One of the important facets of estate planning is proper tax planning. Knowing what is included in your taxable estate will enable you to properly plan so that your heirs aren't stuck selling their inheritance to pay off taxes. Once you know what is in your taxable...
We Care
Month: September 2011
Special needs trusts and planning for disabled children, P.2
In our previous post, we began discussing ways parents can plan for the care of their disabled children. We mentioned special needs trusts as a great way to provide support for such children without harming their ability to qualify for government benefits down the...
Special needs trusts and planning for disabled children, P.1
Planning for the care of disabled children is an issue that affects many parents. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 12 percent of the population has a severe mental or physical disability. That is not a small amount. It is important, when considering how...
Inheritance disparity can cause legal problems later on, P.2
In our previous post, we began discussing how parents looking at giving unequal inheritances to their children need to consider the possibility that such arrangements may cause problems later on when they're gone. As we mentioned, legal challenges to the validity of...
Inheritance disparity can cause legal problems later on, P.1
A recent Wall Street Journal article took a look at the problem of unequal inheritance, and the risks it presents in regard to later legal challenges. The basic upshot of the piece was that it is not always possible or desirable to give an equal inheritance to your...
Estate planning matters women, and men, should know about, P.2
In our previous post, we began looking at a list of estate planning issues which were suggested as important for women to understand. We present them as important for anybody to understand.The next item on the list is ensuring adequate reserve funds. When one spouse...
Estate planning matters women, and men, should know about, P.1
In a recent post entitled "Women and estate planning," we looked at an article written by Deborah Jacobs of Forbes online. The article was about the need for women to become more involved in the estate planning process, not help in the work of planning for the...
Economy presents opportunities for estate planning, P.2
In our previous post, we looked at how the presently volatile stock market, along with the increased gift tax exemption, has given holders of private stock the incentive to give the stock away as gifts. Here we will look at two further suggestions for family estate...
Economy presents opportunities for estate planning, P.1
According to estate planning experts, now is an excellent time to do estate planning. One should probably expect an estate planning to say that, but according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, various factors affecting estate planning strategies are working in...