Whether you drive, walk near traffic or ride a bike on a regular basis, it is imperative to watch out for the risk of a traffic collision. Sadly, many victims die in these accidents, which take place for a number of different reasons, from people who operate a vehicle...
Planning for the potential of estate taxes
Past posts on this blog touched upon the fact that New York residents fact the potential of both state and federal estate taxes. Knowing this might dishearten those engaged in the estate planning process, with them assuming that there is nothing they can do to avoid...
How should you prepare an estate plan for a special needs child?
Every family has unique estate planning needs and yours is no different. If you are the parent of a special needs child, you have to consider his or her needs when drawing your estate plan. According to Fidelity, special needs children may remain dependent on others...
Is it time to update your estate plan?
Your estate plan is a constantly evolving piece of legal work. You do not just create an estate plan and allow it to sit there, as-is. You want it to reflect your most current life circumstances at any given point in time. To this end, it is important to understand...
The New York health care proxy: What is it, and do you need one?
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....
