What makes estate planning for seniors so important, however, is the very real possibility that you or your family might have to utilize the tools in your plan sooner rather than later. Learn more about estate planning for seniors in New York in this presentation.

1. ESTATE PLANNING
FOR SENIORS IN NEW
YORK – PART 1 OF 2
“What makes estate planning for seniors so important,
however, is the very real possibility that you
or your family might have to utilize the tools
in your plan sooner rather than later”
ANTHONY J. MINKO
New York Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney

2. Estate Planning For Seniors in New York Minko Law Office 2
Even though it's important for everyone in the Brooklyn, New York area to create
an estate plan, it's especially important for seniors, people nearing retirement
age, or the elderly. The practical reality is that seniors have a much greater need
to have an effective estate plan in place. Time marches ever onwards, and not
being prepared for what the future might, and will, bring is not something most
seniors can afford to do.
ESTATE PLANNING FOR SENIORS
Estate planning for
seniors is not so
different than what it
is for anyone else.
What makes estate
planning for seniors so
important, however, is
the very real possibility
that you or your family
might have to utilize
the tools in your plan sooner rather than later. For example, if you know that you
have a medical condition, you might have some distinct wishes when it comes to
health care choices. You might want to choose, or refuse to accept, certain kinds
of care or treatment should you require hospitalization.
But what happens to those choices should you become incapacitated? Will your
health care providers know what kind of care you do or do not wish to receive?

3. Estate Planning For Seniors in New York Minko Law Office 3
Will your family know what you want, and will they be able to communicate
those wishes to your doctors? Even if your family knows what you want, will they
be able to make decisions on your behalf, or will a court have to get involved?
Failing to answer these questions means you will have no way of knowing, or
controlling, what might happen should these types of events take place.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR ESTATE AND ESTATE PLANS
When we talk about estate planning, we are talking about making preparations
for the control and management of your estate. Your estate is simply the
collection of property and debts you leave behind after you die or after you
become incapacitated.
There are a variety of choices you can make when you create an estate plan,
and a number of different ways in which you can make them. But what's most
important to understand is that, should you fail to create an estate plan, you
effectively cede your decision-making rights to the laws the state of New York
has already adopted. These laws effectively make your estate planning choices
for you in the event you don't have a plan. Regardless of how strongly you feel
about an estate planning issue, what your choices would have been if you
actually got around to making a plan, or anything else, these laws will make your
estate planning choices for you if you don't have an effective plan in place.

4. Estate Planning For Seniors in New York Minko Law Office 4
UNDERSTANDING ESTATE ISSUES
Even though we will discuss the specific issues and tools that are important to
seniors making an estate plan in our next paper on this topic, understanding
what types of issues your estate plan will address is vital. As a senior, your
estate plan will focus on several key issues, including questions of inheritances,
incapacitation, and long-term care.
As we age, our needs,
desires, and hopes for
the future change with
us. In our youth we are
unlikely to feel the need
to have a plan in place
that will address what
we want to happen
should we require long-
term care. Seniors, on the other hand, cannot afford to be so cavalier. With an
estate plan you get to answer each of the important questions surrounding these
types of topics, and allow yourself the luxury of knowing that you will be
protected in the future.
MAKE A PLAN TODAY
At the Minko Law Office, we have years of experience counseling our clients
through the process of creating an estate plan. When you come and talk to us,
we will sit down with you, discuss your long-term and short-term goals, answer

5. Estate Planning For Seniors in New York Minko Law Office 5
any questions you have, and give you advice about what options you have when
it comes to creating estate plans that meet your needs. Once you decide on what
you want, we will ensure that the tools you create will protect all of your
interests.
Yet we cannot help you protect yourself or create a comprehensive estate plan
for you until you make the choice to reach out to us for assistance. Only by
scheduling an appointment, coming in to talk to us, and creating an estate plan
can you be certain that you have done everything you can to protect yourself,
your estate, and your family.

6. Estate Planning For Seniors in New York Minko Law Office 6
About the Author
Anthony J. Minko
As an attorney in private practice in Brooklyn, New York,
Anthony J. Minko provides a wide range of estate planning
services to clients throughout the New York City area. Mr.
Minko creates customized estate plans that enable families to
preserve their wealth and provide for the security of their
loved ones both during and after their lifetime. He dedicates
himself to informing the public of the need for careful
attention to their specific situations, regularly presenting
educational seminars addressing the growing importance of estate planning.
Before forming Minko Law Office, Mr. Minko spent over four years as a trial
attorney handling civil and commercial litigation in New York state and federal
courts. He also served the senior community as a member of Wells Fargo Bank
and the New York City Law Department. Mr. Minko is a member of the American
Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, The National Academy of Elder Attorneys,
and several local and state bar associations.
Minko Law Office
1766 Cropsey Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11214
Phone: (718) 238-1727
Fax: (718) 971-1059
www.MinkoLaw.com