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You are our most valued asset and as such you can expect personal, caring service delivered to you in a timely manner and prompt responses to your inquiries.

At THE LAW OFFICE OF MARCI GOLDFARB, we are committed to providing our clients with expert and honest legal representation to ensure that each client achieves the best result possible. Call our office today for your free consultation! Evening and weekend appointments are available.

11/04/2026

Happy #3 Sam Goldfarb and Sarah Siegel ! We love you!!

10/27/2026

Choosing An Executor: It's A Job, Not A Gift

https://www.marcilaw.com/blog/2026/10/27/choosing-an-executor-its-a-job-not-a-gift

When I ask clients whom they would like to name as Executor of their Will, the answer is often their oldest child, a sibling, or someone to whom they are particularly close. Sometimes the decision is based more on family relationships and avoiding hurt feelings than on whether the person is actually suited for the job.

Being an Executor is not an honor that needs to be bestowed on someone. It is a responsibility, and depending on the estate, it can be a demanding one.

What Does an Executor Do?

An Executor is responsible for administering your estate after your death. This includes identifying and collecting assets, dealing with financial institutions, paying debts and taxes, keeping records, communicating with beneficiaries, and ultimately distributing the estate in accordance with your Will. The administration of your estate may also include filing petitions with the Surrogate’s Court.

Some estates are relatively straightforward, while others involve complicated assets, real estate, or family disagreements. Even a relatively simple estate can require a considerable amount of time and attention.

An Executor does not need to be an attorney, accountant, or financial expert. Professionals can assist with the legal, tax, and financial aspects of administering an estate. What matters is choosing someone who is organized, responsible, has good judgment, and is willing to devote the necessary time to the job.

Should You Name All of Your Children?

One of the issues that frequently comes up in estate planning is whether to name all of the children as co-Executors. Parents often feel that naming just one child will hurt the feelings of the others or suggest that they favor one child over another.

But naming all of your children is not necessarily the best decision, particularly if they do not get along or have difficulty making decisions together. If they cannot agree on minor matters now, requiring them to work together to administer an estate may create unnecessary complications, delays, and expense.

The decision should be based on who is best suited to handle the responsibility, not on treating everyone equally.

Who Should You Choose?

Consider whether the person you are thinking of naming is organized, handles financial matters responsibly, follows through on commitments, and can make decisions when necessary. It is also important to consider whether that person will be able to communicate effectively with the beneficiaries and handle disagreements that may arise.

The best choice may be one of your children, but it could just as easily be a sibling, another relative, a trusted friend, or a professional fiduciary. You should also name a successor Executor in case your first choice is unable or unwilling to serve.

Choosing an Executor is an important part of estate planning. The goal is not to reward someone or avoid hurt feelings. It is to select the person who is most capable of managing your affairs and carrying out your wishes after your death.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked blog article courtesy of Schwartz Ettenger, PLLC

Don’t leave your legacy to chance. Reach out to Marci Goldfarb, Esq. at 631-777-2401 or email [email protected] today to protect your family’s tomorrow.

09/24/2026

Part II: Privacy Matters: How A Revocable Trust Can Provide Greater Privacy

https://www.marcilaw.com/blog/part-ii-privacy-matters-how-a-revocable-trust-can-provide-greater-privacy

In Part I of our Privacy Matters series, we discussed what happens to your privacy when a Will is admitted to probate. Because probate is a court proceeding, the Will and certain other information concerning the estate and the decedent’s family may become part of the public court record.

For individuals who would prefer to keep their estate planning and financial affairs more private, a Revocable Trust may provide an alternative.

A Revocable Trust is created during your lifetime and can hold many of the assets that would otherwise pass through your estate at death. You, as Trustee of your Trust, continue to control those assets during your lifetime and can amend or revoke the Trust as your circumstances change.

Upon your death, the Trustee administers and distributes the assets held in the Trust in accordance with its terms. Unlike a Will, the Trust does not have to be filed with the court simply because you have died. As a result, the provisions governing the disposition of your assets can generally remain private.

This distinction was illustrated by the Gene Hackman estate discussed in Part I. His Will became part of the public record following his death and received considerable media attention, while the terms of his Revocable Trust have remained private. You do not, however, have to be a celebrity for the distinction to matter.

A Revocable Trust can provide privacy concerning not only who receives your assets, but also what you own and how and when your beneficiaries receive their inheritances. Bank and brokerage accounts, business interests and real estate owned by the Trust can be administered without the details of those assets becoming part of a probate proceeding. Similarly, provisions concerning the identities of beneficiaries, the amounts they receive and whether their inheritances are distributed outright or remain in trust do not become part of a public court record simply because they are contained in the Trust.

