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Estate planning is something that people often put on the back burner, and there are many reasons for this procrastination. One of them is the simple fact that it can be hard to know where to begin. There are various different estate planning documents that can be used, and the matter can be confusing.

To demystify things, you could sit down and discuss your estate planning objectives with a licensed attorney. In this post, we will look at some general questions that you may want to ask at the consultation.

I’m not rich. I should use a last will to state my final wishes, right?

A last will can be used as an asset transfer vehicle. However, you do have other options, even if you are not extraordinarily wealthy.

When a will is used, the executor must admit the will to probate. This a legal process, and it can be time-consuming and expensive. The heirs to the estate must wait out the probate process before they can receive their inheritances, and the amount of the inheritances can be shaved down by the costs that are accumulated during probate.

It is possible to proactively implement probate avoidance strategies.

How would I avoid probate?

There are a number of different ways to get assets into the hands of your heirs outside of probate. One very popular probate avoidance tool is the revocable living trust.

You retain control of the assets while you are living when you establish this type of trust. After you die, the trustee that you name in the trust declaration can distribute assets to the beneficiaries outside of probate according to your wishes.

I’m not comfortable giving everyone lump sum inheritances. Can I provide for each person in a different way?

The answer to this question is yes. An ideal estate plan will take all of the circumstances into account, and each respective person in the family will receive his or her inheritance in the optimal manner.

Financial matters are obviously important, but is there anything else I should know?

A well constructed estate plan should address the possibility of latter life incapacity. Many people become unable to make sound decisions late in their lives.

Your estate plan can include an incapacity component. Through the execution of a durable power of attorney, you can name a financial decision maker who could manage your financial affairs in the event of your incapacity.

With a health care proxy you could name a health care representative.

Schedule a Free Consultation

If you are ready to take action, our firm can help. We offer free consultations, and you can send us a message through our contact page to set up an appointment: Queens NY Estate Planning Attorneys

As you are going through life as a healthy adult, you may not concern yourself with possible physical limitations. After all, you eat well, you exercise, and you are approaching your retirement years in good health.

This may be a logical perspective, but you may want to look at a broader picture.

Long-term care is one of the most pressing matters within the elder law community because most people are going to need it. The need for living assistance is not a remote possibility; it is a likelihood, even if you have been in good health throughout your life.

How likely is it? The government maintains a website called longtermcare.gov, and according to the site, 70 percent of people who are reaching the age of 65 will need living assistance at some point in time.

Long-term care is a very big deal because of the fact that Medicare does not pay for custodial care. This is the type of care that you would receive in a nursing home or an assisted living community.

The average cost for a room in a nursing home in New York City is over $142,000 a year, while in Long Island, the average cost exceeds $148,000 a year. These prices have been rising on an annual basis.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is something to be very aware of if you are pragmatically looking ahead toward your elder years. The Alzheimer’s Association tells us that 45 percent of people who are at least 85 are suffering from the disease.

To get back to good health for a moment, if you have embraced a healthy lifestyle, you probably expect to enjoy a good deal of longevity. As a result, it could be argued that someone who enters retirement in good health could eventually be quite vulnerable to Alzheimer’s, because of these longevity expectations.

Indeed, many people in nursing homes are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

To prepare for possible incapacity, you could take steps that lead to Medicaid eligibility. This government health insurance program does pay for long-term care, and most elders in nursing homes are enrolled in the Medicaid program.

Because Medicaid is a need-based program, you could plan ahead to protect your assets before you apply for coverage. This must be done with full knowledge of the 60 month look back, because you are penalized and your eligibility is delayed if you give gifts within 60 months of submitting your application.

Free Elder Law Consultation

If these facts have gotten your attention, our firm can help. We would be glad to answer your questions about long-term care, and we can help you start to plan ahead with Medicaid eligibility in mind if you want to go forward.

