Irrevocable Trusts: When They Actually Help
When an irrevocable trust earns its cost in NY: estate tax, Medicaid 5-year look-back, and SNTs, compared with revocable trusts and wills.
May 22, 2026
When an irrevocable trust earns its cost in NY: estate tax, Medicaid 5-year look-back, and SNTs, compared with revocable trusts and wills.
Compare executor candidates for a New York estate: family, friend, or professional, and what the role demands in Kings County Surrogate’s Court.
How a revocable living trust works under NY EPTL Art. 7, why it avoids Brooklyn probate, and how it compares to a will and irrevocable trust.
Trust vs. will for Brooklyn families: probate, privacy, cost, and control compared under NY EPTL, plus where the two work best together.
Die without a will in Brooklyn and NY intestacy law (EPTL Art. 4) picks your heirs. See how that compares to leaving a will or trust.
Compare a valid NY will under EPTL §3-2.1 to the shortcuts that fail in Kings County Surrogate’s Court. A Brooklyn how-to.
Compare a NY health care proxy, living will, and MOLST under PHL Art. 29-C. Which advance directive should Brooklyn families have, and why both matter?
Compare your options for naming a guardian for minor children in Brooklyn, plus how a will and a trust work together under New York law.
Compare first-party and third-party special needs trusts under EPTL 7-1.12 for Brooklyn families protecting benefits like Medicaid and SSI.
Compare Medicaid planning options for Brooklyn families: outright gifts, irrevocable trusts, and SNTs against New York’s 5-year look-back rule.
Compare the real ways to skip Kings County Surrogate’s Court: revocable trusts, beneficiary designations, and joint ownership under NY law.
Compare a correct NY power of attorney to the common mistakes Brooklyn families make under GOL §5-1513, before a bank rejects it.
Beneficiary designations override your will in New York. Compare how they interact with your estate plan and the mistakes Brooklyn families make.
Compare NY estate tax (2026 $7.35M exclusion, cliff $7.72M) with federal rules for Brooklyn families. Why the NY cliff and probate matter most here.
Compare a durable power of attorney, joint accounts, and guardianship for Brooklyn families under NY GOL 5-1513. Which protects you if you can’t act?
How an ILIT compares to owning life insurance outright for Brooklyn estates near NY’s $7.35M tax cliff. A plain-English NY law comparison.
Will, no will, or trust? Compare your options under NY intestacy law EPTL Art. 4 and decide what a Brooklyn estate actually needs.
Compare trustee options for a New York trust: family, professional, or co-trustees, and how the role differs from an executor.
A Brooklyn estate planning checklist comparing the core documents under NY law, so you choose the right tools, not just collect papers.
Compare annual gifts, larger lifetime transfers, and trust gifting for Brooklyn families facing NY’s estate-tax cliff at $7.72M. Which strategy fits?