Estate Planning Strategies
Found 73 Articles.
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Changing Your Estate Planning Strategy Under the New Tax Law
One of the major surprises in the December 2010 estate tax law is known as portability. Under the old law (and the law that is scheduled to return in 2013 if Congress doesn’t act before then) each person had a lifetime estate tax exemption with a use-it-or-lose-it feature. If your estate didn’t use all your […]
How to Complete Your Estate Planning Strategy
Most estate plans are woefully incomplete, and heirs and loved ones often suffer. Of course, too many people don’t have any estate plan. Of those that do, some think a living trust or joint title to assets with their spouse is all they need. Others think a will and trust is a complete estate plan. […]
Choosing a Trustee for a Winning Estate Planning Strategy
Trusts are an important component of many estate planning strategies. Once used only by the wealthy to reduce taxes, trusts now meet a variety of needs for estates of all sizes. A trust can be used to avoid probate, hold life insurance, preserve assets for beneficiaries, and meet a range of other goals. The unfortunate […]
Knowing What to Review Your Estate Planning Strategy
Congress still is dithering and debating what the estate tax will be after 2010. That’s no reason for you to procrastinate and delay starting a plan if you don’t have one or taking a look at your existing plan. There could be many dangers and pitfalls other than taxes lurking in your plan, and with […]
Knowing When to Revise Your Estate Planning Strategy
What do Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper have in common, other than being recently-deceased actors? Each left behind messy estate problems because he didn’t update his plan. It looks like attorneys will receive a nice piece of each estate and of the bank accounts of the contending heirs. You can find details in mainstream media, […]
Asset Declines are an Estate Planning Opportunity
There is at least one silver lining in today’s dark cloud – Estate Planning opportunities are being created. Today we have a rare opportunity to transfer wealth to younger generations while incurring very low gift and estate taxes. Falling market prices and low interest rates are a great combination for estate planners. If the price […]
Simple Estate Planning Strategies to Shield Assets
Lawsuits, accidents, and other unexpected events can put personal assets at risk of loss. Many people seek ways to protect their assets from lawsuits and creditors. While there are expensive asset protection packages offered by various finance professionals, there are much simpler ways to protect most assets that should be implemented before considering the more […]
How Markets Affect Estate Planning Strategies
In our visits the last couple of months we discussed how declining asset markets and interest rates affect estate planning. Since then, treasury interest rates appear to have hit a bottom. It is time to look at a few strategies that will produce greater tax benefits when interest rates are higher. Some estate planning strategies […]