This can be particularly important when an estate plan involves a closely held business, significant assets or family circumstances that an individual would prefer to keep private. For example, an estate plan may provide differently for particular children, continue an inheritance in trust for a younger beneficiary or a beneficiary with special needs, or make other arrangements based upon circumstances that are personal to the family. A Revocable Trust allows those provisions to be implemented without necessarily placing the details in a publicly filed Will.

Funding the Trust Is Important

Creating a Revocable Trust, however, is only part of the process. If the objective is to avoid probate, the Trust must also be properly funded. This means transferring appropriate assets, such as real estate, bank and brokerage accounts and business interests, to the Trust during your lifetime.

Assets that remain in your individual name at death and do not otherwise pass by beneficiary designation, joint ownership or another non-probate arrangement may still have to pass through probate. For that reason, establishing a Revocable Trust should include a review of how your assets are owned and which assets should be transferred to the Trust.

Privacy Is One Consideration

A Revocable Trust is not necessary or appropriate for everyone, and privacy is only one consideration in deciding how an estate plan should be structured. For some individuals and families, however, keeping the details of their assets, beneficiaries and dispositive wishes outside of the public probate record is an important consideration.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked blog article courtesy of Schwartz Ettenger, PLLC

Don’t leave your legacy to chance. Reach out to Marci Goldfarb, Esq. at 631-777-2401 or email [email protected] today to protect your family’s tomorrow.

09/24/2026

For anyone who needs a little inspiration, I’ll share one of mine. This is my mom and today is her 87th birthday. Like her mother before her, she is still working. Full time. She has a meaningful life, she enjoys her children and grandchildren beyond measure and she never complains, even when she might be expected to. So when I’m asked if I think about retiring, and give my automatic response (“I love my work. I’m never retiring, why would I?”), I think of my mother and my grandmother and realize the gift of having inspirational women in my life. Happy birthday, mom! I love you and can’t wait to celebrate!

09/09/2026

Part 1: Privacy Matters: What Happens To Your Privacy When Your Will Is Probated?

https://www.schwartzettenger.com/part-i-privacy-matters-what-happens-to-your-privacy-when-your-will-is-probated/

When people think about estate planning, they generally focus on who will receive their assets and how those assets will be distributed. One consideration that is sometimes overlooked is privacy.

A Will does not remain a private document after death. If a Will is admitted to probate, it is filed with the court and becomes part of the court record. Depending upon the circumstances, other documents filed in connection with the probate proceeding may also become publicly available.

For some families, this is not a significant concern. For others, particularly those who would prefer to keep their financial and family affairs private, it is something worth considering when deciding how an estate plan should be structured.

What Information Can Become Public?

When probated, the Will itself becomes part of the court record. As a result, someone reviewing the Will may be able to see who the beneficiaries are, what specific gifts have been made, how the estate is being distributed and whether particular family members have been omitted.

A recent example is the estate of actor Gene Hackman. Following his death, his Will became public and generated considerable news coverage, including discussion about his wife and his three children. His estate plan, however, also included a Revocable Trust. While the Will became available to the public, the Trust did not, and the ultimate beneficiaries and dispositive provisions of the Trust have remained private.

You do not have to be a celebrity for the same distinction to matter. Once a Will is filed for probate, its contents do not remain a private family matter.

The probate proceeding itself may also disclose information about the decedent’s family. In New York, a probate petition identifies the decedent’s distributees (in other words, the individuals who would inherit if there were no Will) and provides certain information about them. This means that family relationships may become part of the court record even when those individuals are not beneficiaries under the Will.

Depending upon the circumstances of the estate, additional financial information may also become part of the record. And if there is a dispute concerning the Will or the administration of the estate, court filings can disclose considerably more about the decedent’s assets, family relationships and the issues in dispute.

Why Does This Matter?

There is nothing unusual about any of this. Probate is a court proceeding, and court proceedings involve records that are available to the public. But many people sign a Will without realizing that a document they regard as a private expression of their wishes may eventually become a public document.

This can be particularly important for individuals who own a business, have significant assets, have complicated family circumstances or simply place a high value on keeping their personal and financial affairs private.

Privacy is not, by itself, a reason that everyone needs a Revocable Trust. But it is one of the factors that should be considered when deciding whether an estate plan should rely primarily upon a Will or whether a Revocable Trust may be appropriate.

In Part II, we will discuss how a properly funded Revocable Trust can allow assets to pass without probate and provide a greater degree of privacy for you and your family.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked blog article courtesy of Schwartz Ettenger, PLLC

Don’t leave your legacy to chance. Reach out to Marci Goldfarb, Esq. at 631-777-2401 or email [email protected] today to protect your family’s tomorrow.

