Estate Planning
Estate Planning is the process of determining how your wealth and assets should be transferred to the heirs of your choice: your children, grandchildren, friends, families, charitable causes, etc. and then deciding which legal tools and structures to use to best meet your estate planning goals.
Estate planning is not simply reducing or eliminating taxes and avoiding probate. Only after establishing how you want your estate’s assets to be distributed should you consider ways to reduce taxes and avoid probate. From there, good estate plans deal with a host of other issues. Now, with all but a few estates exempt from the federal estate tax, those other issues are, or should be, at the forefront of estate planning.
An estate plan is to ensure that you are taken care of the rest of your life and that your wealth is transferred to the people you want to have it. A good estate plan ensures these goals are accomplished with as much efficiency and as little cost as possible. An estate plan addresses the management and distribution of an individual’s property and financial obligations after he or she dies with financial tools such as wills, revocable living trusts and power of attorney.
For a comprehensive overview of Estate Planning, please start with our article:
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October 2007
October 23, 2007 02:25 a.m. Global Boom or Global Bust? Just as investors were developing unbridled optimism about stocks, corporate executives pulled them up short. A spate of earnings reports last week dimmed investor enthusiasm and caused stock prices to tumble. The Nasdaq fell 2.6%, as did the S&P 500 and Dow. Small stocks represented […]
September 2007
September 21, 2007 1:45 p.m. Today’s Confusing Markets Already Explained Investors and analysts have been confused by many of the market developments of the last couple of years. They are easily explained, and the explanations are in my recent book, Invest Like a Fox…Not Like a Hedgehog. Conventional economic theory misses a few critical elements […]
Estate Planning Strategy to Help the Grandkids Buy a Home: Gifts, Loans, or Rentals?
Home prices are down, and inventories of unsold homes are high in many areas. That makes this an ideal time to buy a home, or to help a grandchild buy that first home or move up to a larger home. Despite the decline in prices, buying a home still is a struggle for many young […]
The Estate Tax Marital Deduction – Dos and Don’ts
The marital deduction is perhaps the best-known estate tax reducer. It also is among the most misused planning devices. While powerful, the mari-tal deduction also can trigger higher taxes or other headaches. The marital deduction is straightforward. The estate executor totals the value of all assets owned by the deceased to arrive at the gross […]
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August 2007
August 27, 2007 11:00 a.m. When Will We Know It is Over? Investment markets had a good week and seem to be returning to what was normal a couple of months ago. Is the worst of the financial crisis over? What are the signs that it might be over? Last week things looked almost dire […]
Four Overlooked Estate Planning Moves
Most Estate Planning discussions involve big picture issues, such as trusts, gifts, and how to handle a business. Too often, however, the success or failure of a plan depends on small details that seem unimportant. Shortchanging these issues could mean shortchanging your heirs. Carefully consider all of your non-probate assets. They avoid the probate process, […]
July 2007
July 30, 2007 12:20 p.m. Random Notes About the Sell Off Here are a few thoughts and bits of information regarding last week’s big decline in the markets. Markets always can be affected by outside factors, known as exogenous factors. Last week, stocks were affected by a change of sentiment or outlook among bond and […]
How to Leave a Legacy that Lasts Generations
Many people hope to leave some wealth to help their children and perhaps their grandchildren. Others want to see the wealth benefit even more generations. Instead of leaving it all to one or two generations, they want to spread income and emergency funds beyond the family members who know them. This goal can be accomplished […]
