Estate Planning — New York State

What Documents Belong in a Complete New York Estate Plan?

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:34:00 +0000

A complete New York estate plan is built from four coordinated documents: a last will and testament, one or more trusts, a durable power of attorney, and a health care proxy. Together they decide who inherits your property, who manages your money if you cannot, and who makes your medical decisions in an emergency. If […]

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New York Estate Tax 2026: The $7.35M Exemption and the Cliff

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:34:00 +0000

For deaths occurring in 2026, New York lets each person pass up to $7,350,000 to heirs free of New York estate tax — but if your estate climbs just 5% above that line, to $7,717,500, you lose the entire exemption and your estate is taxed from the very first dollar. That sudden, all-or-nothing trap is […]

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Including Digital Assets in Your New York Estate Plan

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:34:00 +0000

To include digital assets in your New York estate plan, you name a trusted person to manage them and give that person clear legal authority through your core estate planning documents — your will, your trust, and your power of attorney — so they can access, transfer, or close your online accounts after you become […]

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How to Avoid Probate in New York

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:34:00 +0000

You avoid probate in New York by arranging your assets so they pass outside of your will — chiefly through a revocable living trust, beneficiary designations, payable-on-death (POD) and transfer-on-death (TOD) accounts, and jointly held property with rights of survivorship. Anything that still passes through your will alone must go through Surrogate’s Court probate. This […]

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Estate Planning for Young Families in New York

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:34:00 +0000

If you are a young family in New York, estate planning means setting up four coordinated legal documents — a will, one or more trusts, a durable power of attorney, and a health care proxy — so that if something happens to you, the people you choose (not a judge) raise your children, manage your […]

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Do I Need a Trust or Just a Will in New York?

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:34:00 +0000

For most New Yorkers, the honest answer is: you likely need a will at minimum, and you may benefit from a trust depending on your goals — but the smartest plans use both together, coordinated with a power of attorney and a health care proxy. A will alone is enough for many simple estates, while […]

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Estate Planning for Immigrant Families in New York

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:29:00 +0000

A practical, step-by-step checklist for immigrant and mixed-status families in New York — wills, trusts, non-citizen spouses, QDOTs, and when to call an immigration attorney.

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