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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How Low Interest Rates Can Boost Your Estate Planning
Low interest rates and depressed stock prices are making a classic Estate Planning strategy significantly more attractive. People who could benefit from the strategy should look into it before interest rates rise. This tool has the un-sexy name of grantor retained annuity trust, or GRAT. It has the sexy result of allowing you to pass […]
How to do Annual Estate Planning Financial Check-Up?
The early part of the year is a good time for a quick financial checkup and to evaluate the progress we’re making toward financial security for ourselves and loved ones. You probably are working on your tax return anyway, so it takes only a bit more time to answer the simple question, “How am I […]
Estate Planning Strategy: Roth IRAs For Youngsters
A Roth IRA is one of the best investment and wealth building vehicles for youngsters. That’s right, for youngsters. Establishing a Roth IRA for your children or grandchildren creates a valuable, low-cost legacy for which the youngsters later will be very grateful. A few thousand dollars now could be worth hundreds of thousands of tax […]
Best Ways to Avoid Estate Planning Mistakes
Avoiding taxes is not the most important part of Estate Planning. In coming years, it will be even less important for many people. A more important part of estate planning often is avoiding family fights and disappointment while passing wealth the way you want. Here are the key issues to resolve to avoid problems. Share […]
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Estate Planning Strategies: Trusts And Your IRAs
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 […]
Estate Planning Strategy: How to Start Savings for Grandchildren
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 […]
The Estate Planning Time Bomb In Many IRAs
Financial services firms are lagging behind the IRS in making it easier to pass IRA wealth to succeeding generations. Because of this, the key document used in wealth transfer plans frequently is a time bomb. It is neglected or isn’t properly completed. The beneficiary designation form is the key document for passing on wealth held […]
Five Pillars of A Great Estate Planning
You need an estate plan even if you don’t expect to owe taxes. Even if you expect to owe taxes, tax planning still should not be the focus of your planning. It is more important to decide who should receive the wealth, how much each should receive, when the wealth should be transferred, and how […]
