Katya Sverdlov Blog

If you have married someone who had children from a previous relationship, these are your step-children. Even if you have helped raised the child from a very young age, unless you have legally adopted the child, he will not be considered your child for inheritance purposes. This can have significant implications for your family.

For example, when Harry and Sally got married, Sally had a child John from a previous relationship. Harry helped to raise John from a young age, but he could not adopt him, because John’s father did not want to give up his parental rights.
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Not having a plan in place may create unforeseen problems for your family. Please read my recent article in Epoch Times about the importance of having proper documents.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/a-good-plan-avoids-big-problems_3066028.

I was recently interviewed on Serene Home about how to put your estate planning affairs in order. Please read the article below.

https://theserenehome.com/estate-planning-katya-sverdlov-esq-talks-to-the-serene-home/

1.   How did you become a KonMari consultant? 

Following a long career as a psychotherapist, I discovered my passion for organizing after organizing my own home using the KonMari Method. KonMari worked so well for me in my own home, I decided I wanted to help others achieve the same result.

After completing the KonMari training, I started my own business. Once I had a certain number of client sessions documented, I took an exam and became certified!  I’m now a Master Level Certified KonMari consultant.
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I was recently quoted extensively in a recent  article by Nicole Dieker,  regarding planning for a child with special needs. 
 

https://havenlife.

Please see the article that I recently wrote for Epoch Times on Asset Protection  

https://www.theepochtimes.
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Unlike federal law, New York State does not have a gift tax. However, up until December 31, 2018, New York State required decedents to include all gifts made within three years of death in their New York State taxable estates. As a result of a recent legislative change, this add-back rule no longer applies to decedents with dates of death after January 1, 2019.

The result is that a New York State resident may choose to gift away all of their assets during their life, and these assets will not be added back to their gross estate. Unfortunately, one must remember that New York State law and federal law differ.

Different forms of ownership frequently result in assets being passed by operation of law, and not according to the wishes stated in the Last Will and Testament. It is crucially important to discuss with your attorney your specific wishes and the current forms of ownership of your assets.

Property: Joint ownership of both real and personal property has been recognized for centuries. Three forms of joint ownership are recognized in New York:

1. Tenancy in Common.

I am excited to announce the addition of DANIEL J. REITER, ESQ to my firm!

Daniel joins Sverdlov Law PLLC as Of Counsel. I have also joined Daniel’s firm as Of Counsel.

Our top priority has always been quality of our work and stellar client service and results. Our new Of Counsel relationship allows us to offer an enhanced array of estate, trust, special needs, and elder legal services to the community.

Medical aid in dying is the process by which an adult, mentally competent, terminally ill patient, whose doctors have determined likely to die within six months, self-consumes prescribed medicines to end suffering and achieve a peaceful death. There are currently legislative efforts in New York State to establish Medical Aid in Dying as a right.

Has it been tried before? Medical Aid in Dying has been legal in both Oregon and Washington for over a decade. Evidence compiled from these two states demonstrates that these programs are overwhelmingly beneficial. There is no evidence of disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations - the majority of patients who choose aid in dying have health insurance and most are college educated.

In New York, the two documents that allow an individual to detail their future medical wishes are a Health Care Proxy and a Living Will. You can also combine the two into one document: in the Health Care Proxy you can both nominate and provide specific instructions to your agent.

Purpose: A Health Care Proxy allows an individual to plan their future medical decisions in the event they are incapacitated. Given the state of today's medicine, individuals are commonly subjected to advanced life support systems and invasive medical treatments that only prolong the end-of-life care. If you have any specific wishes in regards to your end-of-life care (e.