Fratello Law

Estate Planning Lawyer in Kings Park, NY

Protect Your Family Without the Stress

Clear guidance through life’s biggest decisions, with compassionate estate planning that actually makes sense for Long Island families.

Comprehensive Estate Planning Services Kings Park

Your Family Protected, Your Wishes Honored

You’ll sleep better knowing your family is protected no matter what happens. Your assets go to the people you choose, when you choose, without court battles or family fights.

Your healthcare wishes get respected. Your loved ones won’t scramble to make impossible decisions during the worst moments of their lives.

The right plan eliminates the guesswork. It shields your assets from nursing home costs, cuts tax bills, and ensures your legacy reflects what actually matters to you.

Trusted Estate Planning Attorney Kings Park

We Know Long Island Families

At Fratello Law, we get it. Estate planning means talking about things most people would rather avoid. That’s why we’ve spent over a decade helping Kings Park families navigate these conversations with patience and genuine care.

We understand Long Island’s unique challenges – protecting valuable real estate, dealing with New York’s tricky tax laws, and planning for the reality of expensive local healthcare. We speak Spanish and Italian because your community is diverse.

Here’s what’s different: we come to you. Home visits, hospital meetings, nursing home consultations. Important decisions shouldn’t wait for convenient office hours.

Estate Planning Process Kings Park NY

Simple Steps, Complete Protection

You start with a free consultation where you talk about your family, your assets, and your concerns. No legal jargon – just honest answers about your options and what each choice means.

Next, we create your customized plan. This might include wills, trusts, power of attorney documents, healthcare directives, or asset protection strategies built specifically for New York law.

Finally, we walk you through signing and implementing everything. We’ll also check in every few years to make sure your plan still works as your life changes. You’re not just getting paperwork – you’re getting ongoing support.

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Estate Planning Services Kings Park

Everything Your Family Needs

Your estate plan covers all the legal bases. Wills, trusts, durable power of attorney, healthcare proxy, and living will documents – all designed specifically for New York law and Long Island realities.

For Kings Park families, this means addressing high property values and New York’s estate tax requirements. We help you structure everything to minimize taxes while ensuring your family home and other assets transfer smoothly.

We also handle Medicaid planning – crucial when facing potential nursing home costs that can reach $150,000 annually on Long Island. The right planning protects your assets while ensuring you qualify for benefits when needed. This includes special needs trusts and strategies that preserve your legacy for future generations.

Do I need estate planning if I don't have a lot of assets?

Yes, and here’s why: even modest assets like your home, car, and bank accounts need proper planning to avoid probate court and family disputes. Without a will, New York decides who gets your stuff – and it might not match your wishes. If you have minor children, estate planning also determines who raises them if something happens to you. The cost of proper planning is typically much less than the legal fees and court costs your family faces without it. Plus, estate planning includes healthcare directives that ensure your medical wishes are followed if you can’t speak for yourself.
New York has a brutal “cliff tax” that can devastate middle-class families. If your estate exceeds $6.94 million in 2024, you could lose the entire exemption if you go over 105% of that threshold. This means an estate worth $7.3 million could pay significantly more in taxes than one worth $6.9 million. For Kings Park families with valuable Long Island real estate, this threshold gets reached faster than you’d expect. Proper planning helps you structure assets to minimize this tax burden. This might include gifting strategies, trust planning, or other techniques that keep your estate below the dangerous threshold levels.
A will tells the court how to distribute your assets after you die, but it must go through probate court first. This process takes months or years and costs money in legal fees and court costs. A trust distributes assets immediately without court involvement. It also provides privacy since trust documents don’t become public record like probate proceedings do. For many Long Island families, a trust makes sense because it avoids probate delays and costs. It can also provide ongoing protection for beneficiaries and more flexibility in how assets are distributed over time.
Absolutely. Medicaid planning is essential for Long Island families facing potential nursing home costs. Without proper planning, you might have to spend down most of your assets before qualifying for Medicaid benefits. The key is planning ahead – ideally at least five years before you need care. This allows time to properly structure your assets to protect them while still qualifying for benefits when needed. Strategies might include asset protection trusts, proper titling of your home, or gifting strategies that comply with Medicaid’s look-back rules. The goal is preserving your legacy while ensuring you can access quality care when needed.
Yes, and it’s one of the most important services we provide. Estate planning conversations often happen during difficult times when travel might be challenging. We regularly meet clients at home, in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. This service is particularly important for elderly clients or those dealing with health issues. It ensures that important legal decisions can be made in a comfortable, familiar environment without the stress of traveling to an office. We also offer early morning and after-hours appointments to accommodate work schedules and family needs. The goal is making quality legal services accessible when and where you need them most.
You should review your estate plan every three to five years, or whenever you experience major life changes. This includes marriage, divorce, births, deaths, significant changes in assets, or moves to different states. New York law changes periodically, and tax thresholds adjust annually. What worked for your family five years ago might not be optimal today, especially with New York’s evolving estate tax rules. At Fratello Law, we provide ongoing review services to ensure your plan stays current with your life and the law. We’ll contact you periodically to schedule reviews and help you understand when updates are needed versus when your current plan is still serving you well.