Category: Estate Planning
“The increase in the exemption is set to lapse after 2025. However, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued “grandfather” regulations in 2019 allowing the increased exemption to apply to gifts made while it was in effect, if Congress lowers the exemption after those gifts.” The federal estate and gift tax exemption is applied to […]
Beneficiary Comment: Common Mistakes When Making Designations Once you’ve bought an annuity or a life insurance policy and named your beneficiaries in your account, you may never think about those beneficiary designations again. However, that could be a big mistake. Specific agreements, such as those made during a divorce, can significantly impact your beneficiary designations. […]
“If you have a child or other family member who has special needs due to physical or mental conditions, you face a variety of challenges planning for their care, including financial ones.” Well-meaning relatives may not understand that putting a family member with special needs in their will could put your family member’s lifestyle and […]
“How do we move into probate, so we do not lose the house and bank accounts, while not killing ourselves in the process?” When parents die suddenly, in this case due to COVID-19, and there is no will and no discussions have taken place, siblings are placed in an awkward, expensive and emotionally fraught situation. […]
“Advocates are celebrating an important victory for individuals who provide care for their parents at home. The new decision will likely lead to a substantial expansion in the number of homes transferred to those caregivers.” A New Jersey Appellate Division recently reaffirmed the state’s regulation that allows older adults to transfer their homes to adult […]
“If you are planning to take another walk down the aisle, it is critical to take the time to review and revise your estate plan, especially if meaningful assets and debts are being brought into the marriage.” The assets you and your second spouse bring into the marriage need to be carefully considered when revising […]
“The For the 99.5% Act reduces the estate tax exemption to $3.5 million per individual and $7 million per couple. The bill adds higher tax brackets for larger estates.” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has released proposed legislation named “For the 99.5%” Act. If passed in its present form, the legislation would bring estate tax exemptions […]
“Just as you have trust in a relationship, trusting your document and those with responsibilities in the trust are crucial to obtaining your objectives.” A trust of any kind is a document that expresses your wishes while you are alive and after you have passed. The need for a dedicated trust for loved ones differs […]
Fewer than one-third of family businesses survive into the second generation, while only 13 percent make it to the third generation. Here are some tips to beat the odds and help your business live on for generations to come. The sooner you start the planning process the better The sooner you start planning for succession, […]
“While the tasks of dealing with an estate after someone passes may be simple administration, the work associated with it is often quite complicated.” Tax return issues, family matters, business associates, partners, trustees, bankers, investment advisors and tax collectors from the IRS to state and local taxing authorities all require attention after someone has died. […]
