Married couples: Joint or separate trusts?
Revocable trusts are a key component of many estate plans. Among other things, these trusts allow you to minimize probate expenses, keep your financial affairs private and provide...more
Preparing for 2026 -
Four ways to build flexibility into your estate plan -
January 1, 2026, is a significant date for estate planning. On that day, the federal gift and estate tax exemption amount set by the Tax Cuts...more
SECURE 2.0 provides a boost to your retirement and estate plans -
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) expands on the changes made by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act)....more
Funding long-term care expenses: What are your options?
Few things can derail your estate plan as quickly as unanticipated long-term care (LTC) expenses. Most people will need some form of LTC — such as a nursing home or...more
2/23/2023
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Estate Planning ,
Family Members ,
Financial Planning ,
Inheritance ,
Long Term Care Insurance ,
Long-Term Care ,
Trusts ,
Wealth Management ,
Wills
Pay attention to securities laws when planning your estate -
Do your assets include unregistered securities, such as restricted stock or interests in hedge funds or private equity funds? If so, it’s important to consider...more
12/28/2022
/ 401k ,
Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Disabled Children ,
Document Management ,
Estate Planning ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Inheritance ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities ,
Successors ,
Trustees
Rising rates spark interest in charitable remainder trusts -
If you wish to leave a charitable legacy while generating income during your lifetime, a charitable remainder trust (CRT) may be a viable solution. In addition...more
10/25/2022
/ Asset Management ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Inheritance ,
IRS ,
Life Insurance ,
Retirement Funds ,
Tax Planning ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Wealth Management
Estate planning for the happily married - Hedge your bets with a SLAT
One of the biggest challenges of estate planning is dealing with uncertainty. For 2022, for example, the federal gift and estate tax exemption is $12.06...more
Asset protection -
How to shield your wealth from lawsuits and creditors -
Much of estate planning focuses on transferring your wealth to loved ones in a taxefficient manner. But for many people, it’s equally important...more
You’ve received an inheritance: Now what?
If you’ve received, or will soon receive, a significant inheritance, it may be tempting to view it as “found money” that can be spent freely. But unless your current financial plan...more
5/23/2022
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Family Members ,
Fiduciary ,
Inheritance ,
Successors ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Wills
Getting remarried?
Understand your spouse’s inheritance rights -
If you’re getting remarried, you may have very different expectations than you did when you married the first time, especially when it comes to estate...more
Annual exclusion gifts -
A deceptively powerful estate planning strategy -
In 2021, the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption amount is a whopping $11.7 million. So, for most people, it may seem like planning...more
Charitable giving in 2021 -
Plan carefully to maximize the tax benefits -
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers enacted the CARES Act to provide some relief to the ailing economy. One of its provisions,...more
Don’t overlook foreign assets when planning your estate -
You’d be surprised how often people fail to disclose foreign assets to their estate planning advisors. They assume that these assets aren’t relevant to their “U.S.”...more
6/2/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiary Designations ,
Charitable Deductions ,
Charitable Donations ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Federal Taxes ,
Generation-Skipping Transfer ,
Gift Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Tax Planning ,
Trusts
Now or later -
When’s the right time to transfer your wealth? -
To gift or not to gift? It’s a deceptively complex question. The temporary doubling of the gift and estate tax exemption — to an inflation-adjusted...more
12/19/2019
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiary Designations ,
Charitable Deductions ,
Charitable Donations ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Federal Taxes ,
Generation-Skipping Transfer ,
Gift Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Tax Planning ,
Trusts
Is silence golden?
The good and the bad of keeping your trust a secret -
It’s common for parents to set aside money or other assets in trust for their children or grandchildren. At the same time, many parents agonize...more
8/13/2019
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Capital Gains ,
Elder Care ,
Elder Issues ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Inheritance ,
Qualified Opportunity Funds ,
Trust Administration ,
Trusts