With back-to-school season upon us, it’s an issue that’s timely to consider. Once your children turn 18, you are no longer entitled to see their medical records and make decisions about their medical treatment—unless they take a few basic estate-planning steps first. When a child turns 18, the transition to adulthood seems to be just […]

“Fighting over personal property is the match to the tinderbox of emotions,” says McManus. “Sometimes feuds start because of lingering resentments over who worked the hardest to take care of Mom or Dad when they were sick or even over who got the biggest scoop of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving every year.” Inheritance is a […]

These days, patients are often transferred from a hospital to a nursing home to recover. But, then, some never leave. “The only thing I worried about was not getting out,” Holmes says now. She kept asking her husband and one daughter: “‘You’re not going to keep me here are you?’” Your elderly loved ones may […]

Under federal pension law, there are many very strict legal requirements that must be met when a spouse tries to waive his or her rights to the other spouse’s retirement benefits. In this case, those rules weren’t met because the post-nuptial agreement was drafted incorrectly. So because the agreement wasn’t written properly, the soon-to-be-but-not-yet ex-wife […]

This type of trust allows a person to still live in a home for the term of the trust, deduct mortgage interest and real estate taxes, and then when the term of the trust expires, the home passes to the heirs and out of the owner’s estate. The owners can retain the right to live […]

There are distinct immigration rules and tax rules. Seek advice from an immigration lawyer and a tax adviser. You need both sets of rules. Is the grass really greener on the other side? When it comes to becoming an expatriate, you may want to do your homework before ditching the passport. Expatriation can be a […]

Clients with swiftly appreciating assets can transfer these assets and escape both gift and estate taxation on almost all of the appreciation using a combination GRAT-life insurance strategy in connection with the steep gift tax valuation discount available today. Despite this, the Administration has often threatened to eliminate the tax benefits that can be realized […]

When you inherit property, such as a house or stocks, the property is usually worth more than it was when the original owner purchased it. If you were to sell the property, there could be huge capital gains taxes. Fortunately, when you inherit property, the property’s tax basis is “stepped up,” which means the basis […]

“It’s not that these accounts can’t or shouldn’t be used, it’s just they have to be coordinated carefully with the rest of the plan,” says Patrick Lannon, an estate lawyer with Bilzin Sumberg in Miami, Fla. “If there is more than one child and you make a paid on death account in favor of just […]

It is indeed possible for a charitable gift annuity, a charitable remainder unitrust, a charitable remainder annuity trust, a life estate agreement or a pooled income fund to be converted into a current gift. Have you considered expanding your generosity through a unique kind of charitable gift that is structured to actually “give back”? Examples […]