You might think you don’t have to worry about federal estate taxes anymore. Current laws exclude the first $5 million in your estate for estate tax. And to make it an even sweeter deal, a couple (if both are American citizens) can exclude up to $10 million. Does that mean you don’t have to worry [...]
There have been a number of estate tax changes that make it easier to save money now and in the future. This is because there was a huge gift tax exemption passed that allows you to transfer up to $5 million when you die without paying any estate tax. But you don’t even have to [...]
If you dislike the idea of living with debt you probably find the idea of debt after death even less attractive. Of course one way to solve this problem is by having enough cheap term life insurance. But there are other steps you can take to make sure you don’t leave debt as an inheritance [...]
“Per Stirpes” is a very important term to you if you own retirement accounts. So what is “Per Stirpes”? IRA custodians never explain it but the term “Per Stirpes” come from Latin and it means “per branch”. These two words can mean success or failure when it comes to your retirement account beneficiary designations and [...]
Your beneficiary designations are probably the single greatest estate planning tool you have available (other than a living trust). Yet very few people take the time to make informed decisions. Here’s a run-down of the top 5 traps and how to avoid them. 1. Different Rules Beneficiary designations are important. But IRA beneficiary rules are [...]
Your beneficiary forms are one of the building blocks of your estate plan. You might understand all the IRA beneficiary rules but if you make a mistake filing out your forms, you’re in for a world of hurt. And this goes for your other money as well. Your non-retirement accounts (called “non-qualified” accounts) are also included in [...]
Selecting your living trust trustee isn’t as simple as it seems. Just yesterday a client in Virginia asked me to who she should ask to be her trustee. This is a really important subject so I thought I’d share my response with you. First, what is a revocable living trust? You may already know that [...]
You work hard to earn, save and invest in order to grow a retirement nest egg. That being the case, you’ll likely agree that it makes a lot of sense to do everything you can to protect your assets. Here are the top 5 ways to do just that. 1. Track Spending Look in the [...]
Just because you created your revocable living trust it doesn’t mean your work is done. In fact, you are better off if you assume that you haven’t done your job completely. That’s because you might think you’ve put your assets in trust when you really haven’t. Yesterday, a client came to see me for a financial review. [...]
Let’s say you were approached by your friend Stacy who needs help qualifying for a mortgage to buy a home. She asks if you’d be interested in co signing a loan for her. You generally trust Jane and think she’s pretty responsible. But you’re concerned about being on the hook for that money. Keep in mind that [...]
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