--- title: "Legacy Journal — Estate Planning Insights | Legacy Counsel" description: "Articles on wills, trusts, asset protection, dynasty planning, and generational wealth strategy from Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "LegalService", "@id": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/#legalservice", "name": "Jacobs Legacy Counsel", "alternateName": [ "Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel", "Jacobs Legacy" ], "url": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com", "description": "Fixed-fee estate planning for high-net-worth families, founders, executives, and professional athletes. Licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio.", "logo": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/logo-dark.jpg", "image": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/og-image.jpg", "telephone": "+1-646-343-7227", "email": "intake@jacobscounsellaw.com", "priceRange": "Fixed-fee engagements", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "221 River Street, Floor 9", "addressLocality": "Hoboken", "addressRegion": "NJ", "postalCode": "07030", "addressCountry": "US" }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "State", "name": "New York" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "New Jersey" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "Ohio" } ], "knowsAbout": [ "Estate planning", "Revocable living trusts", "Irrevocable trusts", "Dynasty trusts", "Asset protection planning", "Generation-skipping transfer tax planning", "Estate planning for professional athletes", "Estate planning for founders and executives", "QSBS planning", "Pre-liquidity estate planning", "Probate and trust administration" ], "contactPoint": { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-646-343-7227", "email": "intake@jacobscounsellaw.com", "contactType": "client intake", "areaServed": [ "US-NY", "US-NJ", "US-OH" ], "availableLanguage": [ "en" ] }, "founder": { "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs#person" }, "employee": { "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs#person" }, "parentOrganization": { "@type": "LegalService", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#legalservice", "name": "Jacobs Counsel LLC", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com" }, "sameAs": [ "https://jacobscounsellaw.com", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/jacobs-counsel", "https://www.instagram.com/jacobscounsel" ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/#website", "url": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com", "name": "Jacobs Legacy Counsel", "publisher": { "@id": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/#legalservice" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs#person", "name": "Andrew R. Jacobs, Esq.", "alternateName": "Drew Jacobs", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs", "jobTitle": "Founder & Managing Attorney", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#legalservice" }, "sameAs": [ "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-jacobs-dj32/", "https://www.instagram.com/jacobscounsel", "https://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-york-metro/hoboken/lawyer/andrew-jacobs/5765bbd8-0554-4eb5-be6d-0431db28f834.html", "https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/07030-nj-andrew-jacobs-5765bbd8.html", "https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorneyservices/search?lastName=jacobs&firstName=andrew" ] } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Blog", "name": "Legacy Counsel Journal", "description": "Estate planning, trusts, asset protection, and generational wealth strategy from Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel.", "url": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/blog", "publisher": { "@type": "LegalService", "name": "Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Journal", "item": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/blog" } ] } ] --- A Practice of [Jacobs Counsel LLC](https://jacobscounsellaw.com) Serving NY · NJ · OH — Vol. 2026 [Legacy Counsel ](/) Firm Resources Estate Planning Trusts [Probate & Admin](/probate-trust-administration)[Pricing](/pricing)[Book Call](https://cal.com/drewjacobs/estate-planning)[Start Intake](/get-started) Menu 1. [Home](/) 2. Journal The Legacy Journal Legacy Counsel # Estate planning, trusts, and generational wealth. Field notes on wills, trusts, asset protection, and tax-aware planning for founders, executives, and families across NY, NJ, and OH. Featured guides - [ ## Estate Planning for Athletes: NIL Deals and Wealth Protection NIL income changed the game for college and pro athletes. Here is how estate planning protects your