A common concern for those who have remarried is that they still want to leave the bulk of their estate to their adult children without abandoning their current spouse. The solution? Create a life estate. A life estate is a tenancy that allows a person to use a property for the rest of their natural...

An estate administrator has a duty to manage the estate and do so in the best interest of the beneficiaries. However, not every administrator acts in good faith, and even when they do, disputes and discrepancies can make a beneficiary want to know exactly where the assets are and where they’re going.  What duty does...

Dying intestate, or without a will, is very common. If you die without a will, your property will go through probate and is then distributed according to Connecticut’s intestacy laws. Intestacy laws govern intestate property. They go into effect unless there is a valid will to testify to the deceased’s wishes or an established estate...

When the primary breadwinner dies, his or her surviving spouse, domestic partner and minor children can find themselves without the necessary resources to maintain their current lifestyle. If you find yourself in this position, you do have options. Under Connecticut laws, you have entitlements in regard to a place to live, use of personal property,...

Special needs planning in Connecticut can be daunting if you’re just starting. However, a New Haven special needs lawyer can save you the headache of planning and the worry over whether your plan will be executed properly. If you’re new to special needs planning and aren’t sure where to start, check out these do’s and...

Giving your children and grandchildren the legacy and pride of a family business can keep your nose to the grindstone for decades. Financial security, family harmony, and growing wealth together are some of the benefits of a family business. Legacies are meant to outlive the legacy makers. If you’re a business owner in Connecticut, don’t...

Most people don’t realize the high cost of nursing home care until an aging parent’s health declines to the point that they need to move into one. As a Milford elder law attorney, I can’t stress enough that this is a really bad time to learn that your familycould need to come up with almost...

Note from Franklin A. Drazen, Founding Attorney of Drazen Law Group Since the inception of Drazen Law Group, our mission has been clear: to provide quality life-care planning services and legal representation to seniors, families and the most vulnerable members of our society that have been left behind or greatly underserved for decades.  As part...

When you have a child that may require a lifetime of assistance and care, extra attention must be given to planning their future.    Our Stratford special needs planning lawyers work with parents every day to ensure their children with disabilities have the necessary estate and transition plans in place for total peace of mind. A...

You have worked hard to leave a financial legacy for your children., One of the most asked questions I get is how to prevent the inheritance from going to a child’s spouse if they get divorced.  After all, who wants a child’s ex spouse to walk around with their legacy? But, under current law, that...

As a Stratford special needs lawyer, I often receive questions about whether a disabled individual can continue to receive public benefits after receiving an inheritance. The answer is that it really depends on the type of benefit that is being collected, the age of the beneficiary, and what other planning options are available. Social Security...

One of the many questions Trumbull estate planning lawyers get asked is how long is a Power of Attorney in effect. The answer to that question is complicated in the beginning, but very simple at the end: depending on what type of Power of Attorney you have, it may be in effect as soon as...

When making an estate plan and Last Will and Testament, many people have a difficult time deciding who should be the Executor of their estate. One consideration is naming Co-Executors – two or more people who serve as executor of the estate. Each Co-Executor named in your Last Will and Testament will have authority over...

Recent studies have shown that only slightly more than half of all Americans have a Will or Trust document in place to direct their estate after they pass away, and that the vast majority of those documents have not been updated in the last five years. Even worse, it’s been reported that most adult children...

Last week, we looked at the problems and challenges faced by people with disabilities, discussed how ABLE accounts address those problems, and explained how ABLE accounts differ from Special Needs Trusts and Pooled Trusts. This week, Attorney Franklin Drazen discusses the mechanics of ABLE accounts including eligibility criteria, contribution limits, allowable expenses, and how to...

In Part 1, Attorney Steven Rubin explained the basics of Pooled Trusts. This week, Attorney Franklin Drazen, certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, explains the options available to Connecticut residents who want to participate in a Pooled Trust. In August 2016, the “What the Hell is a Pooled Trust”...

For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about ABLE accounts. In this final installment of our three-part series, Attorney Franklin Drazen talks about the importance of developing an overall strategy for funding the living expenses of a person with special needs, and shares links to online resources that will be helpful to any family...

At Drazen Law Group, we’re often asked why anyone would need an attorney to help put a loved one in a nursing home. After all, the admission process seems like it should be a simple matter, something that family members could easily handle—like going to the DMV to change your vehicle’s license plates. Unfortunately, the...

In late September, as part of the first major overhaul of federal nursing home regulations in a quarter-century, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule prohibiting binding pre-dispute arbitration agreements in facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid patients. Attorney Franklin Drazen explains what this means for families. Families often turn …

If you’ve just inherited an IRA, annuity, stocks, bonds, or other assets from your parents, minimizing your tax obligation is paramount. What do you need to know to keep Uncle Sam from taking more than his share when you file your tax return? In this three-part series, Attorney Franklin Drazen covers a few of the...

If you’ve just inherited an IRA, annuity, stocks, bonds, or other assets from your parents, minimizing your tax obligation is critical. What do you need to know to keep Uncle Sam from taking more than his share when you file your tax return? In this three-part series, Attorney Franklin Drazen covers a few of the...

If you’ve just inherited an IRA, annuity, stocks, bonds, or other assets from your parents, minimizing your tax obligation needs to be addressed. What do you need to know to keep Uncle Sam from taking more than his share when you file your tax return? In this three-part series, Attorney Franklin Drazen covers a few...

Every once in a while, someone will ask me how I got in to elder law. Like many things in life, it wasn’t planned. It was more like a fortunate wandering into a wonderful career. I didn’t set out to become a lawyer. After college, the plan was for me to work in the family...

I’ve worked with a lot of family caregivers over the years. Most burn the candle at both ends to take care of their elderly loved ones while tending to families and careers of their own. In many cases, family caregivers become so focused on the tasks at hand that they don’t even know they need...

I’m often asked whether a person who inherits property has to pay income taxes on that property. In most cases, the answer is no. However, there is one exception: Income in respect of a decedent, also known as IRD. All income the decedent would have received had death not occurred that was not properly includible...