Author Archives: Jay Butchko
A Second Act Career Is Looking Pretty Good Right Now
Tiny houses in Florida cost a lot less than similarly sized apartments in New York, but are they any match for hurricanes force winds? Besides, the alligators and iguanas come right up to your window. Your Social Security check will go farther in Costa Rica than it will in New York, but do you… Read More »
Decluttering Is No Substitute for Estate Planning
In estate law, anything that is not money or real estate is considered personal property; it includes furniture, jewelry, books, clothing, and all of the other miscellaneous items in your house. For good reason, it is not usually one of the first things that people think about in their estate plans. Therefore, lots of… Read More »
How Seniors Can Stay Safe in the Winter
Autumn is the most pleasant season in New York. Even if the view from your window has more skyscrapers than autumn leaves, the crisp smell in the air is unmistakable. Soon, the cozy autumn will give way to a bitterly cold New York winter, though. While children may find the snow days exhilarating and… Read More »
Show Your Pets Some Love in Your Estate Plan
If there is no human being to whom you want to leave your property, you are not alone. You may not have any family members who would use the money responsibly or any friends who need the money. If you are old enough to write a will, then you are old enough to know… Read More »
Which Kind of Trust Will Benefit Your Young Family Members the Most?
How can you make your estate plan benefit your youngest relatives when minors cannot directly inherit money? The parents of minor children confront this question when they are trying to build an estate plan to ensure the children’s financial security in the event that the parents die while the children are minors. Grandparents may… Read More »
How to Challenge a Will
New York law gives you the right to decide who will become the beneficiaries of your estate. If you die without a will, the probate court will distribute your property to your closest surviving relatives, and only if the court reasonably determines that you do not have any surviving relatives who can be located… Read More »
New Report Identifies the Bronx as an Alzheimer’s Disease Hot Spot
Deciding who will inherit your stuff after you die is only one aspect, as are the daydreams about traveling the world and spoiling your grandchildren. An important task in estate planning is making plans that will reduce the financial and emotional strain on your family in the event that you suffer a chronic illness… Read More »
Insolvent Estates: Facing the Reality While You Are Alive
Your life is nothing like the pictures that you see on estate planning brochures. Those moonlit walks on the beach require health and wealth that you have not possessed in many years and have little hope of possessing in the future. You worked for as long as your body could tolerate it and have… Read More »
Young People Can Afford to Procrastinate Some Parts of Their Estate Plans, but Not Others
It is the middle of the night, and you are painfully aware that, one day, you will die. While you are still a youngster compared to the seniors smiling for their close ups on estate planning law websites, you are mature enough to realize that scrolling through social media or trying in vain to… Read More »
Direct Nursing Care in Nursing Homes
Many seniors will spend time in a nursing home at some point. It may be a brief stay, while you recover from surgery, after which you go back home to continue aging in place. Some people reside in nursing homes for years because their health needs require the care of multiple nurses. The early… Read More »