Moving to another state?
Revisit your estate plan -
If you recently relocated to a new state — or you’re planning such a move — it’s a good idea to review and update your estate plan. You won’t have to throw out your...more
Employee stock ownership plan -
A versatile business exit and estate planning tool -
If you own a closely held business, a significant portion of your wealth may be tied up in it. So, to prepare for retirement and...more
Revocable trusts -
Don’t forget to fund the trust throughout your lifetime -
Many estate plans are built around revocable trusts (sometimes called “living trusts”). These trusts allow you to 1) avoid the time, expense...more
Married couples: Joint or separate trusts?
Revocable trusts are a key component of many estate plans. Among other things, these trusts allow you to minimize probate expenses, keep your financial affairs private and provide...more
How planning can minimize the impact of income taxes -
Until recently, estate planning strategies generally focused on removing as much wealth as possible from one’s estate to avoid the bite of federal estate tax....more
Preparing for 2026 -
Four ways to build flexibility into your estate plan -
January 1, 2026, is a significant date for estate planning. On that day, the federal gift and estate tax exemption amount set by the Tax Cuts...more
Rising rates spark interest in charitable remainder trusts -
If you wish to leave a charitable legacy while generating income during your lifetime, a charitable remainder trust (CRT) may be a viable solution. In addition...more
10/25/2022
/ Asset Management ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Inheritance ,
IRS ,
Life Insurance ,
Retirement Funds ,
Tax Planning ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Wealth Management
Asset protection -
How to shield your wealth from lawsuits and creditors -
Much of estate planning focuses on transferring your wealth to loved ones in a taxefficient manner. But for many people, it’s equally important...more
GST taxes -
Plan carefully to avoid surprises -
If you wish to share some of your wealth with your grandchildren or great grandchildren — or if your estate plan is likely to benefit these generations — it’s critical to...more
Getting remarried?
Understand your spouse’s inheritance rights -
If you’re getting remarried, you may have very different expectations than you did when you married the first time, especially when it comes to estate...more
Big tax changes are in the works -
What do they mean for your estate plan?
With apologies to Benjamin Franklin, little is certain about death and taxes these days. The Biden administration and several lawmakers have...more
Charitable giving in 2021 -
Plan carefully to maximize the tax benefits -
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers enacted the CARES Act to provide some relief to the ailing economy. One of its provisions,...more
Below is a brief glance of what you'll find in the March/April 2021 issue of The Estate Planner.
- Can beneficiaries borrow from a trust?
- Taking steps to protect your will from being contested
- Defined-value...more
As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and much of the economy reopens, the “new normal” demands continued social distancing in many areas of life. What does this mean for estate planning? Clearly, estate...more
Don’t overlook foreign assets when planning your estate -
You’d be surprised how often people fail to disclose foreign assets to their estate planning advisors. They assume that these assets aren’t relevant to their “U.S.”...more
6/2/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiary Designations ,
Charitable Deductions ,
Charitable Donations ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Federal Taxes ,
Generation-Skipping Transfer ,
Gift Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Tax Planning ,
Trusts
Creating an education legacy -
For many people, an important goal of estate planning is to leave a legacy for their children, grandchildren and future generations. And what better way to do that than to help provide for...more
Now or later -
When’s the right time to transfer your wealth? -
To gift or not to gift? It’s a deceptively complex question. The temporary doubling of the gift and estate tax exemption — to an inflation-adjusted...more
12/19/2019
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiary Designations ,
Charitable Deductions ,
Charitable Donations ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Federal Taxes ,
Generation-Skipping Transfer ,
Gift Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Tax Planning ,
Trusts
What’s a clawback ? and should you be worried about it?
By temporarily doubling the gift and estate tax exemption amount, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created an historic opportunity for affluent families to shelter wealth...more
10/4/2019
/ Art Collections ,
Clawbacks ,
Disabled Children ,
Elder Care ,
Elder Issues ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Estate-Tax Exemption ,
Fine Art ,
Gift Tax ,
Gift-Tax Exemption ,
IRS ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Planning
Is silence golden?
The good and the bad of keeping your trust a secret -
It’s common for parents to set aside money or other assets in trust for their children or grandchildren. At the same time, many parents agonize...more
8/13/2019
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Capital Gains ,
Elder Care ,
Elder Issues ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Inheritance ,
Qualified Opportunity Funds ,
Trust Administration ,
Trusts
Below is a brief glance of what you'll find in the July/August 2019 issue of The Estate Planner.
SLATs offer an estate planning safety net -
Can multiple trusts be used to maximize the pass-through deduction? -...more
Shumaker is pleased to present the May/June 2019 issue of The Estate Planner.
In it we discuss:
- How can you mend a broken trust? Try decanting
- Now may be the time to forgive intrafamily loans
-...more
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “2012 Act”) had a profound impact on the transfer tax system. I will briefly describe that system and then, by way of background, set the stage for these changes by summarizing...more