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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Estate Planning: IRAs and Trusts Part II
One year ago we thought the IRS cleared up the rules regarding trusts that inherit IRAs. It turns out the IRS was setting new traps for some taxpayers. Some taxpayers who named trusts as IRA beneficiaries might have to rewrite those trusts. A trust can provide an extra layer of protection for your wealth. An […]
Estate Planning: Charitable Annuity vs. Charitable Trust
Charitable Remainder Trusts get a lot of attention from estate planners. Yet, they might not be the best option for many estate owners. There is the less-known charitable gift annuity to consider. Each strategy shelters appreciated assets from capital gains taxes, reduces current income taxes, provides income for life or for a period of years, […]
7 Ways to Overcome Estate Planning Obstacles
Few people actually have estate plans in place. Even lawyers and financial professionals who know better don’t get around to planning their estates. Many people who do have “estate plans” really just get simple wills written so they don’t have to wrestle with many of the real issues of their estates. Others have plans drafted […]
Reviewing Your Will and Estate Planning
Your will and estate plan need to be reviewed. Be sure they are ready for coming changes. A key tool in many estate plans especially needs some re-working soon. Otherwise, you might be caught in a trap. The current lifetime estate and gift tax exemption is $1 million per person. It rises in 2004, and […]
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Six Kinds of Estate Planning Family Documents and Forms to Secure
Some documents are so important that they, or copies, should be stored securely. I don’t recommend a safe deposit box, for reasons explained in my June 2002 visit, which is available in the web site Archive. Consider a fireproof container or keeping copies at both the home and the office. The Federal Emergency Management Agency […]
Ten Simple Estate Planning Strategies To Protect Assets
For the first time in years, I am hearing again from subscribers who seek to protect their assets from lawsuits and creditors. Those in the medical profession feel especially vulnerable. Other business owners and professionals are hurt by rising insurance costs or reductions in coverage. All are seeking other ways to protect themselves. In addition, […]
How to Reduce Asset Wastage In Your Estate Planning
Estate Planning is much more than tax planning, as I’ve said in past visits. One function of estate planning is to reduce the ‘leakage’ caused by costs and other expenses. There are steps you can take now to reduce the wasting of assets. Here’s my list of the key steps. Write it yourself. A lawyer […]
Estate Planning With The Flexible Irrevocable Trust
Estate Planning is getting more difficult for many of us. An estate plan these days needs flexibility. The estate tax law might change, the value of property in the estate fluctuates, and personal circumstances can change. Flexibility is fairly easy to put into a will with the “but it” clause I’ve discussed in past visits. […]
