The 2025 NY Estate Planning Checklist: How to Build a Financially Sound Plan (Avoiding Taxes, Probate, and Chaos)
When most New Yorkers hear the phrase “estate planning,” they think about mortality. But as an experienced estate planning attorney, I view it differently. Estate planning is not about death; it is about financial soundness while you are alive and the efficient transfer of wealth when you pass. I am Russel Morgan, and at Morgan […]
3 Worst NYC Estate Planning Mistakes 2025-2026
The 3 Worst Estate Planning Mistakes in New York City (2025-2026 Guide) As a New York estate planning attorney with many years of experience, I have sat across the table from hundreds of grieving families. In those moments, the tragedy is not just the loss of a loved one; it is the discovery that the […]
12 NYC Estate Planning Myths 2025-2026
12 Estate Planning Myths & Misconceptions in New York City (2025-2026) As a New York estate planning attorney with many years of experience, I have seen the same tragedies strike families over and over. These tragedies are not caused by complex legal loopholes; they are caused by simple, common, and dangerous misconceptions. Believing one of […]
NY IRA Trust as Beneficiary Tax Trap
The NY ‘IRA Trust’ Nightmare (2025-2026): Why Naming a Trust as Your IRA Beneficiary is a Tax Trap As a New York estate planning attorney with many years of experience, I’ve seen the devastating fallout of a “simple” mistake. You spent your life diligently saving into your IRA. You created a Revocable Living Trust to […]
NY 2026 Tax Sunset Guide: Save Millions
A 2025 “Use It or Lose It” Guide for NY As an estate planning attorney in New York for over 30 years, I can tell you that 2025 is the most critical year for estate planning I have witnessed in my career. A “ticking time bomb” in the federal tax code is set to detonate […]
What the 2026 Tax Sunset Means NY
The 2026 Tax Cliff: A Ticking Clock for New York Estates The clock is ticking. For high-net-worth individuals and families in New York, 2025 is the most critical year for estate planning in over a decade. A massive, scheduled change in federal tax law is set to occur on January 1, 2026. This event, known […]
How to Choose an Estate Planning Attorney in NY (2025)
The Ultimate Guide to Selecting an Estate Planning Attorney in New York (2025) Over my 30 years as a New York estate planning attorney, I’ve seen firsthand that the single most important decision a person makes in the entire estate planning process is not which trust to use or how to divide their assets. It […]
The 2025 Year-End Estate Planning Audit: A Last-Chance Guide to Avoiding the 2026 Tax Cliff.
Your Last-Chance 2025 Estate Plan Audit For more than 30 years as a New York estate planning attorney, I have emphasized that a great estate plan is not a static document, but a living strategy that must adapt to changes in the law and in life. Never has that advice been more urgent than it […]
The Crypto Inheritance Crisis: A 2026 Guide to Estate Planning for Bitcoin, NFTs, and Digital Assets in New York.
Your 2026 Guide to Crypto Estate Planning In my more than 30 years as a New York estate planning attorney, I have helped families protect and transfer nearly every type of asset imaginable: real estate, stocks, family businesses, art collections. Yet, never before have we faced a class of assets as revolutionary and as perilous […]
Will vs. Trust-Based Planning: A Critical Decision for New Yorkers Facing the 2026 Tax Law Changes.
Will vs. Trust: A Critical Choice for New Yorkers For more than 30 years, nearly every initial client consultation I have held begins with some version of the same fundamental question: “Do I need a will, or do I need a trust?” It is the foundational question of estate planning. For decades, the answer often […]