Family Pulling Party Favors During Christmas Dinner

You don’t get a say in the distribution of your assets unless you make a plan and get it written down. What happens to your assets when you pass away isn’t as simple as the people important to you automatically getting what they want, according to the New Jersey Herald in “Put your plans in […]

Kissing Newlyweds on the Beach

It is possible you may not be confident of the intentions of your in-laws. There is often tension between in-laws. Someone in the U.K. recently expressed concern on how to protect a child’s inheritance from a bad son-in-law, according to the This Is Money advice column “I have a terminal illness and our son-in law […]

last will and testament

No-contest clause makes people think twice before challenging will or trust. A way around the problem of challenges to a will or trust is to include a no-contest clause, according to Press Enterprise in “The Pros and cons of the no-contest clause.” A no-contest clause helps prevent these challenges. It simply states that anyone who […]

human miniature standing over piled coins

The estate tax may be repealed. However, that does not eliminate trusts as valuable tools in estate planning. An estate tax can take a considerable bite out of an estate. Reducing that threat is often a main focus of creating an estate plan. However, even if the estate tax is repealed, the trust remains a […]

piggy bank

If you do not fund a trust during your lifetime, then probate gets involved. A living trust can get confusing and mistakes can be made, if you don’t pay close attention, according to the Times Herald-Record in “Importance of funding a trust.” A key to the living trust is that you need to transfer your […]

last will and testament

A will may be cheaper than a trust now. However, that may not be the case in the long run. Many people decide on wills instead of trusts to save time and money. The problem with that thinking is that a will is more expensive overall than a trust, according to the Times Herald-Record in “Trusts […]

Happy Senior Couple

An estate planning attorney is the right person to answer this question. The key to determining what the best estate planning option is for you, is for you to decide. However, you may want some advice, according to Madison.com in “Is a Living Trust Right for You and Your Family?.” Trusts do have many benefits over […]

printing calculator

Considerable assets found hidden in New Zealand. Many foreign trusts have failed to register under the new trust laws of New Zealand and may have fled the country, according to the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog in “Trust the Kiwis.” New Zealand has had lax laws and allowed foreigners to have tax-free trusts with […]

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The state was attempting to collect tax without consideration for residency. A tax court has decided that Minnesota’s trust taxation is unconstitutional, according to the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog in “Tax Refunds for Trusts With Minnesota Grantors? Minnesota Income Tax Statute Ruled Unconstitutional.” Minnesota’s income tax statute makes 100% of a trust’s assets […]

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The uncertainty of tax reform can make it challenging to plan. The uncertainty of proposed tax reforms moving through the Congress makes the possibility of a spousal lifetime asset trust into an attractive option, according to Wealth Management in “SLATs Provide Flexible Plans for Many Clients.” Like any other trust, SLATs do not have to […]