by Christine | Nov 3, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Medi-Cal Long Term Care, Probate, Trust Administration |
Social Security recipients will get a cost-of-living adjustment of 3.6 percent in 2012, a welcome boost after two years of no increase. Although it’s been two years since Social Security beneficiaries saw some additional respite from rising inflation, finally we’ll...
by Christine | Nov 2, 2011 | Estate Planning |
The new figures, from fund researcher Morningstar Inc., show that investments in 529 plans fell an average of 9.5% in the third quarter and are now down 5.9% this year through Sept. 30. That isn't as large as the broader market's drop. Whether you’re a parent...
by Christine | Nov 1, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning |
The latest trend in gravestones is to change “here lies” to “here links.” Barcodes much like the ones being slapped on advertisements and billboards are being affixed to headstones to provide mourners ways to connect with the dead online. Forget-me-nots and pansies...
by Christine | Nov 1, 2011 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Tax Planning |
Perry and Cain, both contenders in the race to be the next Republican candidate for president, are proposing massive overhauls of the current progressive income-tax We’ve been glued to the news for the past few years trying to figure out what Congress is going to do...
by Christine | Oct 28, 2011 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning |
There may, in fact, be a free lunch somewhere, but a QTIP is not one. Blended families are a fairly normal part of modern life, with both divorces and remarriages becoming quite common. That said, this fact of life accounts for a good portion of the family baggage of...
by Christine | Oct 27, 2011 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning |
A new IRS gift tax compliance initiative responds to suspicions of widespread failure to file gift tax returns. Surprise. It’s a big year for the IRS and they’ve been opening many new fronts in the drive to assert tax law compliance. One of the largest and most unique...
by Christine | Oct 26, 2011 | Estate Planning |
Life insurance really isn't as frightening or complex as it seems. It's actually a fantastically useful and flexible estate-planning tool that can provide income-tax-free security for your loved ones. It can also provide liquidity to pay estate taxes,...
by Christine | Oct 25, 2011 | Estate Planning |
America’s big charities expect fund raising to rise in 2011, but the increase won’t come close to making up ground they lost in the downturn. Have we bounced back from the Great Recession or are we still languishing (and due for another fall backwards)? This is a hot...
by Christine | Oct 24, 2011 | Elder Law, Long Term Care Insurance, Medi-Cal Long Term Care |
There is still the problem to solve about how we’ll care for our frail elderly in the years ahead, and it’s unclear what the path to a solution will be. After the shouting subsides, we’re still left with an inadequate, patchwork system for funding long-term care in...
by Christine | Oct 21, 2011 | Estate Planning |
The death of Steve Jobs has sparked conversation about the motivations and merits that surround anonymous giving. And for those who either eschew the spotlight or hold to a religious tradition that espouses anonymous donation, giving in secret sounds downright...
