by Christine | May 9, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax |
Death and taxes may be equally inevitable, but the taxman demands the last word. Death does not excuse a final accounting with the IRS. In fact, taxes can further complicate the lives of survivors. Of the two certainties in life – that is, of death and of taxes –the...
by Christine | May 8, 2012 | Estate Planning, Religion |
For many people, estate planning isn't just about financial assets and other practical concerns. It's also about honoring their religious beliefs and passing those values on to family members. That can be very tricky ground. Planning your estate may seem like...
by Christine | May 7, 2012 | Disinheritance, Estate Planning |
The motives for cutting a relative out of an estate range from the most primal — hate, abandonment, regret — to the most rational. Planning what to leave behind to loved ones can be a difficult matter since, even with taxes out of the picture, it means explaining your...
by Christine | May 4, 2012 | Dynasty Trust, Estate Planning, Generation Skipping Trust, Trusts |
Generation-skipping trusts, also known as dynasty trusts, are designed primarily to avoid estate taxes each time one generation transfers wealth to the next generation. For a number of reasons, the government seems to think that family wealth ought to pass from one...
by Christine | May 3, 2012 | Estate Planning, Small Business, Succession Planning |
Just because two business partners get along well doesn’t mean the next generation will do so too. When succession planning is done in advance, restrictions — or at the very least, mechanisms to dictate how decisions will be made and what procedures are to be used in...
by Christine | May 2, 2012 | Charitable Giving, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) |
Congress hasn't reauthorized the law allowing people to give required minimum distributions from IRAs tax-free to charity but may by the end of the year. Are you taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from your IRA? Perhaps you would rather contribute your...
