Into the Woods

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this episode, Dave Shaffer and Hannah Cannon discuss the legal grounds for contesting a will in New York, no-contest clauses, and lessons from the movie Knives Out about why will challenges rarely succeed.

In Part 2 of their digital estate planning series, Dave Shaffer and Caroline Cercone discuss digital legacy planning, explaining why you need both a legal will and a social media plan—plus a Taylor Swift-themed breakdown of how each works.

In Part 1 of their electronic wills series, Dave Shaffer and Caroline Cercone discuss New York's new digital will law (effective December 2027), covering how it works, the risks involved, and lessons from the Samsung Galaxy Will case.

In this episode, Dave Shaffer and Morgan Napierski discuss New York's new Transfer on Death deed law, explaining the limitations and pitfalls that make this probate avoidance tool less useful than it seems for most families.

In this episode of Into the Woods, attorney Hannah Mills joins host Dave Shaffer to explain why estate planning isn’t just for older generations. They cover New York’s intestacy laws, planning considerations for young families, unmarried couples, and business owners, and share a cautionary tale about the author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

In this episode of Into the Woods, host Dave Shaffer and estates paralegal Deana Kilpatrick walk through the 10 immediate steps families should take when a loved one passes away – from obtaining death certificates and finding the will to tracking assets, managing debts, and knowing when to seek legal guidance.