You have spent a lifetime building something worth protecting: a home, a business, savings, and the family you care for most. At Morgan Legal Group, we believe the right estate plan is not just a stack of legal documents — it is a protective structure designed to keep what you have built exactly where you intend it to go.
Attorney Russel Morgan, Esq. serves clients throughout New York State, from New York City and Long Island to Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and communities across Upstate New York. Wherever you live in the state, the same New York law governs your estate — and the same careful planning can secure your family’s future.
What “Securing Your Estate” Actually Means in New York
A genuinely protective New York estate plan is not a single document. It is a coordinated set of four interlocking instruments, each guarding a different dimension of your life and legacy:
| Instrument | What It Secures | Governing Law |
|---|---|---|
| Will | Distribution of assets; names an executor and guardians for minor children | EPTL §3-2.1 |
| Trust(s) | Probate avoidance (revocable); tax reduction, asset protection & Medicaid planning (irrevocable); benefit preservation for loved ones with disabilities (SNT, EPTL §7-1.12) | EPTL Article 7 |
| Durable Power of Attorney | Financial decisions if you cannot act; durable by default under the 2021 statutory short form | GOL §5-1513 |
| Health Care Proxy | Medical decisions — a separate, distinct appointment from your financial POA | NY Public Health Law Article 29-C |
Each instrument reinforces the others. A will alone leaves your estate exposed to probate. A trust without a coordinated POA leaves a gap the moment you become incapacitated. We design these four pieces to work as one seamless shield.
The New York Estate Tax: A Risk You Cannot Afford to Ignore
New York imposes its own estate tax entirely separate from the federal system — and it contains a uniquely dangerous provision. For deaths occurring in 2026, the basic exclusion is $7,350,000. Estates valued above $7,717,500 (105% of the exclusion — the “cliff”) lose the entire exemption and are taxed from the first dollar at progressive rates of 3%–16%. A difference of a few thousand dollars above the cliff can cost a family hundreds of thousands in tax.
New York has no gift tax, but gifts made within three years of death are added back to calculate the taxable estate. Strategic irrevocable trusts, completed in time, are often the most reliable way to move assets outside that calculation permanently.
Explore statewide strategies in our full guide or review New York’s estate tax rules directly at tax.ny.gov.
Serving All of New York State
Our statewide practice means we understand the full range of New York families — from a co-op owner in Manhattan to a farm owner in the Hudson Valley to a retiree planning Medicaid protection on Long Island. New York law is uniform; the planning must be tailored. See a full overview of our estate planning services.
Ready to secure what you have built? Schedule a consultation with Russel Morgan, Esq. at calendly.com/russel-morgan/30min.
Further reading from Morgan Legal Group: the New York estate planning guide.