Creating an estate plan is an important step toward protecting your assets and providing for your loved ones. But even a carefully designed plan can fall short if you overlook certain details. Whether you’re…
Helping your children, grandchildren or other loved ones obtain a quality education can be one of the most meaningful ways to pass on your wealth. A tax-advantaged 529 plan is one effective tool for…
Transferring wealth to family members can reduce your taxable estate. But when gifts involve assets that are difficult to value, such as interests in a closely held business or family limited partnership (FLP), unexpected…
Modern families come in many forms. A household may include biological children, adopted children, stepchildren or children of an unmarried partner. Even though family members may view all of these children equally, inheritance laws…
Estate planning can take on added significance when a child, spouse or other loved one has a disability. Leaving assets directly to that person — even with the best intentions — could interfere with…
If your estate plan includes gifts, bequests or other transfers to grandchildren, great-grandchildren or other beneficiaries decades younger than you, the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax deserves careful attention. Without proper planning, transfers that skip…
Estate plans are often designed around rules that assume spouses and other family members are U.S. citizens. When one spouse isn’t a citizen — or when an individual owns U.S. property but lives abroad…
Laws governing the execution of a valid will vary by state, but they generally require certain formalities. For example, a will typically must be signed by the person making it — known as the…
Trusts can serve many purposes in an estate plan, from managing assets during your lifetime to controlling how property passes to beneficiaries after your death. Two broad categories are inter vivos trusts and testamentary…
