When it comes to estate planning, consider taking a page out of the Boy Scouts Handbook: Be prepared. The last thing you want is for your family to be scrambling to pick up the pieces after your death. Of course, you’ll need...more
12/19/2023
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Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Estate-Tax Exemption ,
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Gift Tax ,
Gift-Tax Exemption ,
Living Will ,
Power of Attorney
Under current estate tax law, taxpayers benefit from the most generous gift and estate tax regime in history. Indeed, in 2023, an individual can shield assets worth up to $12.92 million from federal gift and estate tax....more
Does your estate plan call for making gifts to your grandchildren or other loved ones more than one generation below you? Or, perhaps to nonrelatives more than 37½ years younger than you?...more
At the very least, your estate plan should include a legally valid will governing the disposition of assets upon your death. But comprehensive estate planning often goes much further....more
It’s true that because of the current record-high gift and estate tax exemption amount, most families don’t have to worry about transfer taxes. However, there are high net worth individuals who must continue to work to reduce...more
You’ve likely spent most of your adult life accumulating wealth that you intend to eventually pass on to your loved ones. But are you concerned that the beneficiaries of your estate might squander their inheritance?...more
Lifetime giving is a smart strategy to reduce your taxable estate. However, if you’ve exhausted your $12.06 million federal gift and estate tax exemption, your gifts may be fully taxable at the 40% rate. In this case,...more
The need for estate planning is essential for small business owners who have most of their personal fortune tied up in the operation. This is compounded by the looming reduction of the federal gift and estate tax exemption...more
A critical estate planning decision is whether to transfer wealth during your lifetime or keep your assets in your estate and transfer your wealth to loved ones after your death. Some say it would be wise to make gifts now to...more
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reported demise of the bypass trust may be greatly exaggerated. In fact, this estate planning technique is still a viable option for many individuals and may actually stage a “revival” in future...more
Did you know that one of the most effective estate-tax-saving techniques is also one of the simplest and most convenient? By making maximum use of the annual gift tax exclusion, you can pass substantial amounts of assets to...more