Estate Planning · Poughkeepsie, NY
Estate plans that hold up to New York reality.
Wills, trusts, beneficiaries, and the state-specific rules that catch Hudson Valley families off guard. Coordinated with your attorney and built so your wishes actually carry forward.
What it is
In plain English.
Estate planning isn't only for high net worth families. It's for every family where someone would have to figure out what to do if you weren't there to explain it.
The actual legal documents — wills, trusts, healthcare proxies, powers of attorney — get drafted by an attorney. My job is the planning around them: making sure your beneficiaries are current, your insurance coordinates with your trust, your retirement accounts pass cleanly, and the New York-specific rules don't sandbag the family.
New York has one of the more aggressive state estate tax regimes in the country, and the rules around it (especially the 'cliff' at the exemption threshold) can cost an unprepared family hundreds of thousands. A good plan accounts for it before it becomes a problem.
What's included
What working together actually covers.
Beneficiary audit on every account
Old 401ks, IRAs, life insurance, annuities — every account with a named beneficiary, reviewed. Outdated beneficiaries are the most common (and most preventable) estate planning failure.
Coordination with your estate attorney
If you have one, we work alongside them. If you need one, I refer to Hudson Valley estate attorneys I've worked with. Your financial plan and your legal documents should say the same thing.
Life insurance + trust integration
When life insurance is owned inside an irrevocable trust, the death benefit can pass to heirs outside the taxable estate. We work out whether that structure fits your situation.
NY estate tax cliff analysis
New York's estate tax has a sharp cliff at the exemption threshold — go $1 over and the entire estate becomes taxable, not just the excess. We model where your estate sits and plan around it.
Family conversation support
The hardest part of estate planning is talking to your kids about it. If you want help framing that conversation, I've done it many times with Hudson Valley families.
Who it's for
If any of these sound like you, this is worth a conversation.
Scenario 01
Parents of young or teenage children
Guardian designations, trust structures for minor inheritances, and life insurance owned outside the estate. The basics, done right, before the kids are launched.
Scenario 02
Families near the NY estate tax threshold
If your home + retirement accounts + life insurance push you near the exemption limit, the cliff is a real risk. We plan for it before it triggers.
Scenario 03
Anyone with second-marriage or blended-family dynamics
Default beneficiary rules and intestacy laws can cut out children from a prior marriage. Estate planning is how you make sure your real wishes are what actually happens.
What it costs
Real numbers, before you commit.
I don't draft legal documents — that's your attorney's role. My estate planning work is the financial coordination around the documents (beneficiary audits, insurance + trust integration, tax planning), which is typically included in an ongoing financial planning relationship. The first conversation is free and covers what's in place and where the gaps are.
Common questions
Specific to estate planning.
Do I really need an estate plan if I'm not wealthy?
What does New York's estate tax actually look like?
Do you write the legal documents?
How often should I review my estate plan?
Often paired with
The other three pillars.
Term Life Insurance
Straightforward coverage for the years your family needs the most protection. Mortgage, kids, income replacement.
Whole Life Insurance
Permanent coverage that grows cash value over time. The right fit when life insurance is part of a long horizon plan.
Retirement Planning
401k rollovers, IRA strategy, and a plan you actually understand. Built around your real income, real expenses, real timing.