money, your name, image, and likeness, and your family. Estate Planning · Athletes & NIL 9 min read Read → ](/estate-planning-for-athletes-nil) - [ ## What Happens to My Digital Assets When I Die? Crypto, social accounts, monetized channels, and gaming assets do not pass to your family automatically. Here is what happens and how to plan for it. Estate Planning · Digital Assets 7 min read Read → ](/what-happens-to-digital-assets-when-you-die) - [ ## Do I Need Estate Planning in My 20s and 30s? You are young, healthy, and building something. Here is why founders and young professionals still need an estate plan, and the few documents that matter most. Estate Planning · Founders & Young Professionals 8 min read Read → ](/estate-planning-in-your-20s-and-30s) - [ ## Estate Planning Mistakes That Cost Families Thousands The most expensive estate planning mistakes are also the most common, and the most avoidable. Here are the big ones and how to fix each. Estate Planning · Mistakes Hub 10 min read Read → ](/estate-planning-mistakes-that-cost-families-thousands) - [ ## How Much Does Estate Planning Cost in 2026? Clear 2026 pricing for wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, what drives the cost, and why a flat fee beats an hourly surprise. Estate Planning · Pricing 8 min read Read → ](/how-much-does-estate-planning-cost) Athletes Estate Planning · Advanced Estate Planning · Core Documents Estate Planning · Creators Estate Planning · Digital Assets Estate Planning · Executives Estate Planning · Families Estate Planning · Getting Started Estate Planning · Multi-State Estate Planning · New Jersey Estate Planning · New York Estate Planning · Ohio Estate Planning · Pricing Estate Planning · Probate Estate Planning · Reviews Estate Planning · Trusts Estate Planning · Wills Professionals Startups - [ Aug 12, 2026 ## Small Estate Shortcuts in New Jersey, New York, and Ohio When a family can skip full probate, when the shortcut is a trap, and what each state actually allows. Estate Planning · Probate 6 min read Read → ](/blog/small-estate-shortcuts-nj-ny-oh) - [ Aug 11, 2026 ## How to Put Your House in a Trust (NJ, NY, and OH) The actual steps to transfer a residence into a revocable trust, what it does to your mortgage and taxes, and the mistakes that undo it. Estate Planning · Trusts 7 min read Read → ](/blog/how-to-put-your-house-in-a-trust) - [ Aug 9, 2026 ## New Jersey Inheritance Tax: Who Pays, Who Is Exempt, and How Planning Changes the Math New Jersey repealed its estate tax, but the inheritance tax is still here — and it is charged based on who inherits, not how much the estate is worth. Here is how the classes work and where planning helps. Estate Planning · New Jersey 9 min read Read → ](/blog/new-jersey-inheritance-tax-explained) - [ Aug 4, 2026 ## How to Avoid Probate in Ohio The specific Ohio tools that keep assets out of probate court — transfer-on-death designations, trust funding, and titling — and where each one fails. Estate Planning · Ohio 7 min read Read → ](/blog/how-to-avoid-probate-in-ohio) - [ Jul 29, 2026 ## The New York Estate Tax Cliff: How a Small Overage Costs a Large Share New York does not phase its estate tax in gradually. Cross the exclusion by more than five percent and the entire estate becomes taxable — not just the excess. Here is how the cliff works and how plans are built around it. Estate Planning · New York 8 min read Read → ](/blog/new-york-estate-tax-cliff) - [ Jul 24, 2026 ## What Should Estate Planning Cost? A Fixed-Fee Explanation Why we quote flat fees, what drives the number, and how to compare quotes between providers without guessing. Estate Planning · Pricing 6 min read Read → ](/blog/what-estate-planning-costs-fixed-fee) - [ Jul 18, 2026 ## Ohio Transfer-on-Death Planning: What It Does Well, and Where It Quietly Fails Ohio makes it unusually easy to move assets outside probate with transfer-on-death designations. That convenience is also why so many Ohio estates end up doing something the family never intended. Estate Planning · Ohio 8 min read Read → ](/blog/ohio-transfer-on-death-planning) - [ Jul 13, 2026 ## How Long Does Probate Take in New York? Realistic New York probate timelines, the steps that actually cause delay, and what shortens the process. Estate Planning · New York 7 min read Read → ](/blog/how-long-does-new-york-probate-take) - [ Jul 7, 2026 ## How Probate Actually Works in New Jersey — and How Families Avoid It New Jersey probate is more streamlined than its reputation suggests. The real costs are delay, publicity, and the assets that fall outside the plan. Here is the mechanics, step by step. Estate Planning · Probate 9 min read Read → ](/blog/how-probate-works-in-new-jersey) - [ Jul 2, 2026 ## How Much Does