Fratello Law

Trust Attorney in Glen Head, NY

Protect Your Assets With Proven Trust Solutions

Glen Head families trust us to secure their wealth and bypass probate with expertly crafted trusts.

Living Trust Lawyer Glen Head

Your Assets Protected, Your Family Secure

When your trust is properly structured, your family avoids the lengthy probate process that can drag on for over a year and cost thousands in legal fees. Your assets transfer seamlessly to your beneficiaries exactly as you intended, without court interference or public scrutiny.

You maintain control during your lifetime while ensuring your wealth stays protected from creditors and unnecessary taxes. No more sleepless nights wondering what happens if you become incapacitated or pass away unexpectedly.

Your loved ones receive their inheritance quickly and privately. That’s the peace of mind a well-crafted trust provides—and it’s exactly what Glen Head families deserve.

Estate Planning Trusts Glen Head

Long Island Trust Experience You Can Count On

We have been serving Glen Head families for years, understanding the unique challenges of Long Island’s high property values and complex estate planning needs. We know that with median home values exceeding $830,000 in Glen Head, protecting your assets isn’t just smart—it’s essential.

Our bilingual services in Spanish and Italian reflect Glen Head’s diverse community where nearly 17% of residents are of Hispanic origin. We provide home visits because we understand busy professionals commuting to Manhattan need flexibility.

This isn’t about one-size-fits-all documents. It’s about creating trust solutions that work for your family’s unique situation and Glen Head’s specific legal landscape.

Trust Administration Glen Head NY

Simple Process, Lasting Protection

Your trust creation starts with a comprehensive consultation where we review your assets, family situation, and goals. We’ll discuss whether a revocable trust for probate avoidance or an irrevocable trust for maximum asset protection best serves your needs.

Next, we draft your trust documents with precise language that reflects your wishes while meeting New York’s legal requirements. We handle the technical details—funding the trust, updating beneficiary designations, and ensuring proper asset titling so your trust actually works when you need it.

Finally, we guide you through execution and provide ongoing support for trust administration. You’ll understand exactly how your trust operates and what steps your trustee needs to take when the time comes.

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Revocable Trust Attorney Glen Head

Complete Trust Services for Glen Head Families

Our trust services include revocable living trusts that let you maintain control while avoiding probate, and irrevocable trusts for maximum asset protection and tax benefits. We also create special needs trusts for disabled family members and asset protection trusts for high-net-worth individuals.

Glen Head residents particularly benefit from our Medicaid planning trusts, essential given Long Island’s nursing home costs that can exceed $15,000 monthly. We understand local property tax implications and how to structure trusts that protect your home while preserving eligibility for benefits.

Every trust includes detailed funding instructions, successor trustee guidance, and ongoing support for administration. We ensure your trust works seamlessly with your other estate planning documents and adapts to changes in your life or New York law.

What's the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts in New York?

A revocable trust allows you to maintain complete control over your assets during your lifetime. You can modify, amend, or revoke the trust at any time, and you continue to pay taxes on trust income as if you still owned the assets directly. An irrevocable trust, once established, cannot be easily changed or revoked. While you give up direct control, this provides significant benefits including asset protection from creditors, potential estate tax savings, and protection from nursing home costs. In New York, irrevocable trusts are particularly valuable for Medicaid planning since assets properly transferred aren’t counted for eligibility purposes after the five-year lookback period. The choice depends on your priorities—flexibility versus protection. Many Glen Head families use revocable trusts for probate avoidance and irrevocable trusts for asset protection.
When you create a properly funded living trust, your assets are owned by the trust rather than by you personally. Since the trust doesn’t die when you do, there’s no need for probate court to transfer ownership to your beneficiaries. In Nassau County, probate can take 12-18 months and cost 3-5% of your estate’s value in legal fees and court costs. With Glen Head’s high property values, this can mean tens of thousands in unnecessary expenses. A trust allows your successor trustee to distribute assets immediately after your death, following your written instructions. The key is proper funding—actually transferring your assets into the trust’s name. We handle this process for you, ensuring your real estate, bank accounts, and investments are properly titled to achieve probate avoidance.
Yes, but timing and proper legal structure are crucial. New York’s Medicaid program has a five-year lookback period for asset transfers, meaning any gifts or transfers made within five years of applying for benefits could result in a penalty period. An irrevocable trust can protect your home if established well before you need long-term care. You can often retain the right to live in the home for life while removing it from your countable assets for Medicaid purposes. This is particularly important in Glen Head where homes averaging over $830,000 would otherwise need to be sold to pay for care. We also explore other strategies like spousal protection rules, which allow a healthy spouse to keep the home and significant assets even when the other spouse needs Medicaid coverage. The key is planning ahead rather than waiting for a crisis.
Your trust continues operating seamlessly if you become incapacitated, which is one of its major advantages over a will. If you’re the initial trustee, your successor trustee steps in to manage the trust according to your written instructions. We draft specific incapacity provisions that define exactly when the successor trustee takes over—typically when one or two physicians certify that you cannot manage your financial affairs. This avoids the need for your family to go to court to obtain guardianship, which can be expensive and time-consuming. Your successor trustee can pay your bills, manage investments, and make distributions for your care exactly as you specified. This is particularly valuable for Glen Head families where business interests or complex investment portfolios need ongoing professional management during incapacity.
Trust creation costs vary based on complexity, but most Glen Head families invest between $2,500 and $5,000 for a comprehensive trust package. This typically includes the trust document, pour-over will, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and trust funding assistance. Given Glen Head’s median home value of over $830,000, this investment often saves families $25,000-$50,000 in probate costs alone. When you factor in potential tax savings and asset protection benefits, the return on investment is substantial. We provide transparent fee quotes upfront and offer payment plans for families who prefer to spread costs over time. Our goal is making proper estate planning accessible to all Glen Head families, regardless of their current financial situation.
If you create a revocable living trust, you can modify it at any time during your lifetime as long as you’re mentally competent. You can add or remove beneficiaries, change distribution terms, or even revoke the trust entirely if your circumstances change. However, changes should always be made through proper legal amendments rather than informal modifications. New York law requires specific procedures for trust amendments to ensure they’re legally valid and don’t create confusion for your successor trustee. Irrevocable trusts are much more difficult to change, though certain modifications may be possible with court approval or beneficiary consent. We design irrevocable trusts carefully from the start to minimize the need for future changes while building in flexibility where legally possible.