy trust—or Kennedy trusts, we should say—are some… Read More »
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 firm works frequently… Read More »
Helping the Special People in Your Life: The Special Needs Trust
Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles often come into our offices to make estate plans, and one of the questions they ask is how they can support the people in their lives who have special needs. Special needs can include anything from Autism or Down Syndrome to Paralysis or blindness, and everything in between. These special… Read More »
In the News: What Does it Mean to Have a Health Care Directive?
There seems to be a lot of fear around President Obama’s proposed healthcare reforms, most of that fear centering on the end-of-life planning included in the proposal. As a firm that deals with elder law issues, it is important to us that our clients be informed about their health care and choices. As we regularly counsel… Read More »