Publications

Kinship remains a subject of keen interest to our society. A recent bestseller, In Praise of Nepotism, analyzes the historical, sociological and political aspects of kinship networks.[1] Thousands of families have traced their genealogical roots to locate family origins. State-of-the-art medical technology and genetic engineering may be on the verge of altering our traditional understanding […]

The year in Trusts and Estates was highlighted by limitations on the operation of marital deduction property, the ongoing viability of updating planning documents, and the manner of disposition of digital assets. QTIP ELECTION Any outright bequest to a surviving spouse qualifies for a marital deduction. As such, there is no estate tax on those […]

The year in Trusts and Estates was highlighted by a significant increase in the Federal Estate Tax exemption along with procedural changes in New York State with respect to Probate and Administration forms. Taxation The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, has raised the Federal Estate Tax lifetime exemption to $11,180,000 per person in […]

The year in Trusts and Estates was highlighted by estate tax uncertainty, modification of the attorney client privilege, and the manner of disposition of digital assets. TAXATION The volatility of Federal and State estate tax scenarios continues. The present federal lifetime maximum exemption is $5,490,000. The federal concept of portability continues to apply, in that […]

by David Adler The year in Trusts and Estates was highlighted by expanded fiduciary obligations and options, prospective inheritance rights of posthumously conceived children, and ongoing state estate tax rule changes DISCLAIMER One of the more effective post death planning techniques consist of one’s right to disclaim or renounce their inherited testate or intestate share. […]

ESTATES UPDATE – 2014 BY DAVID N. ADLER The year in trusts and estates was highlighted by the imposition of new New York State estate tax rules, notably with respect to increased threshold for many resident decedents, coupled with a series of procedural laws primarily expanding the options for fiduciaries in trust and accounting scenarios. […]

BY DAVID N. ADLER The year in trusts and estates was highlighted by the imposition of permanent estate and gift tax rules, notably with  respect to threshold and rates, which should serve to finally stabilize the provisional tax remedies offered over the past decade.  HISTORY In a span of just over ten years the estate […]

The year in Trusts and Estates was highlighted by the implementation of new estate and gift tax rules, greater options for the creation of new trusts, and continued participation by the Surrogate’s Court in Bar Association Activities I) FEDERAL TAXATION As of December, 2010, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act seriously […]

The year in Trusts and Estates was highlighted by the institution of new Federal Estate Tax rates and exemptions, an expanded statutory mechanism for proof of kinship, and a changing of the guard in Queens County. I) TAXATION After a roller coaster decade during which the estate tax threshold has evolved from 675,000 to its […]

Any celebration of freedom is essentially a celebration of the individual.  Freedom cannot truly be abstracted or made separate.  It does not exist in a vacuum.  It does not function as a solitary concept.  It is simply that which makes human interaction and endeavor possible. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines freedom as “the absence of […]