When a loved one passes away, one of the most difficult things survivors must do is plan the funeral and service. It can be both financially and emotionally exhausting. Unfortunately, those in the funeral business sometimes take advantage of that grief and oversell or upcharge surviving loved ones for funeral services and burial items. What many people do not know is that you have rights when planning a funeral. To help ensure that you do not fall victim to those who would take advantage of your …
Social Security Benefits Based on Your Spouse’s Work History
Many retirees depend on the financial benefits they receive each month from the Social Security retirement system. What happens, however, if you were a stay-at-home parent for your entire life? Are you entitled to Social Security retirement benefits? The Long Island attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm explain when you are entitled to Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s work history. Work Credits in the Social Security System During your working years, you accumulate credits that are …
Estate Planning Documents That Retirees Need – And Most Do Not Have
Having a comprehensive estate plan in place is beneficial to every adult at every stage of life. Being prepared when you head into your retirement years, however, is especially important for several reasons. Unfortunately, a surprising number of retirees are not prepared, according to a recent survey. To help ensure that you are prepared, the Long Island attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm discuss common estate planning documents that all retirees should have in place. Survey Shows that Retirees …
Should I Include a Memorandum of Intent with My Special Needs Trust?
Raising children is neither easy nor inexpensive. When your child has special needs, raising that child can be more difficult and more expensive, but can also bring even more joy and happiness to you and your family. Protecting and providing for your child with special needs is likely to be important to you long after your child becomes a legal adult. To accomplish these goals, you need a comprehensive estate plan in place that includes a special needs planning component. That component will …
Proving Lack of Testamentary Capacity in a New York Will Contest
The death of a loved one is typically followed by a period of grief and heightened emotions. It is during this time that the legal process of probating the decedent’s estate gets underway. One function of probate is to authenticate the Last Will and Testament filed with the court if a Will was located. As such, any challenges to the Will’s validity are raised and litigated during this time frame. For anyone contemplating a Will challenge, the Long Island attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm discuss …
How to Handle the Black Sheep Beneficiary in Your Estate Plan
It seems as though every family has a “black sheep.” That one person who does their one thing and doesn’t seem to adhere to the same beliefs or lifestyle as other family members. Sometimes this individual has a mental health issue or addiction; however, it may also simply be that your family’s black sheep walks to the beat of a different drummer. Regardless of the reason, figuring out how to handle the proverbial “black sheep” in your estate plan can be difficult. To help get you started, the …
What Is a New York Durable Power of Attorney?
Many estate planning tools and terminology are foreign to the average person. There is one estate planning tool, however, that most people are familiar with – a Power of Attorney. You may already have a Power of Attorney in place, or you may be named as an Agent in a Power of Attorney (POA) executed by someone else. Either way, you likely have some idea what can be accomplished with a POA. You may not, however, know what a durable POA is. To shed some light on the subject, the Long Island …
How to Incorporate Tax Avoidance Strategies into Your New York Estate Plan
A successful estate plan is able to merge numerous estate planning goals into one comprehensive plan. For many people, tax avoidance is one of those goals given that a substantial portion of the value of an estate can be lost to state and/or federal tax obligations in the absence of proper planning. With that in mind, the Long Island attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm offer some guidance on how to incorporate tax avoidance strategies into your New York estate plan. Federal Gift and Estate …
Caregiver Tips: How to Care for Yourself While Providing Unpaid Care to a Loved One
Experts tell us that almost 50 million people currently provide unpaid care to a family member or loved one in the United States. If you are one of them, your caregiving undoubtedly affects you and your immediate family in a variety of ways. To allow you to continue to provide care, you must take care of yourself first. Toward that end, the Long Island elder law attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm offer some caregiver tips to help you care for yourself while providing unpaid care to a loved …
Revoking or Terminating a Living Trust in New York: What You Need to Know
A living trust is a very popular estate planning tool, in large part because there are so many estate planning goals and objectives that can be furthered using a living trust. Once a trust has been established, however, there may come a time when the desire to revoke or terminate the trust arises. To ensure that a revocation or termination is handled properly, you should work with an experienced New York estate planning attorney. To give you an idea of what is involved, however, the Long Island …
What Happens to an Unclaimed Inheritance in New York?
Would you be surprised to learn that the State of New York has over $18 billion in unclaimed funds? That is certainly a staggering number. Some of that money comes from unclaimed inheritances. Whether you are working on your own estate plan or you have reason to believe that you might be entitled to some money, it helps to know what happens to assets that go unclaimed after a death. Toward that end, the Long Island estate planning attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm explain what happens to an …
What Should Be Included in My Estate Plan?
The prospect of creating an estate plan can be a bit uncomfortable and even intimidating for most people. After all, the process requires you to consider your own death or incapacity as well as to understand what legal steps you need to take to plan for either. It helps to have a general idea of what tools and strategies go into a typical “starter” estate plan. With that in mind, the Long Island estate planning attorneys at Eghrari Law Firm explain what should be included in your estate …
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