a Trust Cost in New Jersey? What a revocable trust actually costs in New Jersey, what drives the number up, and why the cheapest document is usually the most expensive plan. Estate Planning · New Jersey 7 min read Read → ](/blog/how-much-does-a-trust-cost-in-new-jersey) - [ Jun 26, 2026 ## Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts: How to Actually Choose One keeps control. One trades control for protection and tax positioning. Most families end up with both — the question is what each one is doing in the plan. Estate Planning · Trusts 9 min read Read → ](/blog/revocable-vs-irrevocable-trust-how-to-choose) - [ Jun 24, 2026 ## Estate Planning for Founders and Entrepreneurs: How to Plan Before the Exit How founders move pre-IPO equity, QSBS, and concentrated stock out of a taxable estate before a liquidity event — using GRATs, dynasty trusts, and QSBS stacking. Startups 9 min read Read → ](/blog/estate-planning-founders-entrepreneurs-pre-exit) - [ Jun 24, 2026 ## Estate Planning for High-Net-Worth Families: A 2026 Strategy Guide Sophisticated estate planning for families with $10M+ in assets. Covers dynasty trusts, GRATs, SLATs, valuation discounts, and the 2026 exemption sunset every wealthy family needs to plan for now. Professionals 9 min read Read → ](/blog/estate-planning-high-net-worth-families) - [ Jun 24, 2026 ## Estate Planning for Professional Athletes and NIL Earners: Protecting a Short Earning Window Why athletes need estate planning more urgently than almost anyone — and how to structure trusts, asset protection, and disability planning around a 3-15 year peak earning window. Athletes 8 min read Read → ](/blog/estate-planning-professional-athletes-nil) - [ Jun 20, 2026 ## Should Your Life Insurance Be in a Trust? How an irrevocable life insurance trust keeps a death benefit out of your taxable estate, and the rules that make or break it. Estate Planning · Advanced 7 min read Read → ](/blog/life-insurance-trust-ilit-how-it-works) - [ Jun 15, 2026 ## Trust Funding: The Step Most Estate Plans Skip An unfunded trust is an expensive piece of paper. Funding is the retitling work that makes the plan operate — and it is where most estate plans quietly break. Estate Planning · Trusts 8 min read Read → ](/blog/trust-funding-the-step-most-plans-skip) - [ Jun 10, 2026 ## What to Bring to Your First Estate Planning Meeting The short list that turns a first meeting into real progress instead of an intake interview. Estate Planning · Getting Started 5 min read Read → ](/blog/first-estate-planning-meeting-checklist) - [ Jun 4, 2026 ## Beneficiary Designations Quietly Override Your Will Retirement accounts, life insurance, and payable-on-death accounts do not read your will. For many families, designations control the majority of the estate. Estate Planning · Trusts 8 min read Read → ](/blog/beneficiary-designations-override-your-will) - [ May 24, 2026 ## Named as Executor: What to Do in the First 90 Days The early decisions an executor makes are the ones that create or prevent personal liability. Here is the sequence we walk fiduciaries through. Estate Planning · Probate 9 min read Read → ](/blog/executor-first-90-days) - [ May 19, 2026 ## How to Choose an Estate Planning Attorney Nine questions that separate a real planning engagement from a document-assembly transaction. Estate Planning · Getting Started 6 min read Read → ](/blog/how-to-choose-an-estate-planning-attorney) - [ May 13, 2026 ## What Probate Actually Costs in New Jersey, New York, and Ohio Probate cost is rarely a single line item. It is filing fees, commissions, professional fees, and delay — and the three states we practice in price it very differently. Estate Planning · Probate 9 min read Read → ](/blog/what-probate-costs-nj-ny-oh) - [ May 8, 2026 ## You Own Property in Two States. Now What? Why out-of-state real estate is the single most common reason a family needs a trust, and how ancillary probate actually plays out. Estate Planning · Multi-State 6 min read Read → ](/blog/property-in-two-states-estate-plan) - [ May 2, 2026 ## Choosing a Guardian for Minor Children — and Separating Money From Care The person who raises your children does not have to be the person who manages their money. Most plans are stronger when those roles are split. Estate Planning · Families 8 min read Read → ](/blog/choosing-a-guardian-for-minor-children) - [ Apr 21, 2026 ## Digital Assets, Crypto, and Online Accounts in Your Estate Plan Self-custodied crypto is lost without access. Cloud accounts, domains, and monetized channels need authority language your fiduciary can actually use. Estate Planning · Digital Assets 8 min read Read → ](/blog/digital-assets-and-crypto-in-your-estate-plan) - [ Apr 10, 2026 ## Nine Events That