Whenever a new president comes to power, we hear about changes in the gift and estate tax. But what is it and how does it affect the average person? Well, when you earned your money, you had to pay income tax on your annual earnings. When you invested your money and it increased in…
Category: Lenore Davis
Children’s Savings Plans
Your child is born, and there are checks in his name with beautiful cards that come your way. Now is the time to think about what to do with the money you child will get at his birth, for his birthdays and holidays, bar/bat mitzvah, sweet 16, and gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. There…
A Bissel Torah: Bo/Redemption
In 1820 Congress passed the Missouri Compromise which formalized slave states and free states and the rules of return of slaves etc. In 1865, the 13th Amendment was passed, freeing the slaves. 45 years. It’s been 150 years since the African Americans were freed, but we still see and hear about black rage as…
Local Yeshiva Ketana Boy Heads to the White House
YESHIVA KETANA OF LONG ISLAND BOY HEADS TO THE WHITEHOUSE By: Suri Stern It is with great joy that I announce that Avrahmi Berkowitz, the son of Brynde and Ephraim Berkowitz, brother of Dr. Yehoshua Berkowitz, is headed to Washington as Special Assistant to President Trump, and assistant to Jared Kushner. Avrahmi is a long-time…
When Was the Last Time A Rabbi Blessed an Inauguration?
When Was the Last Time a Rabbi Prayed at a Presidential Inauguration? By Rachel Gordan | January 15, 2013 Last week, President Obama’s inaugural committee caused quite a stir after it announced who would be praying during the president’s second inauguration. Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, would give the…
The Blessing of 2 Pieces of Rye with Turkey
Sandwich Generation used to mean kids who liked two slices of bread with something like peanut butter, cream cheese, or tuna inside. As people became more health conscious they went from white bread to whole wheat, to a single slice, to melba toast, to no bread altogether! Just throw any protein into a salad…
Hidden, Lost and Forgotten Assets
How many readers have made list of assets and liabilities that they have given to the executor of their will. Only 30% of Americans have a will, and I venture to guess that many fewer have made this list for the executor. More than ever, you risk losing your assets after your death for…
A Light Shines Bright in Our Holy Land
When I light Shabbos candles each week, I bring the extra soul of Shabbos into my heart and home. But there is a prayer attached to lighting candles that asks G-d to bless all our close ones, family and friends. You send messages of light and soul out to others and ask that they…
Alzheimers: Moved
“Who are you?” Mrs. Q asked? “I am your attorney, Lenore Davis,” I replied. I had been her attorney for 20 years. She was a genteel 75 year old woman, with a fascinating story as a Holocaust survivor. Every few years she would come to me to update her estate plan. She would update…
A Bissel Torah: Lech Licha: …But If I Am Only For Myself, What Am I?
The Rabbis teach us: If I am not for myself, who will be? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, then when. In this week’s parshah/torah portion, we learn that Abraham is commanded to “go to himself.” What does that mean to go to one’s self? …