“Planning for changes to the estate tax and the valuation discount for small businesses can be challenging. Here’s how to take advantage of them now.” Trying to anticipate changes in the tax codes is like trying to time the stock market—a nearly impossible task. Most tax pundits guessed right when they said that President Trump […]

“Under the new law, not only must all of the tax on IRAs and plans benefits be paid much earlier than it was before, but the rate will likely be much higher too, since that income will be bundled into the recipients’ peak earning years.” The demise of the stretch IRA is causing many IRA […]

“A suspicious email, a strange phone call from an unknown number, an overzealous financial adviser, a close family member: what’s the connection between all these people and things? It’s financial elder abuse.” Financial elder abuse is defined as the “fraudulent or otherwise illegal, unauthorized or improper act or process of an individual, including a caregiver […]

“The kiddie tax was created long ago to prevent wealthy parents from cutting their taxes by transferring a large amount of investments to their dependent children, who would be taxed at a lower rate.” Families were hurt by a change in the kiddie tax that took effect after 2017, but they’ll be able to undo […]

“While it’s not the best idea to expect your benefits alone to support you in retirement (after all, Social Security is only designed to replace around 40% of your pre-retirement income), some retirees have no other option but to depend on their monthly checks to cover the majority of their expenses.” According to the Social […]

“The elimination of the Stretch IRA is a game changer, especially for parents who were considering bequeathing savings in IRAs to their children.” The majority of many people’s wealth is in their IRAs, saved from a lifetime of work. Their goal is to leave their IRAs to their children, says a recent article from Think […]

“In other words, family members who are not named to inherit anything in the will may still see the list of all of the assets. If you don’t want that result, you can avoid it by establishing a trust.” Privacy is just one of the benefits of having a trust created as part of an […]

“She recently enrolled in traditional (Parts A, B, and D) Medicare and was hit with huge Part B and Part D monthly premiums. She had no idea why it was so high. After many letters, calls, and meetings with Social Security, she still had no idea.” A 68-year-old woman knew that she had to sign […]

Estate Planning for Non-Married Couples: Attorney Services in New York “The number of unmarried couples who live together reached 18 million in 2016, a 29% jump from 14 million in 2007. Among adults age 50 and older, the increase was 75%: About four million were cohabiting in 2016, up from 2.3 million in 2007.” For […]

“While many retirees have considered purchasing a vacation home to escape cold winters, to rent out for income, or simply have a gathering place for far-flung family members, there are a number of financial matters to consider that could make ownership onerous.” It sounds like a great idea. After all, it’s an investment in real […]