To set up a free consultation, send us a message through this page: Queens NY Elder Law Attorneys

Living trusts are very versatile, and they provide a number of different benefits. We will look at a few of them in this blog post, with an emphasis on spendthrift protections.

Measured Distributions

You may have someone in your family who is not particularly good with money. Perhaps this individual has come to you over the years for assistance, and you are concerned about what will happen after you are gone. You could leave this person an inheritance, but what happens if the money is spent too quickly? At some point, the family member could experience true financial hardships.

It is possible to account for this type of situation when you create a revocable living trust. You as the creator of the trust would typically act as the trustee and the beneficiary while you are living. In the trust declaration, you name a successor trustee to administer the trust after your death, and you would name your spendthrift family member as the successor beneficiary.

The trustee could be a person that you know or a corporate trustee like a trust company or the trust section of a bank. If you use a professional fiduciary, the trust will be administered in accordance with professional standards, and there will be no personal heartstrings to tug at.

In the trust declaration, you leave behind instructions with regard to the way that you want the trustee to distribute assets to the beneficiary after you are gone. For example, you could allow for the trustee to distribute the earnings from the trust on a monthly basis while the principal remains intact.

It would be possible to give the trustee the discretion to distribute assets from the principal under certain circumstances.

When you include stipulations such as these, you can go forward with peace of mind. The trust will be in place to provide your family member with support after your passing, but the trustee would have the ability to make sure that your beneficiary has a financial underpinning to draw from for the long haul.

In addition to the spendthrift protections that you can add, a revocable living trust can be of value for incapacity planning purposes. Many elders become incapacitated late in their lives, and you could empower the successor trustee to administer the trust in the event of your incapacitation.

Probate avoidance is another advantage. The trustee would be able to follow your instructions and distribute assets to the beneficiary in a timely manner, because the distributions would not be subject to the process of probate.

Free Consultation

If you are interested in creating a living trust, send us a message through this page to request a free consultation: Queens NY Trust Attorneys.

People often procrastinate when it comes to estate planning. Just about all responsible people know that they should have a plan in place, but it can be complicated, and many individuals simply put the matter on the back burner. To some extent this is understandable, but at the same time, you should educate yourself and take action to protect your loved ones.

This can be easier said than done, and we recognize the fact that it can be hard to find sound information that you can trust. Our firm makes an effort to educate people in and around Queens, and to this end we are offering a series of estate planning workshops toward the end of the month of March.

These workshops are absolutely free, and you can obtain a great deal of useful information if you attend a session that fits into your schedule.

Wills

We will look at last wills at the upcoming seminars. A will can seem like a very simple document, and it can seem like the best choice for you if you are not extremely wealthy. However, this is not always the case.

There are some limitations to take into consideration, and a will must pass through probate, which is a timely and potentially costly legal process. You should understand the facts and make informed decisions.

Trusts

Trusts are often used in the field of estate planning, and there are different trusts that serve different respective purposes. You do not have to be rich to benefit from a trust.

Trusts can facilitate timely asset transfers outside of probate, and you can also include stipulations when you create a trust. The trustee could be empowered to distribute assets to beneficiaries on a limited, ongoing basis over an extended period of time.

At the workshops, we will look at the value of trusts, and we will answer any questions that you may have.

Nursing Home Asset Protection

When you are looking ahead toward the future, you should certainly consider the eventualities of aging. The majority of seniors will eventually need long-term care, and nursing homes are exorbitantly expensive.

Medicare does not pay for long-term care, so this is an issue that is very important if you want to have something left to leave to your loved ones after you pass away.

We will explore potential solutions at our seminars.

March Seminar Schedule and Registration Information

We make things simple for people who want to attend one of our estate planning workshops. You can visit our workshop schedule page to see a list of our offerings, and you can click the appropriate link to register for the seminar that works for you.

The estate planning workshops will take place on October 7th and 8th, and

There are people who do not take estate planning very seriously, because they simply do not understand all of the facts. They assume that they can quickly create a last will when they are senior citizens, and they think that is the long and short of it.

