Author: berwitzandditata

Often our “senior” clients recognize that their home is too large and requires more in the way of upkeep and maintenance than they can manage.  Sometimes they even admit that it is the task of downsizing, and all that it entails, that prevents them from taking the next step. This article (link below), published in...

Tax season is over! Spring has FINALLY sprung! It’s time to “review and renew.” Each spring, we at Berwitz & DiTata LLP encourage our clients, friends and “would be” friends to focus on estate planning, refresh those resolutions and stop procrastinating. We call it our annual “Review and Renew” program. If you have never created...

Estate planning, whether simple or complex, requires careful attention to details which, if overlooked or misunderstood, can undermine the plan’s effectiveness. We like to highlight common estate planning mistakes and misconceptions whenever we can. Most people misunderstand joint accounts. Some believe that they can add the name of a loved one onto an account “for...

It’s easy to understand how advance funeral planning can reduce the stress on surviving family members and provide peace of mind. It also makes good financial sense. Many people think of funeral planning as part of estate planning. The benefits of pre-planning our own include: the ability to make personal and specific selections that most...

If you are the owner of a business or professional practice, it is important that your estate planning documents are complete and up-to-date. You should develop an ownership transition plan so that your family and your business will be protected in the event of your death or incapacity. It is also important to consider the...

Hospice is a specific type of “palliative care” which focuses on comfort driven care and pain relief, not curing. While palliative care may be available for patients at any stage of an illness, hospice care is for those with “a life-limiting illness,” in other words, people who are unlikely to live for more than six...

The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) is an independent agency of the United States government, created to protect depositors of FDIC insured banks and savings associations, against loss due to the failure of the insured bank. It covers all types of deposits, checking, savings, money market and time deposits like certificates of deposit (“CDs”), dollar-for-dollar...

Recently, Lamar Odom, the former NBA star who played for the Lakers and the Clippers, was found unconscious in a brothel in Nevada. In addition to being a professional athlete, Odom is famous for his 2009 marriage to reality television star Khloe Kardashian. Although the couple had separated and signed divorce papers in July of...

Berwitz & DiTata LLP welcomes associate attorney Alyssa H. Solarsh to the firm. After earning a bachelors degree summa cum laude in Political Science from the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, Alyssa obtained her law degree from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. During law school, Alyssa participated in Touro Law Center’s...

Many of us have at least one step-relative in the family – a step-parent, a step- or half-sibling or a step-child. Because the relationships among step-family members are frequently as strong or stronger than the relationships we have with our direct family members, it is important to take current and potential step-relationships into account when...