08/11/2026

Part II: The Hidden Risks Of Using Online Estate Planning Services: Is It Worth It?

https://www.schwartzettenger.com/part-ii-the-hidden-risks-of-using-online-estate-planning-services-is-it-worth-it/

Common Problems with Online Estate Plans:

Documents May Not Comply with State Law

Estate planning documents are governed by state law, and each state has its own requirements regarding ex*****on.

Something as simple as having the wrong number of witnesses, using an ineligible witness, or failing to follow your state’s signing requirements can create problems later. Unfortunately, those issues often are not discovered until after someone has died or become incapacitated, when correcting them may no longer be possible.

Creating a Trust Is Only the First Step

Many online services promote revocable living trusts as a way to avoid probate.

Creating the trust, however, is only the beginning.

For a trust to function as intended, your assets must be coordinated with your overall estate plan. Depending on the asset, that may involve transferring title to the trust, reviewing beneficiary designations, or deciding that an asset should remain outside the trust altogether.

Those decisions are rarely addressed in a meaningful way through an online platform. As a result, people sometimes believe they have avoided probate when, in reality, much of their estate may still pass through it.

Every Family Has Different Planning Needs

No two families are exactly alike.

One client may have a child with special needs. Another may own a closely held business. Someone else may want to protect an inheritance from a beneficiary’s future divorce, creditors, or poor financial decisions. Others may be concerned about treating children from different marriages fairly.

These are not unusual situations. They are simply examples of why estate planning is personal.

A generic template cannot adapt itself to your family’s circumstances or your long-term goals.

Small Changes in Language Can Have Big Consequences

Legal documents are interpreted according to the words they contain.

People using online templates sometimes modify language to better reflect what they want, without realizing that even small changes can create uncertainty or unintended consequences.

When a document is unclear, disagreements among family members are more likely. Careful drafting helps reduce the likelihood of disputes by making your intentions as clear as possible.

The Value of Personalized Advice

People sometimes assume they are paying an estate planning attorney to produce a set of documents.

In my experience, the documents are only part of what clients receive.

The real value often comes from the conversations that take place before the documents are drafted. Those conversations help identify issues that may otherwise go unnoticed, coordinate beneficiary designations with the overall plan, discuss whether a trust is appropriate, and tailor the plan to the client’s specific family, assets, and objectives.

Just as importantly, clients leave with an understanding of what their documents actually do and what they do not do.

That understanding cannot be gained by filling out forms without follow up conversations.

A Final Thought

Over the years, I have reviewed many estate plans that clients prepared themselves or obtained through online services. Some were perfectly adequate for the individual’s circumstances.

Others contained omissions, inconsistencies, or missed planning opportunities that were not apparent until we sat down and discussed the client’s family, assets, and goals. The issue usually wasn’t that the online forms were poorly drafted. Rather, no questionnaire had asked the questions that mattered most.

Estate planning is not about having the longest documents or the most complicated plan. It is about creating a plan that reflects your wishes, complies with the law, and gives your loved ones clear direction when they need it.

For some people, using an online estate planning service may be enough. For many others, a thoughtful conversation with an experienced estate planning attorney can make all the difference.

In Part I of this series, we looked at why online estate planning services are so popular and why a complete plan requires much more than just filling out standard documents. Click here to read Part I: THE HIDDEN RISKS OF USING ONLINE ESTATE PLANNING SERVICES: IS IT WORTH IT?

Selected excerpt(s) and linked blog article courtesy of Schwartz Ettenger, PLLC

Don’t leave your legacy to chance. Reach out to Marci Goldfarb, Esq. at 631-777-2401 or email [email protected] today to protect your family’s tomorrow.

08/02/2026

Happy almost joint birthday Emma and Jeff - two of my favorite people - love you both so much! Enjoy your trip!! Jeffrey Shore

07/09/2026

Part I: The Hidden Risks Of Online Estate Planning Services: Is It Worth It?

https://www.schwartzettenger.com/part-i-the-hidden-risks-of-online-estate-planning-services-is-it-worth-it/

One of the biggest misconceptions about estate planning is that an attorney’s job is simply to prepare legal documents, when in reality, much of an estate planning attorney’s work happens before a single document is drafted.

The goal isn’t simply to have a will or a trust. It’s to have an estate plan that works when your family needs it.

Click the above link to read the full blog.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked blog article courtesy of Schwartz Ettenger, PLLC

Don’t leave your legacy to chance. Reach out to Marci Goldfarb, Esq. at 631-777-2401 or email [email protected] today to protect your family’s tomorrow.

06/27/2026

Happy 60th birthday, baby brother. I’m pretty sure this is the best one ever. I love you and look forward to spending lots more happy times together. 4! ❤️

06/23/2026

Happy birthday Jamie!! Love you always!! !

Address

Schwartz Ettenger, PLLC, 445 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 205
Melville, NY
11747

Telephone

+15163982709

Website

http://Marcilaw.com/

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