What States Are Community Property States? Full List + Legal Implications

Gabriel Katzner - April 23, 2025 - Estate Planning

When it comes to estate planning and marital property law, understanding how different states treat assets acquired during a marriage is essential. At Katzner Law Group, we help individuals and families in New York and California navigate the complex landscape of asset ownership, estate transfers, and inheritance law. One of the most significant distinctions in […]

What Are My Rights If My Name Is Not on the Deed, but I’m Married?

Gabriel Katzner - March 14, 2025 - Asset Protection

What are your rights if you get a divorce but your name is not on the deed? Several factors determine your rights, starting with state law in the state where you reside and own property. Understanding Marital Property and Ownership Rights In community property states, such as California, if you acquired your home while you […]

Can Someone Put a Lien on My House Without Me Knowing?

Gabriel Katzner - February 28, 2025 - Real Estate

A lien can be placed on your property without your immediate knowledge. Typically, when someone places a lien on your property, they are required to notify you. However, communication delays can prevent you from being informed right away, especially if your mailing address is outdated. Any liens against your property become public records when they […]

How to Avoid a Nursing Home Taking Your Home

Gabriel Katzner - December 27, 2024 - Asset Protection

The median cost of long-term care in a nursing home (in 2024) for a private room is $330 per day or $10,025 per month. Semiprivate rooms cost about $1,000 less per month. Even for a semi-private room, this adds up to over $100,000 per year, a number that is unreachable for most people. Medicaid is […]

How Do I Avoid Paying Gift Tax?

Gabriel Katzner - November 22, 2024 - Asset Protection

A gift tax is a tax imposed on the gift giver, not the recipient. Therefore, it falls into a category different from income taxes. At first glance, gift taxes may seem complicated because there is both a lifetime exclusion amount and an annual gift exclusion amount. The current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lifetime gift tax […]

Who Can Override a Power of Attorney?

Gabriel Katzner - November 15, 2024 - Asset Protection

A power of attorney is a person who acts on your behalf to handle certain tasks or to make decisions when you cannot. As long as you are of sound mind, you can designate a person called an agent or attorney-in-fact to act on your behalf. As long as the principal or person who created […]

Do Joint Bank Accounts Have Survivorship Rights?

Gabriel Katzner - October 18, 2024 - Asset Protection

A joint bank account is a common way to share funds with another person, such as a spouse, partner, or child. Upon the death of one account holder, if the joint account has rights of survivorship, the assets in the account pass to the surviving joint account owner. Besides joint tenants with rights of survivorship […]

What is a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust?

Gabriel Katzner - October 11, 2024 - Asset Protection

An irrevocable trust known as a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) safeguards assets like the family home during the application process for Medicaid long-term care benefits. To qualify for Medicaid, your assets must be under a certain level, and home equity often exceeds this threshold. Advance estate planning is critical because you can’t just transfer […]

Judgment Liens on Property in New York

Gabriel Katzner - October 4, 2024 - Asset Protection

Imagine you just completed a full bathroom remodel for a new client in New York. Though you have a signed contract, and you complete the work to their satisfaction, they refuse to pay. You take them to court and win a verdict in your favor. The court enters a judgment. The judge instructs your client […]

How the Homestead Exemption Works in New York

Gabriel Katzner - September 27, 2024 - Asset Protection

The homestead exemption is intended to safeguard a person’s primary residence from creditors after they declare bankruptcy or upon the death of a homeowner’s spouse. It can also reduce property taxes by lowering your state property tax obligations. A homestead is a dwelling that a person uses as their primary residence, whether it is a […]

Asset Protection