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Estate Planning Strategies

Found 73 Articles.
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how-to-start-savings-for-grandchildren

Estate Planning Strategy: How to Start Savings for Grandchildren

December 1, 2002

What is the best way to get your grandchildren started on the right foot financially? Most people get the answer to this question only half-right. A goal of many grandparents is to provide some financial support for their grandchildren. Some grandparents put money aside for college education expenses. Others set up trusts, custodial accounts, or […]

estate planning

Estate Planning Strategies: Trusts And Your IRAs

December 1, 2002

Trusts can solve many problems, making them a vital estate planning tool. When an IRA is involved, however, trusts must be used with great care. The IRS changed the rules to make things easier, but all the rules still aren’t clear and traps remain. Trusts are a good way to leave wealth to those who […]

make-ira-last-longer

Estate Planning Strategies to Make Your IRA Last Longer

June 1, 2002

Note: This article is an update of the article in the September 2001 Estate Watch and should be read together. Click here. You now can make your IRA last longer than ever. Thanks to final IRS regulations, account owners over age 70 1/2 are required to take less out of their IRAs or other qualified […]

joint-ownership-pros-cons

Pros and Cons of Joint Ownership of Assets for Estate Planning

May 1, 2002

Joint title is perhaps the most common form of Estate Planning. Lawyers often call it a “will substitute” and “the poor man’s will.” Unfortunately, joint title is not the best option for many people. In fact, it can be a bad option. Joint title can add risk and also can increase taxes on capital gains, […]

ways-to-transfer-assets-at-lower-cost

Seven Estate Planning Strategies to Transfer Assets at a Lower Cost

March 1, 2002

The estate tax repeal scheduled for 2010 over-shadows the fact that the gift tax will remain. Also, though the estate tax exemption will rise through 2009, the lifetime gift tax exemption will not. The gift tax exemption rose to $1 million in 2002, but it stays at that level indefinitely. The continuation of the gift […]

low-cost-ways-to-help-grandchildren

Simple, Low-Cost Estate Planning Strategies To Help Grandchildren

January 1, 2002

You don’t need to be the country’s remaining high technology multi-millionaire to help your grandchildren. You don’t even need to be rich. There are many simple, low-cost ways to help, and they are tax-free. With many of these strategies, you get to see the benefits now instead of imaging how the wealth will be used […]

UGMAs vs. 529 plans

Estate Planning Strategies: UGMAs vs. 529 Plans

October 1, 2001

I have an UGMA account for my grandchild (or child). Can I (or should I) switch to a college savings plan or a trust? I regularly get variations of that question. A Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA) account is the traditional vehicle to save and invest for a youngster. (It’s UTMA in some states.) […]

the-result-of-market-change-change-on-your-estate-plan

The Result of Market Change on Your Estate Plan

August 1, 2001

A new tax law isn’t the only reason to revisit your estate plan. Investment market changes and falling interest rates change the effects of many estate plans, often without their creators knowing the consequences. Here’s a guide to some the effects the changes of the last 18 months might have on your estate plan. The […]

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