USDOE Endorses Specific Interventions For Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia
The United States Department of Education has taken a positive step toward recognition of dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. Many parents of students with dyslexia or with specific learning disabilities in math and writing know the difficulty of obtaining individualized services for their children– particularly if the children have average or above-average cognitive abilities. Some districts…
Estate and Gift Tax Limits in 2016
It is essential for families with significant wealth to be aware of estate and gift tax limits. An important part of estate planning is making sure that as much of your wealth as possible goes to your heirs rather than to pay taxes. The good news is that both the federal and New York State…
Neighbors Sue Family with Autism for Creating Public Nuisance
By Sandi Rosenbaum, Educational Advocate Families with a child with autism often face severe difficulties with misunderstandings in the community. A Sunnyvale, CA family is facing a lawsuit by their next-door neighbor families, which charges that the family’s 11 year old son with autism is a “public nuisance” and seeks unspecified monetary damages and a…
Estate Planning for an Adult Child with a Disability
More people with developmental disabilities are living to adulthood and even into their senior years. As a child with developmental disabilities grows older, parents begin thinking about how to secure their loved one’s financial future as the care they need can be expensive. While government programs and community resources provide essential help, significant family resources…
New York State Tax Department Clarifies Changes to State Estate Tax
As of April 1, 2014, the New York State estate tax exemption will increase each year until 2019, when it will match the federal exemption amount. That is good news for wealthy New Yorkers planning their estates. However, the estate tax reform was subject to legislative amendments in 2015, which have now been clarified in…
Review Your Estate Plan When Certain Life Events Occur
Estate planning experts say that everyone should have an estate plan, but not everyone does. Often a life event such as getting married, having children or buying a house motivates people to contact an estate planning attorney and execute a will, any necessary trusts, and advance directives for health care. That is a good thing,…
Lessons From Paul Newman In Estate Planning
In an article in the August issue of Vanity Fair, members of Paul Newman’s family claim that the company, Newman’s Own and its foundation are being mismanaged by the man who has served as chief executive for several years. Much of the dispute concerns changes that Newman made to his estate plan in his final…
Spread The Word To End the Word
By Giulia Frasca, Esq. Spread the Word to End the Word is a movement started in February 2009 in conjunction with the World Winter Games to stop the use of the word “retarded” and its variants. Now, as the 2015 Special Olympics World Games are under way, Spread the Word to End the Word has…
IRS Proposes New Regulations on Passing Discounted Assets to Heirs
In a move that could affect the way wealthy families plan their estates; the IRS may put a stop to the tax strategy of using businesses to pass down stock portfolios to heirs at a discount. Tax attorneys say that the issue has been on the IRS’s agenda for some time. The proposed rules could…
How the Fair Housing Act Applies to Senior Housing or Care Facilities
An upscale continuing care retirement community drew the ire of residents four years ago when it began limiting certain areas and events to its independent living residents. Suddenly, residents in the assisted living or nursing units could no longer attend certain holiday parties or eat meals in the community’s country-club style dining room. According to…
