by Christine | Jan 23, 2013 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Retirement Abroad |
Among the top retirement spots in the world this year, you’ll find great variety in the cultural offerings, climates and lifestyles. When you hear “make a run for the border,” you may be reminded of Taco Bell’s slogan in the mid-1990s. But this phrase isn’t...
by Christine | Jan 22, 2013 | Elder Care, Elder Law |
What can you do when a strong minded elder should stop driving but refuses to do so? Remember the freedom you felt as a teenager when you learned to drive? If yes, then you can appreciate how difficult it is for elderly loved ones to relinquish that sense of freedom....
by Christine | Jan 21, 2013 | Art, Charitable Giving, Estate Planning, Gift |
The Brooklyn Museum seemed to have garnered a bonanza in 1932 when it received a large bequest from the estate of Col. Michael Friedsam, president of the elegant retail emporium B. Altman. But eight decades later … the museum potentially faces a hefty bill to store...
by Christine | Jan 18, 2013 | Charitable Giving, Estate Planning, Fiscal Cliff, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) |
When it comes to taxes, never say die. As part of the "fiscal cliff" deal, Congress has resurrected a popular tax-law provision, known as the "IRA charitable rollover," that had expired at the end of 2011. New Year’s resolutions are chock-full of...
by Christine | Jan 17, 2013 | ATRA, Elder Law, Fiscal Cliff, Long Term Care |
At first glance, the budget agreement includes an important trade-off — the creation of a national long term care commission …Yet, there are elements in the measure creating this panel that are very troublesome. Congress has averted the “fiscal cliff” for...
by Christine | Jan 16, 2013 | Disinheritance, Joint Tenancy |
Elderly parents regularly set up bank accounts — checking, savings, certificates of deposit — in joint tenancy with a child …Running around in the background here is a belief that the terms of a will are going to take priority over a joint tenancy designation in...
by Christine | Jan 15, 2013 | Estate Planning, Trustee, Trusts |
I suspect that trustees are most often comfortable with a prevention-focused mindset. Here’s my take: Our ability to recognize and deliberately change our mindset just might be a game-changer. For all the laws and expectations put upon trust officers, it’s important...
by Christine | Jan 14, 2013 | Charitable Giving, Fiscal Cliff |
America’s billionaires gave less in 2012 than in 2011, a new Chronicle tally shows. A new year of giving has begun, but many are curious about the sum from wealthy donors for 2012. The numbers are starting to come in — how did last year compare to 2011?...
by Christine | Jan 11, 2013 | Capital Gains, Estate Tax, Fiscal Cliff |
They didn't get what they wanted …. But they got what they needed. Is it true that for a real compromise to take place, everyone has to walk away a bit unhappy? If so, then the American Taxpayer Relief Act passed by Congress was the truest of compromises. While no...
by Christine | Jan 10, 2013 | Fiscal Cliff |
… The new rules basically let you convert everything in a traditional 401(k), including pre-tax salary deferrals, at any age, into a Roth 401(k). “They’re opening up in a major way the assets you hold that can be converted,” says Ed Ferrigno, vice president,...
