It’s tax-filing season, and the April 18 deadline to file a 2015 gift tax return is fast approaching. But do you need to file a return? The rules surrounding gift tax returns can be…
A common estate planning mistake is to designate a minor as beneficiary — or contingent beneficiary — of a life insurance policy or retirement plan. Insurance companies and financial institutions won’t pay large sums…
The “sandwich generation” is a large segment of the population. These are people who find themselves caring for both their children and their parents at the same time. As a result, estate planning —…
If you own an interest in a closely held business, it’s critical to have a well-designed, properly funded buy-sell agreement. It provides a business’s owners and their families with valuable protection upon an…
Sharing your estate with charity by making donations during your life not only benefits your favorite organizations and reduces your taxable estate, but also can reduce your income tax bill. However, if you don’t…
It’s no secret that the cost of a college education continues to soar. If you’d like to help fund your grandchild’s higher education, a simple but effective technique is to make tuition payments on…
An annual estate plan checkup is critical to the health of your estate plan. Because various exclusion, exemption and deduction amounts are adjusted for inflation, they can change from year to year, impacting…
For married couples with large estates, second-to-die life insurance (sometimes called “survivorship insurance” or “dual-life insurance”) can be a useful tool for providing liquidity to pay estate taxes. This type of policy pays off…
Estate planning and asset protection go hand-in-hand. After all, no matter how well your estate plan is designed, it won’t do much good if you have no wealth to share with your family. If…
