On February 19, 2007, following the New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Lewis v. Harris, New Jersey effectuated the Civil Union Act (hereinafter, “the Act”). The Act grants couples in same sex civil unions equal
Many people today have a large concentration of their wealth in their IRA accounts and/or retirement plans, such as Pension, Profit Sharing and 401(K) plans. As a result, for married couples, it may be necessary
By Scott Goldstein 6/2/2008 NJBIZ magazine Owners of closely held companies—especially family businesses—have a lot on their minds, and it often doesn’t involve what happens if an owner or partner dies or leaves the company
In a private letter ruling recently, the IRS addressed the issue of transferring an inherited IRA into a Special Needs Trust. The law around taxation of inherited IRAs and the interaction with trusts has been
Contesting a Will: Protect Your Parents From Undue Influence Ways to Avoid Will Contests and Estate Litigation In our estate litigation practice, inquiries from persons seeking to contest a decedent’s last will and testament are
The procedures in an estate administration may take from six months to several years, and a client’s patience may be sorely tried during this time. However, it has been our experience that clients who are
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the complete list of U.S. nursing homes that have failed to meet safety and quality standards for care.The list, which identifies 131 “Special Focus
Living Wills in New Jersey Anyone who cares about the feelings of their family members, or their own final health care treatment, should consider executing a Living Will. It has become an essential element in
A New York trial court recently approved a trustee’s petition to reform his deceased father’s trust in order to protect his disabled sister’s Medicaid benefits. In Matter of Newman (2008 NY Slip Op 50127, Jan.
To preserve the ability to stretch IRA distributions for a beneficiary, that individual must start taking withdrawals based on his/her life expectancy in the year after death. If those required withdrawals don’t start on time,
This great post comes from Jennifer N. Sawday of The California Estate Planning Blog. Her post is titled: Living Trusts Are Revocable And Not An Asset Protection Tool and describes a fundamental (and often misunderstood)
A lawyer involved in a probate dispute must be able to advise his or her client both about the client’s legal rights and remedies and about the client’s options for resolving the dispute. If the
