by Christine | Oct 11, 2013 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Estates, Trusts |
Many trusts were set up over the years to help protect wealth from estate taxes. But the federal estate-tax exemption has risen steadily in recent years, to $5.25 million, or $10.5 million for couples, from $1 million in 2003. This year, Congress made the exemption...
by Christine | Aug 5, 2013 | Beneficiary, Estates, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Probate, Wills |
The only time your Will would control who gets your IRA is if your estate is the beneficiary. Generally, it’s not a good idea to name your estate as the beneficiary of your IRA. Even though you made sure to prepare your Last Will and Testament, it is not always the...
by Christine | Jul 17, 2013 | Estate Planning, Estates, Pet Trust, Trusts, Wills |
Why do otherwise doting pet parents fail to make such plans? Most people assume they’ll outlive their pets, says Barry Seltzer, a Toronto-based estate lawyer and co-author of Fat Cats & Lucky Dogs: How to Leave (Some of) Your Estate to Your Pet. And death and...
by Christine | Dec 26, 2012 | 2012, Estate Tax, Estates, Tax Planning, Taxes |
The good news: There was no Mayan apocalypse.The bad news: You didn’t win the Powerball. This past year will undoubtedly be remembered for several important events – the Supreme Court’s decision upholding Obamacare, the London Olympics and the reelection...
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 12, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estates, Wills |
Proper estate planning can address many of the legal issues created by posthumous conception. As to the rest, we can understand if the law of property succession has to put some limitations on how late the stork can get started. When science moves too fast for the law...
