“Should I have a trust?” I get this question a lot from clients. There is no one answer to this question; just as there is no one trust. In order...
Eldercare Lawyer Blog
Joint Ownership Can Cause Problems
“Should I add one of my children to my bank account?” It is a question I have received on a regular basis from clients for the past twenty plus...
The New Jersey Exit Tax
There are no assets more important to a person than her home. I meet with clients every day who ask me questions about protecting their homes from...
Is This Legal?
There are many misconceptions that surround elder law. The defining feature of elder law is Medicaid planning. Medicaid planning is a form of...
Do I Need To List My Assets in My Will?
Does a last will and testament have to list all of your assets? Many of my clients believe that a Will must list all of their assets—who gets the...
Probate Is Simple
When a parent dies, her family members need to settle her financial affairs. The need to settle a person’s financial affairs is the source of great...
Be Proud, But Plan
Estate planning for a gay couple requires that the attorney consider several issues. One of the most important issues is the legal status of the...
I Want To Avoid Probate
“I want to make it as easy as possible for my family after I die. What should I do? How do I avoid probate? I heard probate was complicated.” These...
What Taxes Will My Family Pay?
What taxes will my family pay after I die? Many of my clients are concerned about the taxes their family will have to pay after their death, so I...
Do I Have To Use an Irrevocable Trust?
“Can I use a revocable trust for that instead of an irrevocable trust?” I get that question a lot from clients. Whether you need a revocable or an...
Planning for a Second Marriage
What should a married couple in a second marriage consider when drafting their last wills and testaments? Oftentimes, each spouse in a second...
How the Sausage Is Made
I draft a lot of financial powers of attorney, health care directives, and last wills. A lot. For the young and for the old, even though I am...
What Type of Trust Do I Need?
When should I have a revocable trust? When should I have an irrevocable trust? I hear these questions often from clients. I always like to start...
How To Draft a Power of Attorney
A financial power of attorney document could be the most important estate planning document that you have drafted for yourself. Without a power of...
How Much Will I Owe in Death Taxes
Taxes. No one wants to pay taxes. One type of tax that raises a particular amount of ire in people is “death tax”—estate tax, inheritance tax, and,...
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Recent Posts
Can I Sell My House for a Dollar?
“Can I sell my house to my son for a dollar? Would Medicaid question that?” Clients have asked me these questions many times. My answer is, if you wouldn’t sell your house to a stranger for a dollar, then Medicaid would question your selling the house to a family...
A Reasonable Flat Fee
I have been practicing elder law for twenty-five years. Most of my practice is transactional law, as opposed to litigation. I draft estate planning documents (financial powers of attorney, advanced health care directive, last wills, and trusts) and assist clients in...
A Timely Medicaid Application
Filing for Medicaid benefits is a complicated process. Medicaid is a federal and state health payment plan for needy individuals. In order to be eligible for Medicaid benefits, an applicant must have an extremely limited amount of assets (typically, less than $2,000)...
Wills Must Be Drafted Carefully
A last will and testament is a document through which a person passes his assets on to others after his death. A Will is also a document through which a person nominates the person who will manage his estate after his death, called the executor. When a person leaves...
Do I Need a Trust?
“Do I need a trust?” I hear this question all the time from clients. There is no easy answer because the reason a person may need a trust varies. There are three roles involved with any trust—the grantor, the trustee, and the beneficiary. The grantor is the person who...
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Sea Girt (732) 974-8898 Middletown (732) 706-8008