Estate Planning Strategies
Found 73 Articles.
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Handling The Toughest Estate Problem: The Family Home
The most difficult part of an estate plan can be the family home or a second home. Often the property is a large part of the estate’s value. It also cannot be divided among the heirs. They either sell the property or share it. But the emotions surrounding a family property probably are the biggest […]
Strategies to Protect Your Estate Plan
What’s the biggest problem with most estate plans? Often it is not taxes or cash flow. Many times the biggest problem is the trustee or executor that was appointed to carry out the estate plan. Trusts usually are a key part of the estate plan. How the trustee administers the trust determines the quality of […]
How to Prepare Your Financial Emergency Kit
You might have solid investments and a good estate plan. But your financial planning isn’t complete without a financial emergency kit. An ideal time to put one together is when you are working on your estate plan. A financial emergency kit is a set of tools that can keep a difficult time from becoming much […]
How to Beat Little-Known Estate Plan Traps
It’s the little things that often sabotage an estate plan. You can work with your estate planner to get the right gifting program, trusts, and other strategies. But a mundane detail or two still could undo a lot of your work. Whether the estate is a few hundred thousand dollars or millions of dollars, it […]
Effective Estate Planning Strategies
Almost no estate plan is a lost cause. An estate can be improved when it appears to be too late. In fact, heirs and beneficiaries can make some smart moves to reduce taxes even after the loved one has passed away. Whenever you are dealing with someone else’s estate, you should be aware that a […]
The Tax-Free Life Insurance Trust – An Estate Planning Strategy
There’s a big down-side to the boom in stocks and other financial assets. When the value of the assets you own goes up, so do potential estate and gift taxes. If you don’t take action, the IRS could end up with more of your estate than your loved ones. One easy way to handle the […]
Essential Estate Planning Strategies for Married Couples
Estate planning doesn’t have to be a complicated ordeal full of words and concepts that only lawyers understand. For most married couples, there are two tools that are part of almost every estate plan and three trusts from which to choose one or more. They are the foundation of every estate plan. There are other […]
6 Estate Planning Strategies to Leverage Your Gifts to Charity
At year end, many people focus on estate planning and charitable giving. But don’t simply write a check or leave a sum of money to charity in your will. There are better ways to give that can increase your tax deductions or even your income, and they also can give you more control over how […]