Should Trigger an Estate Plan Review Plans do not fail because they were drafted badly. They fail because life moved and the documents did not. Estate Planning · Reviews 8 min read Read → ](/blog/when-to-update-your-estate-plan) - [ Mar 30, 2026 ## What Happens If You Die Without a Will in New Jersey, New York, or Ohio Intestacy is not "everything goes to my spouse." Each of our three states has its own distribution formula, its own court process, and its own default guardianship outcome. Estate Planning · Wills 10 min read Read → ](/blog/dying-without-a-will-nj-ny-oh) - [ Mar 19, 2026 ## Concentrated Stock, RSUs, and Deferred Comp: Estate Planning for Executives Equity compensation creates estate planning problems that cash does not: vesting schedules, trading windows, deferred comp elections, and a balance sheet dominated by one ticker. Estate Planning · Executives 9 min read Read → ](/blog/estate-planning-concentrated-stock-rsus-executives) - [ Mar 8, 2026 ## Estate Planning for Creators: Who Controls the Brand, the Channels, and the Catalog A creator business is mostly intangible — channels, handles, trademarks, catalogs, and contracts. Here is how to make sure those assets pass to someone who can actually operate them. Estate Planning · Creators 8 min read Read → ](/blog/estate-planning-for-creators-and-influencers) - [ Feb 25, 2026 ## How to Choose a Trustee — and When to Split the Job The trustee decision determines whether your trust works. Here is how to think about family versus institutional trustees, co-trustees, and the trust protector role. Estate Planning · Trusts 8 min read Read → ](/blog/how-to-choose-a-trustee) - [ Feb 14, 2026 ## Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Directives: The Documents That Matter While You Are Alive A will does nothing until you die. The incapacity documents — financial power of attorney, healthcare proxy or agent appointment, living will, HIPAA authorization — carry the weight in between. Estate Planning · Core Documents 8 min read Read → ](/blog/powers-of-attorney-healthcare-directives-nj-ny-oh) - [ Feb 3, 2026 ## SLATs for Married Couples: Using Exemption Without Giving Up Access A spousal lifetime access trust moves assets out of the taxable estate while the other spouse retains an indirect path to them. Powerful, and unforgiving if built carelessly. Estate Planning · Advanced 10 min read Read → ](/blog/slat-planning-for-married-couples) Free Download ### The Estate Planning Checklist A practical checklist covering documents, titling, beneficiary designations, and the funding steps most plans skip. Written for NY, NJ, and OH families. Send it to me Educational material only — not legal advice. Requesting the guide does not create an attorney-client relationship. We do not sell or share your email. Estate Planning & Legacy Counsel Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel. Fixed-fee estate planning, trusts, wills, and generational wealth strategy for high-net-worth families. [← Visit jacobscounsellaw.com](https://jacobscounsellaw.com) [(646) 343-7227](tel:+16463437227)[intake@jacobscounsellaw.com](mailto:intake@jacobscounsellaw.com) 221 River Street, Floor 9 Hoboken, NJ 07030 Practice - [Estate Planning](/estate-planning) - [Trusts](/trusts) - [Probate & Administration](/probate-trust-administration) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [For Advisors](/for-advisors) States - [New Jersey](/estate-planning/new-jersey) - [New York](/estate-planning/new-york) - [Ohio](/estate-planning/ohio) - [State Guides](/resources/state-guides) Resources - [Blog](/blog) - [FAQ](/faq) - [Estate Planning Quiz](/quiz/estate-planning) - [Checklist](/resources/checklist) Firm - [About Drew Jacobs](/about) - [Contact](/contact) - [Start Intake](/get-started) - [Book a Consultation](https://cal.com/drewjacobs/estate-planning) - [Client Questionnaire](/client-questionnaire) Notices - [Privacy Policy](/legal/privacy-policy) - [Legal Disclaimer](/legal/disclaimer) - [Attorney Advertising](/legal/attorney-advertising) © 2026 Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel. All rights reserved. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. **Jurisdiction.** Drew Jacobs is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio . Estate planning is highly state-specific — laws governing wills, trusts, probate, estate and inheritance tax, and asset protection vary materially by jurisdiction. We represent clients whose residence, primary assets, or business interests are situated in NY, NJ, or OH. For matters involving other states, we coordinate with qualified local counsel. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice or an offer to represent you in a jurisdiction in which we are not licensed.