When Is a Living Trust More Appropriate Than a Will?
JUNE 6, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 20 Last week we answered a pair of questions from our readers and solicited others. Almost immediately we received an excellent question: What are the factors you look at to determine if a client is best served w/ a will and durable power of attorney or a living trust? […]
Estate Tax Reform 2010 — Is It Over Yet?
DECEMBER 20, 2010 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 39 The ink is not yet dry on Congress’s tax and unemployment insurance compromise. Signed just last week by President Obama, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 has now become law. It continues previous income tax breaks for everyone, regardless of wealth. It […]
How to Leave Your IRA to a Trust — And Why You Might
OCTOBER 4, 2010 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 31 Last week we wrote about how you can go about leaving your IRA (or 401(k), 403(b), etc.) to a child with a disability. In passing we mentioned that the discussion about how to leave your IRA to any trust could wait for another day. Today is that day. […]
Estate Tax or Death Tax — Who Actually Pays Any?
AUGUST 9, 2010 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 25 Want to read about the debate over estate tax reform/repeal/reinstatement? There is plenty of literature. You can easily learn about the history of the estate tax (going back to 1797 in the United States, or to the 7th century BCE elsewhere). Want more? You can see the arguments […]
Why Do I Have To Complete That Darned Questionnaire?
MAY 31, 2010 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 18 You have made your appointment to discuss estate planning. Our office has sent you a reminder letter, an explanation of what will happen when you get here, a map with parking instructions — and an 8-page questionnaire, asking for all sorts of details about your family, your assets […]
Estate Taxes, Crystal Balls and What Might Happen This Year
MAY 24, 2010 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 17 There is no estate tax in 2010. But there might be. When will we know? What should you do? Estate planning attorneys have joked darkly (as a group, we often have slightly off-kilter senses of humor) that 2010 is the year to die. Because of Congressional plans first […]
Our Free Seminar Reviews 2010 Law Changes For Estate Plans
APRIL 19, 2010 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 13 This has been a tumultuous year for estate planning attorneys—and for their clients. The federal estate tax has been repealed, there are new rules in effect governing Roth IRAs, and heirs are facing higher capital gains liability. We don’t profess to have all the answers, but we think […]
What Do You Do After Signing Your Trust? Come to Our Class
JUNE 8, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 43 Want to learn about why you need a trust? No problem: there is a class for that, and they’ll even buy you lunch if you’ll just listen to their pitch. Want to learn whether you need a trust? It’s a little harder to locate good advice, but still there are […]
New Tax Law Will Mean More Planning Is Necessary, Not Less
JUNE 18, 2001 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 51 Last week Elder Law Issues predicted that the principal effect of the federal government’s estate tax repeal would be to make most people revisit their estate plans (and their attorney) more often. Because of the automatic “sunset” of the repeal measure in 2011, any plan addressing the changes […]
What Estate Tax Repeal Means For Most Taxpayers: Not Much
JUNE 11, 2001 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 50 On June 7, 2001, President George W. Bush signed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Despite extensive media coverage of tax reform, and especially of estate tax repeal, over the past six months, you may have been left wondering what it means. It turns […]