Into The Woods | Woods Oviatt Gilman

Episode 31 – Spousal Rights After Death: Understanding New York’s Right of Election

In this episode of Into the Woods, attorney Hannah Cannon joins host Dave Shaffer to explain New York’s spousal right of election–the law that prevents a spouse from being completely cut out of an estate. They cover how the right works, when it can be waived, and share a cautionary tale about the lead singer of The Cars and his estranged supermodel wife.

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Episode 30 – Retirement Accounts After Death: SECURE Act 2.0 & Trust Planning (Part 2)

In Part 2 of their retirement accounts series, Dave Shaffer and Morgan Napierski cover SECURE Act 2.0, exceptions to the 10-year rule, and the difference between conduit and accumulation trusts—plus a fun Jeopardy round to test it all.

PODCAST

Episode 29 – Retirement Accounts After Death: The Basics & SECURE Act 1.0 (Part 1)

In Part 1 of their retirement accounts series, Dave Shaffer and Morgan Napierski discuss how IRAs and 401(k)s pass at death, beneficiary designation best practices, and the major changes brought by the SECURE Act 1.0.

PODCAST

Episode 28 – Medicaid Applications: The Documentation Gauntlet

In this episode, Dave Shaffer, Hannah Mills, and Kristel Martini discuss the documentation process for Medicaid applications, covering deadlines, caseworker requests, and tips for navigating the five-year lookback requirement.