A poorly worded apportionment clause can upend an estate plan

Posted On: August 15th 2019

Federal estate tax liability is no longer an issue for many families, now that the gift and estate tax exemption stands at $11.4 million for 2019. But there are still affluent individuals whose estates may be subject to hefty estate tax bills. If you expect your estate to have significant estate tax...

What’s the difference between the two types of power of attorney?

Posted On: August 1st 2019

When drafting your estate plan, you and your attorney must account for what happens to your children and your assets after you die. But your plan must also spell out your wishes for making financial and medical decisions if you’re unable to make those decisions yourself. A crucial component of this plan is the power of attorney (POA)...

Naming a trustee may be one of the most important decisions of your life

Posted On: July 25th 2019

When it comes to estate planning, trusts are appealing for many reasons. They can enable you to hold and transfer assets for beneficiaries, avoid probate and reduce estate tax exposure. But they can be complicated to set up. One of the major decisions you’ll need to make when establishing...

Personal circumstances figure into when to begin taking Social Security

There are several individual factors that go into the determination of when the best time is to begin collecting Social Security benefits. Among those factors are the size of your estate, the amount of money you and your spouse may need to continue...

You missed a required minimum distribution

The penalty for missing a required minimum distribution (RMD) from an IRA or qualified retirement plan is one of the harshest in the tax code: 50% of the amount you should have withdrawn. Generally, you’re required to take RMDs from traditional IRAs...

How can you mend a broken trust? Try decanting

An irrevocable trust can be a powerful estate planning tool, but in some cases irrevocability could be a disadvantage. For example, you might discover a drafting error that makes the trust inconsistent with your original purposes...

Now may be the time to forgive intrafamily loans

If you have outstanding loans to your children, grandchildren or other family members, consider forgiving those loans to take advantage of the record-high gift and estate tax exemption and the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption. Currently,...

A buy-sell agreement can provide the liquidity to cover estate taxes

Posted On: July 18th 2019

If you own an interest in a closely held business, it’s critical to have a well-designed, properly funded buy-sell agreement. Without one, an owner’s death can have a negative effect on the surviving owners...

Thinking about a Roth IRA conversion? Now may be the ideal time

Posted On: July 11th 2019

Roth IRAs offer significant estate planning and financial benefits. If you have a substantial balance in a traditional IRA and are considering converting it to a Roth IRA, there may be no better time than now. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduced individual income tax rates through 2025…

4 negative outcomes of jointly owning property with a family member

Posted On: June 27th 2019

A common estate planning mistake that people make is to own property jointly with an adult child or other family member. True, adding a loved one to the title of your home, bank account or other property can be a simple technique for leaving property to that person without the need for probate…

A divorce necessitates an estate plan review

Posted On: June 20th 2019

If you’re divorcing, it’s important to review your estate plan as early as possible, for two reasons: First, you may wish to revise your plan immediately to prevent your spouse from inheriting or gaining control over your assets if you die or become incapacitated before the divorce is final. Second,…

Ease itemized deduction limitations using a nongrantor trust

Posted On: June 13th 2019

The record-high exemption amount currently in effect means that fewer families are affected by gift and estate taxes. As a result, the estate planning focus for many people has shifted from transfer taxes to income taxes. A nongrantor trust can be an effective option to reduce income taxes,…

You have options when addressing life insurance in your estate plan

Posted On: June 6th 2019

Life insurance has long provided a source of liquidity to pay estate taxes and other expenses. But, with the estate tax exemption currently set at an inflation-adjusted $10 million ($11.40 million for 2019), estate taxes are no longer a concern for many families. Nonetheless, life insurance offers many benefits for nontaxable estates…

Estate Planning for Single Parents Requires Special Considerations

Posted On: May 15th 2019

Here’s a fast fact: The percentage of U.S. children who live with an unmarried parent has jumped from 13% in 1968 to 32% in 2017, according to Pew Research Center’s most recent poll. While estate planning for single parents is similar to estate planning for families with two parents, when only one parent is involved,…

Make health care decisions while you’re healthy

Posted On: May 9th 2019

Estate planning isn’t just about what happens to your assets after you die. It’s also about protecting yourself and your loved ones. This includes having a plan for making critical medical decisions in the event you’re unable to make them yourself. And, as with other aspects of your estate plan, the time to act is now, while you’re healthy…

Add Spendthrift Language to a Trust to Safeguard Assets

Posted On: May 7th 2019

Protecting assets from creditors is a critical aspect of estate planning, but you need to think about more than just your own creditors: You also need to consider your heirs’ creditors. Adding spendthrift language to a trust benefiting your heirs can help safeguard assets. Spendthrift language explained Despite its name, the purpose of a spendthrift…