Most New Yorkers assume estate planning means signing a few generic forms and calling it done. At Morgan Legal Group, we believe the opposite: a plan that does not reflect your specific family, assets, and intentions is not really a plan at all. Attorney Russel Morgan, Esq. has spent his career helping individuals and families across New York — from Manhattan to Long Island, Westchester to the Hudson Valley, and communities upstate — build coordinated estate plans that actually fit their lives.
What “Personal” Means in Practice
Estate planning is not a product off a shelf. The decisions that protect your family depend on facts that are unique to you: the size and nature of your estate, whether you own a business, how your children are situated, whether a loved one has special needs, and how close your estate value sits to New York’s tax thresholds.
A comprehensive New York estate plan coordinates four core documents under a single strategy:
| Document | Governing Law | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Last Will & Testament | EPTL §3-2.1 | Directs asset distribution; requires two attesting witnesses and testator’s signature at the end |
| Revocable or Irrevocable Trust | EPTL Article 7 | Avoids probate; irrevocable trusts address tax reduction, asset protection, and Medicaid’s 5-year look-back |
| Durable Power of Attorney | GOL §5-1513 | Authorizes a trusted agent to manage your finances; durable by default under the 2021 statutory short form |
| Health Care Proxy | NY Public Health Law Art. 29-C | Appoints an agent for medical decisions — a separate instrument from the financial POA |
No single document does the job alone. Russel Morgan reviews how each piece interacts with your overall picture before a single signature is placed.
Your Estate in the Context of New York’s 2026 Tax Law
New York’s estate tax contains a provision that surprises many families: the cliff. For deaths occurring in 2026, the basic exclusion is $7,350,000. If an estate exceeds 105% of that figure — $7,717,500 — the entire exclusion is lost and the estate is taxed from dollar one at rates reaching 16%. New York also has no gift tax, but gifts made within three years of death are added back to the taxable estate for this calculation.
Whether your estate is well below, near, or above that threshold, the right structure looks different. Our NY estate tax guide walks through the mechanics in full; the strategies we use — coordinating irrevocable trusts, timing, and beneficiary designations — are calibrated to your numbers, not a generic bracket.
A Statewide Practice, a Personal Relationship
We serve clients across every region of New York: the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and upstate communities. Regardless of where you are, you work directly with Russel Morgan — not a paralegal, not a rotating associate.
When you are ready to build a plan that reflects your goals, we invite you to schedule a consultation. Bring your questions; we will bring the answers that apply to your situation.
Learn more about specific components: estate planning overview · wills · trusts · power of attorney · health care proxy
Have a question about your estate?
Talk it through with Russel Morgan — free 30-minute consult.
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