Free
Readiness score
Twelve questions. A number out of 100. A red-flag list. A one-page letter you can copy or print. It runs in your browser.
New York · Special-needs families first
If something happens tomorrow, one binder and the executor knows what to do.
PortaEstate is a guided interview that builds a 14-tab executor binder. It is written for New York families who love someone with a disability. The next person should not have to guess.
Why this is different
Most kits assume a simple will and a simple family. Special-needs planning is not that. A gift that looks kind can cut off SSI or Medicaid. OPWDD services have their own rules. Transfer-on-death and payable-on-death forms often pay outside the will.
We start with those facts. We do not hide them behind a cheerful checklist.
Never leave countable assets to a person with a disability.
A TOD, POD, or retirement beneficiary form that names them directly can do more harm than a missing will. The free score asks this on purpose.
What you can do tonight
Organizer
The 14-tab binder
A guided interview that fills the tabs in order. Drafts that need a signature stay marked as drafts until a lawyer says otherwise.
Optional
Porta Law review
William J. Porta, Esq., can review the binder under a written engagement. An SNT or a 17-A petition is a separate matter.
Who this is for
- You live in New York, or the plan is a New York plan.
- Someone you love has a disability, or may later need SSI, Medicaid, or OPWDD services.
- You want the next person to have a binder, not a pile of folders.
Who should pause
- Land outside New York is a main part of the estate. A lawyer in that state should look at it.
- You need a special needs trust written now. That is a Porta Law engagement, not a download.
- You need a 17-A or Article 81 petition filed. We keep a pocket for papers you already have. We do not file.
New York only
The forms, the courts, and the benefits rules on this site are New York rules. PHL 4201, EPTL 13-A, SCPA 17-A, and Article 81 do not travel. If you moved here last year, or you still own a camp in another state, say so. Do not force a New York binder to do another state’s job.
Published by Earlville Media LLC. Optional attorney review by Porta Law P.C., William J. Porta, Esq., 42 Maple Ave, Hamilton, NY 13346, 315-691-3000.
PortaEstate is not LegalZoom, and it is not a funeral home. It is a binder with an order, written in plain English, for families who already know this is harder than a simple will.