Did you know that financial institutions can share our personal and financial records? Did you know that credit reporting agencies can sell our credit report to credit card companies and others? Credit bureaus collect and profile data about each and every one of us in order to help businesses make decisions about those with whom they...
Second or third marriages and blended families, where one or both spouses come to the marriage with children from a prior relationship, can raise interesting and sometimes difficult questions when considering an appropriate estate plan. The primary purpose of estate planning is to insure that, when you pass away, your assets pass to those whom...
If you already have a will, you may be ahead of the game. But don’t be too sure. When did you last review it? Do you recall where you put the original? Has your life changed in the interim? Have you married, divorced, had children or have your children given you grandchildren? Have you inherited...
Ideally, every client of Berwitz & DiTata LLP would have the foresight to plan now for the possibility that they will require care in the future. Most people believe that the only way to accomplish this is through long-term care insurance. Not everyone qualifies and those who do are often discouraged by the cost. Fortunately,...
It is now more important than ever for clients to engage in Medicaid planning in advance of the need for Medicaid benefits because of changes that were implemented in the 2021 fiscal budget by our state’s legislature and signed by Gov. Cuomo in early April 2020. In the Special Edition of this newsletter in April,...
While many people believe that palliative care and hospice are the same, they are not. Hospice care is palliative, but palliative care is not hospice. Palliative care, also sometimes referred to as supportive care, is directed to providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness, irrespective of the diagnosis or prognosis....
The news frequently reports on fights that have arisen over the estates of celebrities who have either failed to establish a Will or have failed to update their Will to reflect existing circumstances. David Cassidy recently passed away. His Will was signed in 2004. It excluded his daughter who, at that time had been estranged...
On December 20, 2017, Congress passed a comprehensive tax reform bill, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which President Trump signed into law two days later. It was effective on January 1, 2018 and will automatically expire on December 31, 2025. After that date, the rules for individuals revert back to the pre-existing...
Encouraging an elderly parent or loved one to undertake estate planning is a sensitive topic. Many of our clients have described feeling awkward or believing that their motives were in question. Yet learning about our loved ones’ legal and financial affairs can help prevent serious problems later. Think about the issues you want to...
