by Christine | Jun 13, 2012 | Estate Planning, Gift, Stock |
If you want to give a high-school or college graduate a gift with a big financial impact, go beyond writing a check. Giving the gift of investing—with individual stocks, bonds or investment accounts and even some financial planning—will help a young adult get started...
by Christine | Jun 12, 2012 | Estate Planning, Inheritance, Trusts |
F. Scott Fitzgerald observed that the rich are different, but that does not mean an heiress can adopt her 65-year-old ex-husband to increase her family's claim to a billion dollar inheritance. You can pick your husband and, if you adopt, you can even pick your...
by Christine | Jun 11, 2012 | Elder Law, Estate Law, Incapacity |
As medical advances extend human life expectancy, the likelihood that an individual will become incapacitated before dying increases. For … wealth planning and conservation purposes, it is important that we recognize when [someone] is incapacitated and thus...
by Christine | Jun 8, 2012 | Estate Planning, Farms, Succession Planning |
So, you are ready to retire. You’ve worked hard for many years and you now look forward to spending time with grandchildren, fishing, golf or taking that long-delayed trip to Hawaii. However, there are just a couple problems that may need to be resolved. First, who...
by Christine | Jun 7, 2012 | Estate Planning, Gift Tax, Interfamily Loans |
With the government's $5.12 million gift-tax exemption set to fall to $1 million at year-end, more families are using the current leeway to do some financial housekeeping, experts say. The clock is winding down on the first half of 2012 – the “Year of...
by Christine | Jun 6, 2012 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Trusts |
Executive-liability insurance is often the first line of financial defense for executives and directors caught up in litigation such as investor lawsuits. For others without such coverage, asset-protection trusts are the way many insulate their wealth from claims....
by Christine | Jun 5, 2012 | Uncategorized |
If you have been appointed the trustee of a trust, this is a strong vote of confidence in your judgment and probity. Unfortunately, it is also a major responsibility. A trustee should be, first and foremost, a “trustworthy” person. A trustworthy trustee acknowledges...
by Christine | Jun 4, 2012 | Asset Protection, Entity Structure, Liability |
It is better to never be a general partner if one can avoid it. But if a person is going to be a general partner of a limited partnership that is either conducting any substantial business or taking investors, they had better do their own asset protection first....
by Christine | Jun 1, 2012 | Asset Protection, Insurance |
"The Wealthy" are more likely to be sued, but excess personal liability insurance doesn't have to cost a fortune. It’s safe to say that, if there’s a risk out there, there’s also an insurance underwriter somewhere dying to write a policy for it. However,...
by Christine | May 31, 2012 | Asset Protection, Community Property |
Despite [some] admitted shortcomings of Community Property Divisions, they can be a fantastic asset protection tool for those who currently have no significant debts or creditors, and have a strong and lasting relationship. In any marriage, and in any relationship,...
