by Christine | Aug 21, 2015 | Disinheritance, Estate Planning |
In most cases, as long as basic principles are followed, a person is entitled by law to leave whatever he or she wishes to their heirs. There are no requirements to leave assets to adult children, but a recent ruling in a London Court of Appeals may change this. When...
by Christine | Aug 20, 2015 | Estate Plan, Estate Planning, Wills |
The classic story of a vulnerable wealthy elderly person being influenced by a caretaker who seeks to enrich him or herself has been updated in a dispute between a disinherited brother and psychiatrist/girlfriend of a Texas woman who is alleged to have been...
by Christine | Aug 19, 2015 | Beneficiary Designation, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning |
For many Americans, the majority of non-real estate assets are their retirement accounts and life insurance policies. However, a large number of people forget to update their designated beneficiaries, which can lead to key assets going to unintended beneficiaries. An...
by Christine | Aug 18, 2015 | Estate Planning |
Most of us never look twice at the fine print of the frequent flier rewards program’s terms and conditions. The type is so small and there’s so much of it … but if you did, you’d probably see language stating that any accumulated points are not transferrable on death....
by Christine | Aug 17, 2015 | Beneficiary Designation, Estate Planning |
To the digerati – the elite of the technology world – Bitcoins are as valuable as the dollar or any other state-sponsored currency. But the rules are still under development for estate planning purposes, and planning for an estate that includes Bitcoins must...
by Christine | Aug 14, 2015 | Asset Protection, Elder Law, Estate Planning, GIfting, GRATs, Tax Planning, Trusts |
Some high-net worth families still face the challenge of reducing their estate to minimize or eliminate estate taxes, although the federal estate tax exclusion is currently larger than it has ever been. The portability of unused exclusion amounts are at $5.43 million...