In This Issue:

- Does your trust need a protector?

- Privacy, please! Keep family matters out of the public eye by avoiding probate

- Consider a “stretch” to maximize and preserve IRA benefits

- Estate Planning Pitfall: You own a high-cash-value insurance policy on your own life

Excerpt from Does your trust need a protector?

Trusts can serve a variety of tax and estate planning purposes, such as avoiding probate and minimizing gift and estate taxes. Typically, to achieve the greatest tax savings, trusts must be irrevocable. But it can be disconcerting to relinquish control over assets you place in a trust, particularly if you believe Congress will continue to modify the tax laws.