by Christine | Apr 5, 2012 | Art, Estate Planning, Trusts |
So, how should families fortunate enough to have valuable collections decide what to do with their art or other objects? Here are some options. As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” So it is with art. For some people, the most valuable art...
by Christine | Apr 4, 2012 | Estate Planning, Trusts |
[This] unusual clash highlights the risks for customers when financial companies get in trouble or change hands. That is so even in the lush world of trust banks, well known for their stability. Trusts are amazing tools, but they also can be finicky things....
by Christine | Apr 3, 2012 | Estate Planning, Inheritance |
The death of a parent often shifts the family dynamic, making issues arise that appear to be based on current events but in fact are perceived slights that occurred years ago and are now playing out as the parents’ estate is doled out. Families are complex. While...
by Christine | Apr 2, 2012 | Elder Care, Elder Law |
People without much family simply plan the best they can, setting up advance directives and crossing their fingers, hoping they can afford paid care when they need it. Ms. Cotter has taken her preparations a step further, however. When she consulted [with her elder...
by Christine | Mar 30, 2012 | Charitable Giving, IRS, Tax Exempt |
The IRS announced that taxpayers can find information about tax-exempt organizations in a new online search tool called Exempt Organizations Select Check If charitable giving is important to you, you may want to do some investigating to ensure that the charities you...
by Christine | Mar 29, 2012 | Estate Planning, Pet Trust, Trusts |
A pet trust, which ensures care for the horse if the owner gets sick or dies, is often the best way to ensure the horse’s care. Trusts can be remarkably powerful tools to provide for all members of the family, especially the ones most in need of care. This includes...
by Christine | Mar 28, 2012 | Estate Law, Estate Tax, Inheritance |
It’s official. The Indiana inheritance tax is repealed for deaths after Dec. 31, 2021. The Indiana inheritance tax is officially on its way out the door. What does this mean for other states? For some taxpayers, wealth transfer planning has required two layers of tax...
by Christine | Mar 27, 2012 | Elder Law, Tax Deductions, Tax Planning |
If you're helping out a financially stressed relative in this still-lousy economy, you may be entitled to some tax breaks. Taking care of your elderly loved ones is a difficult task. It can be emotionally difficult, as well as financially crippling. In honor of...
by Christine | Mar 26, 2012 | Elder Law, Estate Law, Estate Planning, Estates, Trust Administration |
Death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin aptly noted that these are the only two certainties in life. Mr. Franklin perhaps should have added a footnote regarding the paperwork both certainties generate. A New York Times blog (The New Old Age) recently published a “public...
by Christine | Mar 23, 2012 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Medi-Cal Long Term Care, Medicaid |
A New York appeals court rules that a woman who, two years before applying for Medicaid, transferred money to a friend through joint tenancies in a claimed effort to avoid probate did not rebut the presumption that the transfers were made in order to qualify for...
