Category: Estate Planning
“My husband and I own a law firm, and part of the appeal of our law firm is us,” said Kelly Phillips Erb, a lawyer outside Philadelphia who has blogged on the tax matters related to the Jackson estate. “If we’re not around the next day, the value of the firm isn’t worth as much. […]
Many trusts were set up over the years to help protect wealth from estate taxes. But the federal estate-tax exemption has risen steadily in recent years, to $5.25 million, or $10.5 million for couples, from $1 million in 2003. This year, Congress made the exemption permanent and indexed it to inflation. As a result, fewer […]
In most situations, you can leave your Roth IRA to anyone you please simply by designating them as beneficiary. While it is perfectly legal to leave retirement accounts to a minor, doing so can create some complications. IRAs aren’t just retirement tools, they are also significant tools for estate planning. This is especially true when […]
You have a whole or universal life-insurance policy that you or your heirs don’t really need. What do you do? Well, you may want to donate it to your favorite charity. There are basically two ways to do it. Ask any widow or widower and they will tell you that it is better to be […]
What makes an appraisal “qualified,” says the Tax Court, is whether it provides sufficient information to enable the Internal Revenue Service to evaluate an appraiser’s methodology. When you give cash to charity, it is a pretty straightforward offering that holds a specific value. Easy enough. But what about non-cash items? Well, those must be appraised […]
Documents recently released in litigation between the estate of pop star Michael Jackson and the IRS showed that a large part of the dispute revolves around the value of Jackson’s image and likeness. While the estate assessed the value of his image at $2,105, the IRS’s valuation was more than $430 million. When it comes […]
In the survey, conducted by Interest.com, a financial planning site, just 27 percent of respondents age 18 to 59 said they expect to receive an inheritance from their parents or other family. Even those who believe there will be something left over for them aren’t expecting a huge windfall. Did the recession ruin the chances […]
Federal officials are eager to get the word out that seniors and disabled individuals enrolled in Medicare Part A — which covers hospitalization and limited nursing home care and is free for most beneficiaries – do not need to buy a marketplace plan, because they are already meeting the insurance requirements. Changes in healthcare can […]
Growing numbers of families – as older parents move into their 80s and 90s – are finding themselves grappling with the transfer of second homes. If you have a family vacation home, have you considered what will happen to the property after you are gone? While you are undoubtedly enjoying the memories you are making […]
Check out these strategies to bypass capital gains altogether or at least lessen the bite. Unless you’ve been paying close attention to capital gains and your expected 2013 tax, then you may not realize a potentially large “bite” until tax season. For those in the know, however, there is still time to beat the capital […]
