A comprehensive estate plan that is properly implemented can accomplish a wide range of inter-connected goals. Given the importance of your estate plan and the impact it will have on your life and the lives of your loved ones, selecting an estate planning attorney to help you wish that plan should be done with care. At the Augulis Law Firm our goal is to create a lifelong relationship with each of our Hudson County, New Jersey clients so that each client feels comfortable discussing the sensitive financial, legal, and personal information that is often relevant to estate planning.
Hudson County, New Jersey
Located just west of the lower Hudson River and covering just over 60 square miles, Hudson County, is the smallest county in New Jersey in terms of geography; however, it is also the most densely populated county in the state. Hudson County is also the state’s fastest growing county according the 2017 Census estimate. As of the 2010 Census, the county’s population was 691,643 residents.
Prior to the arrival of European settlors in the 17th century, Hudson County was inhabited by the Lenape (or Lenni-Lenape) tribes. They many other indigenous groups, the Lenape were a seasonally migrational people who practiced small-scale agriculture. Given its location, it should come as no surprise that the area that eventually became Hudson County was among the first areas settled by Europeans who had ventured to the New World. In fact, Hudson County as well as the Hudson River were both named for Henry Hudson who established a claim for the area as far back as 1609 after anchoring his ship the Halve Maen (Half Moon) at Harsimus Cove and Weehawken Cove.
Approximately half a century later, in 1664, the British would take control of the area with the Dutch formally ceding control of province to the English in 1674. A year later, the Treaty of Westminster finalized the transfer and the area became part of the British colony of East Jersey. The area continued to grow slowly over the subsequent century and half, with the Morris Canal, early steam railroads, and the development of the harbor adding to that growth. It wasn’t until September of 1840 though that Hudson County was formally created. In the tumultuous decades leading up to the Civil War, Hudson County played an integral role in the Underground Railroad, with four routes converging in Jersey City.
The decades following the Civil War and into the beginning of the 20th century were marked by intense industrial, commercial and residential growth for Hudson County. Much of the population growth was due to European immigration by German-language speakers and Irish citizens, many of whom were fleeing famine in their homeland. Hudson county’s proximity to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty meant that many new emigrants to America chose to settle down in the area and accept work on the docks, the railroads, the factories or in the refineries, sweatshops, and skyscrapers of nearby Manhattan.
Between World War I and World War II it became even easier to live in New Jersey and work in New York with the construction of The Holland Tunnel (1927), The Bayonne Bridge (1931), and The Lincoln Tunnel (1937 which allowed vehicular travel between the two states to bypass the waterfront. Like many counties across the country, the older areas of Hudson County began to experience a decline by the middle of the 20th century. In the 1980s, a push toward gentrification turned into a full-blown redevelopment of the area along the waterfront. Today, Hudson County remains a major port of entry for immigration to the United States as well as a major employment center within the New York City metropolitan region. Consequently, Hudson County has evolved as a true melting pot with Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Philippines, and India representing the most common nations of birth for foreign-born Hudson County residents. Jersey City, in fact, is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the entire world. Residents and visitors alike flock to the cosmopolitan atmosphere offered throughout Hudson County, New Jersey.
Augulis Law Firm in the Hudson County, New Jersey Community
Given the importance of the finished product, care should be taken throughout every step of the estate planning process, starting with your choice of an estate planning attorney to work with you on your plan. The estate planning attorneys at Augulis Law Firm have dedicated their practice to helping people just like you with their estate planning needs. We would be honored to sit down with you and help you get started on your Hudson County, New Jersey estate plan to help ensure that your plan reflects your wishes for yourself, your estate, and your loved ones.
In order to rely on your estate plan in the future, you will need to establish a solid foundation now and then revise that plan in the years to come. The need to review and revise your estate plan is one reason that we urge you to develop an ongoing relationship with your estate planning attorney. When you are young, single, and just embarking on your career path you do not need much more than a simple Last Will and Testament to prevent leaving behind an intestate estate. As both your family and your estate grow, however, your estate plan will need to be updated to take those changes into account. A spouse and/or children will prompt you to consider adding incapacity planning to your estate plan as well as to make beneficiary and fiduciary changes to your plan. You may also decide to create a trust to protect the inheritance you plan to leave your minor children. With the growth, both in size and value, of your estate you may need to consider the addition of asset protection tools and strategies to your overall plan. As retirement looms on the horizon, long-term care and Medicaid planning should be incorporated into your estate plan unless you can afford the high cost of long-term care out of pocket. You will also wish to consider a funeral and burial planning component if you have strong feelings about how your remains should be handled and what type of service should be had. Likewise, you may want to execute an advanced directive if you have strong opinions about end of life medical treatment.
Our hope at the Augulis Law Firm is that we can be there with you as you pass through the various phases of your life to help ensure that your estate plan protects you, your assets, and your loved ones.
Contact Us
If you have additional questions about estate planning, contact the experienced Hudson County, New Jersey estate planning lawyers at Augulis Law Firm by calling 908-222-8803 to schedule your appointment today.
