Albany Legal Blog

Living in New York, you should know about the state’s Health Care Proxy Law. Under this law, you can appoint a trusted person, such as a friend or family member, to make health care decisions on your behalf if you can no longer do so. If you’re wondering, “What is

Who would take over your finances and health care decisions if you could not due to medical reasons? While most people do not want to think about incapacity planning or a power of attorney agent, it is a question that answers can be helpful to families during unexpected and stressful

Estate planning is a task people tend to put off. However, once your will and other estate documents are in place, you may not think about them again for a long time.  Major life changes should trigger an estate plan review. When You Need Estate Plan Review Protect your loved ones

Degenerative neurological conditions, traumatic brain injuries, and other medical conditions can all damage your mental faculties. You hope that this will never happen, but if it does, you may no longer have the capacity to make your own decisions regarding health care and finances. So, how does one go about

Appointing a power of attorney agent is one of the many benefits of estate planning. A power of attorney can protect you and your estate if you cannot make decisions for yourself. It is a handy tool, but in the wrong hands, it can be dangerous. You should be careful when

New York’s Health Care Proxy Law allows you to name an individual to act as your health care proxy if you become severely ill or incapacitated as part of incapacity planning. By creating an advance directive or health care directive, you may leave written instructions for your chosen power of

You feel ready to plan your estate, but you have a lot to learn to create a thorough strategy. For instance, what estate planning mistakes should you look out for? Estate planning helps you take care of your family members and loved ones after your death–your estate planning beneficiaries. Are you

If you are on the fence about creating an estate plan, consider: Is there someone you do not want to benefit from your death? Chances are, there is someone that you prefer not to get your hard-earned money. However, if this person is a relative by blood or marriage, there is

As you get deeper and deeper into the estate planning process in New York, you begin to recognize opportunities to settle your pending liabilities and avoid any unnecessary expenses against your estate (thus preserving even more assets for your estate planning beneficiaries). Yet one potential expense hangs over your estate

One of the main goals of New York estate planning is to avoid probate as much as possible. Probate is not only a very public mechanism but can also be expensive and take a long time. Some think putting their adult child’s name on the deed to their home is

If the idea of crafting a will seems extremely daunting, you are not alone. Many people hesitate to start the estate planning process because it seems like it will be a big, complicated affair. However, this is not necessarily the case, and in certain circumstances, having a simple will is