by Christine | Nov 2, 2012 | Estate Law, Estate Planning, Trusts |
Defective grantor trust is a really stupid name for something that, in the right circumstances, can be a very good idea. Somewhere along the line somebody realized that people might be disturbed by hearing that their trust was defective so the term became...
by Christine | Nov 1, 2012 | Elder Law, Medicare |
Tens of thousands of people with chronic conditions and disabilities may find it easier to qualify for Medicare coverage of potentially costly home health care, skilled nursing home stays and outpatient therapy under policy changes planned by the Obama administration....
by Christine | Oct 31, 2012 | Digital Assets, Estate Planning |
If you inadvertently lock out your executor or the very person who has power of attorney over your finances, you can create a huge hassle for your family just trying to pay your bills. Since we now live in a paperless world, they need something important – your...
by Christine | Oct 30, 2012 | Estate Planning, Executor, Inheritance, Wills |
The chief risk is always that the money will impact a kids’ motivation and self-reliance. “Ideally one would set aside enough funds to allow our family members to do anything they could do, but not so much that they could do nothing.” You give an inheritance to your...
by Christine | Oct 29, 2012 | Beneficiary, Estate Planning, LIfe Insurance |
Assets that allow beneficiary designations provide powerful benefits that permit the owner to designate who will inherit the assets, how they can inherit the assets, avoidance of probate, and potential tax minimization, to name a few. Most individuals do not give the...
by Christine | Oct 26, 2012 | 2012, Gift, Legacy Assets |
The problem is that few professional advisers understand the issues and opportunities surrounding the gifting of legacy assets, and even fewer owners of legacy assets are even aware that such planning is possible. Did you know 2013 is looming on the calendar as a huge...
by Christine | Oct 25, 2012 | Charitable IRA Rollover, Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) |
Many experts are betting that Congress will revive a popular tax provision that allows those ages 70½ or older to save on taxes while donating assets in their individual retirement accounts to charity. But if you intend to give money to charity this year, don't...
by Christine | Oct 24, 2012 | Estate Planning |
National Estate Planning Awareness Week (Oct. 15-21). What’s that? As Forbes Senior Editor Deborah L. Jacobs put it in a recent post: “It’s a bit of a contrivance by lawyers in the field to get you to seek out their services. But it’s also a good time to...
by Christine | Oct 23, 2012 | Estate Planning, Special Needs Trusts, Trusts |
With each passing election season, the conversations about the cost of government-provided health care and Social Security get more urgent. But debates about the deserving and the undeserving and the proper level of budgets and taxes tend to gloss over the issue of...
by Christine | Oct 22, 2012 | COLA, Small Business |
More than 56 million Social Security recipients will see their monthly payments increase by 1.7% in January… The increase is among the lowest since automatic annual adjustments were adopted in 1975. Did you know your Social Security payout increase will be the lowest...
