The law firm you have come to know and trust as Vincent J. Russo & Associates, P.C. is becoming Russo Law Group, P.C. This name change better reflects the important contributions made by the firm’s partners, attorneys and staff.
Along with the name change, on September 29th, after 30 years in our Westbury location, team Russo is proud to announce that we are relocating to a beautiful new spacious office in Garden City.
When you own a piece of real property in New York State, your circumstance dictates whether or not you are entitled to certain tax exemptions.
What does this mean? Your personal residence may qualify for a number of exemptions based on factors such as whether you are a senior citizen, have financial difficulty, or are a veteran. In addition, if you and your spouse earn under $500,000 per year, then you could file for the STAR exemption for your personal residence.
On Wednesday, September 9, The Special Needs Trust Act was passed! The passage of this legislation establishes liberties for persons with disabilities which had been previously denied to them.
Prior to passing the Act, only a parent, grandparent, legal guardian of the disabled individual, or a court could establish a special needs trust on behalf of the disabled individual.
Recently, we resolved a case regarding a Medicaid nursing home application for a 62-year-old woman, Jane, who suffered a severe stroke in 2011. A healthy woman otherwise, Jane had no health issues prior to suffering the stroke. Unfortunately, she also had no advance directives (health care proxy or durable power of attorney).
Estate Planning and an Ironman event…what does one have to do with the other you ask? EVERYTHING!
As a proud wife of a first-time Ironman and an elder law attorney, I can explain.
Step 1: Hire a Coach
*This article has been re-posted with permission from the author Harry S. Margolis.
Whether it’s an honor or a burden (or both), you have been appointed trustee of a trust. What responsibilities have been thrust upon you? How can you successfully carry them out?
Here are some do’s and don’ts to get you started:
It is important to understand the ownership of assets such as bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, CDs and life insurance policies.
When a new client meets with an estate planning attorney, the first few questions the attorney will ask are:
Millions of people use computers to conduct business and interact socially, and for general communications. Many of those computer users are registered in some way on dozens of websites, including social media outlets such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. With these outlets, not many users consider what happens when there is no longer anyone to maintain them.
Everyone has their niche.
Financial advisors have a certain field of expertise, and most are very good at what they do. However, when it comes to elder law, Medicaid and estate planning, there is no substitute for sound legal advice.
Case study:
A retiree originally made an appointment with a law firm specializing in estate planning and elder law – but, a family friend was a financial advisor. He decided to work with his friend and canceled his appointment with the law firm.
The tragic death of Bobbi Kristina, Whitney Houston’s only child, has left her estate in limbo.
Houston’s will left the entirety of her estate, including jewelry, clothing, cars, record profits and music royalties, in a spendthrift trust to the sole heir, Bobbi Kristina. The provisions of this trust stated that Bobbi Kristina would receive the distributions in three installments: 1/10 at age 21, 1/6 to be received at age 25, and the remainder of the estate upon her turning 30. Based on these provisions, Bobbi Kristina was only entitled to 1/10 of the estate when she died since she was only 22 years old at the time of her passing.