by Christine | Oct 24, 2013 | Estate Plan, Estate Planning, Trusts, Wills |
Before he died in 2010, at the age of 90, Albert made out a will – with a clause. Which brings us back to the Ravenholt family reunion. To receive their share of Albert's wealth, his nieces and nephews are required to attend … Just as in life, the...
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 | Sep 24, 2013 | Estate Planning, Trusts, Vacation Home |
Growing numbers of families – as older parents move into their 80s and 90s – are finding themselves grappling with the transfer of second homes. If you have a family vacation home, have you considered what will happen to the property after you are gone? While you are...
by Christine | Sep 6, 2013 | Charitable Remainder Trust, Charity, Estate Planning, Trusts |
Don’t be surprised if your CPA or financial planner starts babbling acronyms: CRUT, CRAT, NICRUT, NIMCRUT, Flip CRUT. Hear him out. The higher federal tax rates that kicked in this year have given all these variants of the four-decade-old charitable remainder...
by Christine | Aug 23, 2013 | Estate Planning, GRATs, Trusts |
Clients with swiftly appreciating assets can transfer these assets and escape both gift and estate taxation on almost all of the appreciation using a combination GRAT-life insurance strategy in connection with the steep gift tax valuation discount available today....
by Christine | Aug 22, 2013 | Estate Planning, GRATs, Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT), Trusts |
This type of trust allows a person to still live in a home for the term of the trust, deduct mortgage interest and real estate taxes, and then when the term of the trust expires, the home passes to the heirs and out of the owner's estate. The owners can retain the...
