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A thought for your family A medical emergency can quickly become a financial crisis when nobody has legal authority to help. Picture a Tuesday that starts like any other. By lunchtime, you're in the hospital after a sudden stroke, and you can't speak for yourself. Your family rushes in. They love you, they know your wishes, and they're ready to help. Your spouse assumes they'll just pay the bills from your account. Your daughter figures she'll call the bank and explain. Then

When clients sign their advance directives, a common question is: "Can my living will say that my health care agent must be consulted before the doctors make a decision?" This comes up often when the agent has medical training, such as a nurse, and the client wants that person to weigh in. The answer starts with understanding what a living will does, and what it does not do, under New York law. First, No One Is Allowed to End Your Life Many people worry that signing a living

Good news for New Yorkers planning for long-term care: a new Medicaid rule taking effect in January 2026 could help you keep more of your retirement savings if you ever need Medicaid benefits. What Changed? In the past, Medicaid required applicants to take out the largest possible withdrawals from their retirement accounts, such as IRAs, before they could qualify for benefits. This was called “maximizing” withdrawals. For many people, that meant pulling out more money

As estate planning attorneys, we often encounter clients who are confused about the differences between Medicare and Medicaid. While both...