When you begin your estate planning tasks, you will likely hear or see terminology that is not 100% clear to you. For example, do you know what the term health care proxy means? Most Mount Morris, New York, residents do not have a firm grasp of this term and how such...
Does your medical condition qualify you for SSDI benefits?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is an earned benefit. Every paycheck that you have ever received has included withholdings paid to Social Security on your behalf. Most people will only need to draw against those benefits when they reach retirement age....
How does the Social Security Disability appeals process work?
You filed your Social Security Disability (SSD) claim carefully and waited...and waited some more. After a long time with very little contact from the Social Security Administration (SSA), you finally got a letter in the mail in response. Your claim was denied. What...
Recreational marijuana is legal in New Jersey. Where does New York stand?
New Jersey is one of the most recent states to jump on the bandwagon of legalizing recreational marijuana, joining places like Washington, Colorado and Michigan. While this form of marijuana is strictly controlled and taxed, like alcohol, it is now legal for those...
What should you know about incentive trusts?
You may have heard of incentive or conditional trusts. They are typically established by people as part of their estate plan to motivate beneficiaries (often adult children) to do things like finish college, maintain a job, participate in charitable organizations or...
How are disability claims assessed?
Claiming Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits is a complex process. It is time-consuming and easy to make errors that could cause your claim to be denied. To improve your chances of a successful claim, you must understand who decides on claims and how they do so....
Are people really addicted to their phones?
When someone says that they’re addicted to their phone, you may think that they’re just using hyperbole. What they mean is that they use the phone a lot or that they enjoy using technology. Maybe they just find it useful. They’re not really saying they’re addicted in...
Do you need to plan for estate taxes as a New York resident?
There are so many considerations you have to keep in mind when planning your estate. You need to think about all of the assets you have and the needs of the people you love. You may also have to think about whether creditors or government insurance programs can make a...
What happens when your disability claim is denied?
Your medical condition has clearly been problematic for a while. After consulting with your doctor about it, you made the difficult decision to file for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Your doctor assured you that you had good reason to consider yourself...
If you have an estate plan, you’re in the minority
Estate planning is a necessity for almost everyone in the United States. If you have any assets whatsoever, you need a legal plan to pass them on to your designated beneficiaries. That’s true regardless of your net worth, even if the value appears to be negligible....
