Your wishes, in writing.
Your family, protected.
A will, a power of attorney, a healthcare directive — a few well-drafted documents decide whether the hardest moments of your family’s life are guided by your wishes or by a courtroom’s defaults. Let’s get them done right.
Planning isn't for the wealthy. It's for the people you love.
If you die without a will in New Jersey, state intestacy law — not you — decides who inherits, and a court decides who raises your minor children if the other parent can’t. If you’re incapacitated without a power of attorney, your family may need a guardianship proceeding just to pay your bills. None of that is what anyone wants; all of it is avoidable with a few documents done properly.
I build estate plans tailored to your actual family and your actual assets — not a template. And you’ll understand every document you sign, because my philosophy is simple: a well-educated client makes the best decisions for themselves.
The building blocks of a complete plan.
Last Will & Testament
Who inherits, who's in charge, and who raises your children — decided by you, stated clearly, executed properly under New Jersey law.
Trusts
For minor children, family members with special needs, blended families, or simply keeping matters private and orderly — a trust puts structure around your intentions.
Financial Power of Attorney
Someone you trust can manage your finances if you can't — pay the mortgage, handle the bank, deal with insurance — without a court guardianship proceeding.
Healthcare Directive
Your medical wishes in writing, and a person you choose empowered to speak for you — so your family is never left guessing at the worst possible moment.
Beneficiary & asset review
Life insurance, retirement accounts, and jointly-titled property pass outside your will. We make sure the whole picture points the same direction — this is where DIY plans most often fail.
Updates after life changes
Marriage, divorce, new children, a home purchase, a death in the family — plans should evolve with your life. I make updates simple.
How it works — simpler than you think.
1. A real conversation
We talk about your family, your property, and what you want to happen — in plain English, at your pace. Most people find this far easier than they feared.
2. Design & draft
I design the plan that fits — will or trust, powers of attorney, healthcare directive — and draft documents tailored to your wishes, not filled into a template.
3. Review together
We walk through every document until you understand exactly what each one does. You’ll know the plan, not just own the paper.
4. Sign, store, and live your life
Proper execution — witnesses, notarization, the formalities New Jersey requires — plus guidance on where to keep everything and when to revisit it. Then it’s done, and off your mind.
Estate planning questions, answered.
State intestacy law distributes your property by formula among your closest relatives — which may not match your wishes at all, especially in blended families or unmarried partnerships. A court appoints an administrator and, if you have minor children, decides guardianship without your input. A will replaces all of that with your decisions.
The template isn’t the hard part — knowing what your situation needs is. Online documents routinely fail on execution formalities, ignore how beneficiary designations override wills, and can’t flag the New Jersey inheritance tax consequences of leaving assets to certain relatives. You find out the plan failed exactly when it’s too late to fix it.
For many families a well-drafted will plus proper beneficiary designations is plenty. Trusts earn their keep with minor children, special-needs beneficiaries, blended families, privacy concerns, or property in multiple states. I’ll tell you honestly which you need — I don’t sell trusts to people who don’t need them.
New Jersey imposes an inheritance tax that depends on who inherits — spouses, children, and grandchildren are exempt, but siblings, nieces and nephews, friends, and others may owe tax. Good planning takes this into account before it becomes an unpleasant surprise for the people you meant to benefit.
Review it after any major life event — marriage, divorce, births, deaths, a significant purchase or inheritance — and every few years otherwise. Most updates are quick; the expensive mistake is the plan nobody touched for twenty years.
It depends on what your situation needs, but you’ll know the cost up front, before any work begins — no meter running, no surprises. For most families it’s far less than they expect, and dramatically less than the cost of an estate mess later.
“Daniel Reinganum and his staff were great in helping me with an estate plan involving trusts! Can’t recommend them enough.”
The best time to plan was yesterday. The second-best is today.
One conversation, a few documents, and it’s off your mind — possibly for decades.