Our Firm Our Services Our Office

Estate Planning

While nobody wants to think about death or disability, establishing an estate plan is one of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones. Proper estate planning not only puts you in charge of your finances, it can also spare your loved ones of the expense, delay and frustration associated with managing your affairs when you pass away or become disabled.

Providing for Incapacity
If you become incapacitated, you won’t be able to manage your own financial affairs. Many are under the mistaken impression that one’s spouse or adult children can automatically take over for them if they become incapacitated. The truth is that in order for others to be able to manage your finances, they must petition a court to declare you legally incompetent. This process can be lengthy, costly and stressful. Even if the court appoints the person you would have chosen, the individual may have to come back to the court every year and show how he or she is spending and investing each and every penny.

If you want your family to be able to immediately take over for you, it’s essential that you work with an attorney to create the proper legal documents to designate a person, or persons, that you trust so they will have the authority to withdraw money from your accounts, pay bills, take distributions from your IRAs, sell stocks, and refinance your home. Many people mistakenly think that a simple will can effectively protect you in the event that you become incapacitated, but the truth is that a will does not take effect until you die.
 
In addition to planning for the financial aspect of your affairs during incapacity, it’s critical that you establish a plan for your medical care. The law allows you to appoint someone you trust - for example, a family member or close friend to make decisions on your behalf about medical treatment options if you lose the ability to decide for yourself. You can do this by using a health care proxy where you designate the person to make such decisions on your behalf. In addition to a health care proxy, you should also have a living will which informs others of your preferred medical treatments such as the use of extraordinary measures should you become permanently unconscious or terminally ill.

Probate

If you leave your estate to your loved ones using a will, everything you own will pass through probate. The process is open to the public and at times, expensive and time-consuming. The probate court, called surrogate's court in New York, is in control of the process until the estate has been settled and distributed. During this process, it is not unusual for the surrogate's courts to freeze assets for weeks or even months while trying to determine the proper disposition of the estate. If you are married and have children, you want to make certain that your surviving family has immediate access to cash to pay for living expenses while your estate is being settled. 
 
Providing for Minor Children

It is important that your estate plan address issues regarding the upbringing of your children. You should discuss with your attorney the possibility of both you and your spouse dying simultaneously, or within a short duration of time. A contingency plan should include a list of persons you’d like to manage your assets and name a guardian you’d like to nominate to raise your children in your absence. The person, or trustee, in charge of the finances need not be the same person as the guardian. In fact, in many situations, you may want to purposely designate different persons to maintain a system of checks and balances.

You should give careful thought to your choice of guardian, ensuring that he or she shares the values you want instilled in your children. You will also want to give consideration to the age and financial condition of a potential guardian. Some guardians may lack child-rearing skills you feel are necessary. If you fail to plan, the decision as to who will manage your finances and raise your children will be left to a court of law.
 
Another issue to consider during the planning process is whether you’d like your beneficiaries to receive your assets directly, or to have the assets placed in trust and distributed subject to conditions and circumstances such as age, need and even incentives based on behavior and education. All too often, children receive substantial assets before they are mature enough to handle them in a prudent manner.
 
Planning for Death Taxes
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the Internal Revenue Service will want to review your estate at death to ensure you don’t owe them that one final tax: the estate tax. Whether there will be any tax owed depends on the size of your estate and how your estate plan is structured. Presently, there is a New York estate tax on assets in excess of $1,000,000 and a Federal estate tax on assets in excess of $5,000,000. There are many effective strategies that can be implemented to reduce or eliminate estate taxes, but you must start the planning process early in order to properly implement many of these strategies.
 
Charitable Bequests – Planned Giving
Do you want to benefit a charitable organization or cause?  Your estate plan can provide support for such organizations in a variety of ways, either during your lifetime or at your death. Depending on how your planned giving is set up, it may also allow you to receive a stream of income for life, earn higher investment yield, or reduce your capital gains or estate taxes.
 
A well-crafted estate plan should provide for your loved ones in an effective and efficient manner by avoiding guardianship during your lifetime, estate taxes and unnecessary delays. You should consult a qualified estate planning attorney to review your family and financial situation, your goals and explain the various options available to you.  Once your estate plan is in place, you will have peace of mind knowing that you have provided for yourself and your family.

Contact Comerford & Dougherty, LLP for a free consultation.
 



© 2024 Comerford & Dougherty, LLP | Attorney Advertising
1122 Franklin Avenue, Suite 406 , Garden City, NY 11530
| Phone: 516-248-2424

Services Overview | Estate Planning | Matrimonial, Divorce & Family | Real Estate | Affordable Housing Development | Corporate/Business Organizations | Non Profit Organizations | | About

-
-