In reality, there are a great many things to take into consideration if you want to be prepared for the eventualities of aging as you simultaneously craft a suitable legacy. Let’s look at some of the facts.

Asset Transfers

A last will can be used as an asset transfer vehicle, but it is not your only choice. In fact, a last will would not be the optimal solution for many people.

For example, in a perfect world, would you like to have a professional money manager distribute assets to an heir or heirs after your passing in a conservative, measured fashion over an extended period of time? If you were to use a trust such as a revocable living trust instead of a will, you could make this happen.

Plus, the asset transfers would take place outside of the legal process of probate. A will must be admitted to probate, and this is a time-consuming and sometimes expensive process.

High net worth individuals may be exposed to the federal estate tax, and there is also a state-level estate tax to contend with in the state of New York. A last will would not provide estate tax efficiency, but there are other legal devices that would mitigate your estate tax exposure.

These are just a couple of examples, but there are other scenarios that would call for different asset transfer vehicles.

Incapacity Planning

Incapacity planning is another important consideration. Up to 45 percent of people who have reached the age of 85 are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and of course, this is not the only cause of incapacity.

You could appoint someone to manage your financial affairs in the event of your incapacitation through the creation of a durable power of attorney. With a health care proxy, you could empower a health care decision maker.

A living will could also be included to state your wishes regarding the utilization of life-sustaining measures.

Long-Term Care

Most seniors will need long-term care eventually, and Medicare will not pay for it. Nursing homes and assisted living communities are extremely expensive, so this is an issue that you must address when you are creating a long-term financial plan.

Schedule a Free Consultation

If you have estate planning questions, our firm can provide answers. We offer free consultations, and we would be glad to help you put a personalized plan in place.

To set up an appointment, send us a message through our contact page: Queens NY Estate Planning Attorneys.

A comprehensive estate plan will include an incapacity planning component. A significant percentage of senior citizens become incapacitated to one extent or another. While there are other causes of incapacity, around 45 percent of those who have reached the age of 85 are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

If you were to contract Alzheimer’s, dementia can set in. Those who are suffering from dementia may not be able to make sound financial and medical decisions.

A question arises: who would be empowered to make decisions on your behalf in the event of your incapacitation?

Guardianship

If you do not take any steps in advance to prepare for possible incapacitation, the state could be petitioned by interested parties to appoint a guardian to manage your affairs. You would have no control over the choice of guardian.

Power of Attorney

You can take the matter into your own hands in advance by executing a particular type of power of attorney. A durable power of attorney would remain in effect even if you were to become incapacitated. If you execute a durable power of attorney, you are preventing a guardianship proceeding.

The attorney-in-fact or agent that you name in the device would be empowered to handle your financial affairs in the event of your incapacitation.

The major difference between a guardianship and a power of attorney is the matter of choice. With a guardianship, the state of New York would decide on the person who would manage your affairs. If you execute a durable power of attorney, a hand-picked decision-maker of your own choosing would handle your finances.

Health Care Proxy

In addition to a durable financial power of attorney, to be comprehensively prepared for possible incapacitation you should execute a document called a health care proxy. This is similar to a power of attorney for health care decision-making. You name a proxy, and this individual would be legally empowered to make health care decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated at some point in time.

Prevent a Guardianship

It is highly unlikely that you would want the state to decide who will handle your financial and health care decision-making in the event of your incapacitation.

You have the power to assert your wishes with regard to decision-makers who would act on your behalf if you become unable to manage your own affairs. When you have a comprehensive estate plan in place that also addresses the possibility of incapacity, you can go forward with peace of mind.

If you would like to discuss incapacity planning with an experienced estate planning and elder law attorney, get in touch with us to schedule your assessment. You can request an appointment through the contact page on this website.

It is important to understand all of your options when you are planning your estate. You may automatically assume that you should use a last will. While you can certainly go this route, you may also want to consider the creation of a revocable living trust.

