While it is true that passing away is at the bottom of everyone’s to do list, it is an inevitability that we should all face head on. It is important to take the right steps to make sure that your legacy is passed along in accordance with your wishes after you are gone. Unfortunately, a very surprising majority of Americans have no estate planning documents at all. Eye Opening Survey Results A legal website engaged Harris Interactive to conduct an in-depth survey a while back that was intended … [Read more...]
When Will My Heirs Receive Their Inheritances?
When you are planning your estate, you have options. There are various different ways that you can get inheritances into the hands of your loved ones after you pass away. It is possible to be proactive about the facilitation of timely asset transfers.If you were to use a last will as your primary asset transfer vehicle, you would name an executor when you create the document. This person would serve as the estate administrator.After your passing, the will would be admitted to probate. … [Read more...]
Your Estate Plan Should Be Custom Crafted
The ideal estate plan will include documents that are created as a response to the specific circumstances that exist. You have many different options, and you should act in a fully informed manner. An estate planning document that is appropriate for one person may not be necessary for the next.For example, high net worth individuals who are exposed to the federal estate tax would want to implement estate tax efficiency strategies. The tax comes into play if you are transferring more than the … [Read more...]
A Look at Two Useful Inheritance Planning Tools
There is the right tool for the right job in any field of endeavor, and this certainly comes into play when you are talking about inheritance planning. You have many different options when you are planning your estate, and you should carefully explore them so that you can provide for each person that you love in the ideal manner.If you have someone in your family with special needs, you may want to make this individual more comfortable, either through an inheritance or a direct lifetime … [Read more...]
Kiddie Tax is Worse Than Ever
The Kiddie Tax can apply to the unearned income of children. Read on to learn if this tax applies to you or your children. Also, learn ways to avoid the Kiddie Tax.Kiddie Tax is Worse Than Ever … [Read more...]
Beneficiary Designations, etc., Aren’t a True Substitute for a Trust
TOD / POD, beneficiary designations, and joint tenancy can be simple ways to transfer assets at death. However, these simple methods lack some of the benefits of a trust. Read on to learn more.Beneficiary Designations, etc., Aren’t a True Substitute for a Trust … [Read more...]
How Are Trusts Taxed?
Trusts are useful vehicles both during life and after death. This article examines how trusts are income taxed. Grantor trusts are taxed to the grantor, regardless of whether the income is distributed to them. Nongrantor trusts are separate taxpaying entities but get a deduction for distributions to beneficiaries. Read the article to learn more.How Are Trusts Taxed? … [Read more...]
A Special Option for Special Kids
When planning for children with special needs, it takes special care to preserve their eligibility for public benefits. An ABLE account is a new way to preserve eligibility while gaining tax advantages. Read on to learn more about this new tool in planning for those who were disabled by age 26.A Special Option for Special Kids … [Read more...]
Yes, Estate Planning Matters
Our country, as a whole, has seen many shifts in the financial and healthcare sectors in recent years. The Affordable Care Act really changed everything – especially the way Americans see healthcare. While the internet provides instant access to anything you can imagine, it’s also prone to many experts with ulterior motives doing their best to shift the facts and of course, information is subjective. What one person reads and takes away from any website might be construed in a different way by … [Read more...]
Disappointing Turnout for Alzheimer’s Testimony
In what should have resulted in a robust turnout among the nation’s lawmakers actually became testimony about Alzheimer’s disease being delivered to just two senators. Seth Rogen, a Hollywood actor, director and producer who’s starred in several films, testified in front of the Senate Committee on Appropriations about the rising costs of Alzheimer’s disease and to ask what the committee intended to in order to provide better funding. One look at the statistics reveals why so many Americans are … [Read more...]
