Estate Planning Basics
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Grandchildren & Beneficiaries
Heirs & Estate Planning
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Life Insurance and Estate Planning
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How To Plug the Leaks in Your Will & Estate Plan
Everyone needs a will… even if all your assets are owned by a living trust or held in joint title. It is unlikely that even if you have a living trust or other arrangement, all your assets will be covered by it. Any other assets will be covered by your will or disposed of according […]
Retirement Watch’s 10-Step Asset Protection Plan Part I
Taxes, the IRS, attorneys, and estate processing costs are not the only enemies of your wealth. More and more people are concerned about creditors, especially those created by lawsuits. With the estate tax not a concern for most, insurance coverage being reduced, and law suits increasing, many people are more concerned with this potential leak […]
How to Cut the IRS Out of Your Estate Plan
There are four basic strategies for reducing estate taxes: • Reducing assets from the estate • Removing future appreciation from the estate • Increasing deductions, and • Buying life insurance. Within those four estate planning strategies are many options. Not all will be appropriate for you. But below I discuss your estate tax reduction options […]
5 Questions for Updating Your Estate Plan Part II
Last week, I shared with you Part I of my list of 5 questions for updating your estate plan. Today we’ll pick back up at number 3… 3. Here’s the third question about updating your estate plan… Where are you spending time? Each state has its own laws governing estates, trusts, property ownership, and powers […]
How To Involve Your Children in Your Estate Plan
Of course it’s a good idea for parents to talk with their children about money from an early age… But it’s never too late to start… if you didn’t start early. First, you need to be clear what the money means to you and what its purpose is. You also should know what’s important to […]
Can Your Children Answer These 8 Estate Planning Questions?
Many estate plans fail, and often not because of any flaws in the documents or the plans. Estate Planning failures frequently occur in the implementation and execution. Especially important are actions taken by others, often your children. They’re likely to be the ones putting key parts of the plan into action, not you. So to ensure […]
The Charitable Remainder Trust: How to Protect & Stretch Your IRA
The number of people naming charitable trusts as IRA beneficiaries is climbing, and for good reasons. Typically, IRA beneficiaries are individuals, often the surviving spouse or the adult children of the owner. The goal often is to create a Stretch IRA, with the beneficiary taking only required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year so the tax-deferred […]
The “Financial Emergency Kit” Every Estate Planing Strategy Needs (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this article I talked about the importance of having a Financial Emergency Kit, along with a few of its essential elements. So this week, let’s continue the discussion and review the other important elements that make up your Financial Emergency Kit, starting with: A letter of instruction, which can be valuable […]