There are those who assume that trusts are only useful for the wealthy. This is not the case. Revocable living trusts can be beneficial for people of relatively ordinary means.

Ongoing Control

When you convey assets into a revocable living trust, you are called the grantor of the trust. The trust is comprised of a beneficiary or beneficiaries who will receive monetary distributions out of the trust, and the trustee who will administer the trust.

As the grantor of a revocable living trust, you can act as the trustee and the beneficiary initially. As such, you do not surrender control of the assets that you have placed into the trust. Because it is revocable, you can actually revoke or rescind the trust, and it would no longer exist.

When you create the trust you spell out your wishes in a trust agreement. As the grantor, you can change the terms of the trust along the way. You could add or remove beneficiaries, and you could alter the distribution terms.

Value of Revocable Living Trusts

When you create a revocable living trust, you are facilitating a smooth and efficient transfer of assets to your loved ones after you pass away. The trustee follows the terms of the trust to distribute resources to the beneficiaries according to your wishes. Unless there is a challenge to the trust, there are no legal impediments.

Things are different when you use a last will to state your final wishes. If you use a will, the executor must admit the will to probate. The administration of the estate would take place under the supervision of the probate court.

Probate can be a time-consuming process. The exact duration varies depending on the complexity of the case in question. A relatively routine case could pass through probate in approximately nine months to a year.

In addition to the time factor, there is the expense factor. Costs can accumulate during probate, and this is another one of the drawbacks.

Probate avoidance is a big benefit that you gain when you create a revocable living trust. In addition to this, there is also the matter of incapacity planning.

A significant percentage of senior citizens become unable to handle their own financial affairs late in their lives. If you do nothing to prepare for this eventuality, the court could be petitioned to appoint a guardian to act on your behalf.

This is not necessary if you have a revocable living trust. You could name a successor or disability trustee, and this individual or entity would be empowered to administer the trust in the event of your incapacitation.

As you get older, you may begin to think long and hard about the eventualities of aging. When you look at the statistics, you will find that most American senior citizens will need help with their day-to-day needs eventually. Long-term care is very expensive, and Medicare does not pay for custodial care. Medicaid is a government program that will assist with these expenses.

Need-Based Health Insurance

Unlike Medicare, Medicaid is a need-based health insurance program. Your assets and income must stay within certain limits if you want to qualify for Medicaid to pay for living assistance.

A logical thought would be that you could simply give your assets to your family members who would otherwise be inheriting these resources if you find out that you need to enter a nursing home or assisted living community. You could then qualify for Medicaid.

In reality, this is not possible because of the five-year Medicaid look-back period. When you apply for the program, eligibility evaluators will examine your financial transactions going back five years. If they find that you have given away assets within five years of submitting your application for Medicaid coverage, you will be deemed ineligible for a period of time.

The exact duration of this penalty will be calculated by comparing the cost of long-term care in the state of New York to the amount of the divestitures.

Advance Planning Is Key

Sticking your head in the sand as you hope for the best is probably not an effective strategy when you consider the fact that 70 percent of people turning 65 will indeed require long-term care. It is likely that you will need living assistance, and long-term care is very expensive.

The costs have been steadily rising, but at the present time a room in a nursing home in the state of New York comes with an annual price tag that exceeds $137,000. About 10 percent of the people who reside in nursing homes remain in the homes for a minimum of five years.

If you plan ahead in advance with future Medicaid eligibility in mind, you can potentially position your assets optimally at least five years before you apply for coverage.

Free Medicaid Planning Special Report

There is a lot to take into consideration if you are interested in Medicaid coverage as a senior citizen. The program rules are complex, and you have to do some research to understand the details.

Our firm has prepared a free special report that takes an in-depth look at Medicaid planning for those who are concerned about future long-term care costs. The report can be accessed through this website. To obtain your copy of the report, click this link and follow the simple instructions: Free Special Report on Medicaid Planning.