When it comes to estate planning, a little information can go a long way. In our blog, our legal team explores common problems we see when reviewing estate plans, as well as tips you can put into practice immediately to protect your future.
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Should You Establish Your “Dynasty” Trust In South Dakota? In the past four years, the amount of money administered by South Dakota trust companies has tripled to $121 billion, almost ... Estate Planning -
Challenges When Selling The Inherited Family Home There's the emotional aspect of getting a loved one's home ready for sale - which likely includes clearing out his or her ... Estate Planning -
Of Family Gifts And Medicaid Lookback Rules My mother gave me money in 2009. Now (2013) she is in a nursing home and needs to get Medicaid. Does that money need to go ... Elder Law -
For Want Of A Beneficiary Will The IRA Be Lost? An IRA account owner or beneficiary died and there was no named beneficiary for the account. The obvious question comes, ... Elder Law -
10 Steps To Giving On Purpose Affluent Americans are committed to building a legacy both by using their wealth in positive ways and by passing their values ... Charitable Gifting -
Six Trusts You May Never Have Considered Trusts for burials, Bentleys, blunderbusses, Basset Hounds, Beaujolais and blowhards: Not all trusts fit into the traditional ... Estate Planning -
IRA Conversions To Roth Have Been Popular Congress dangled an incentive for high-income Americans to convert their tax-deferred individual retirement accounts into ... Estate Planning -
Watch Out! Some States Have Death Taxes! State estate taxes? That's another story. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia impose an estate tax, and some kick in ... Estate Planning -
Are Your Charities Good Stewards Of Your Philanthropy? Want to better understand the mistakes charities make, so you can do a better job in your own philanthropic endeavors? ... Charitable Gifting -
Win-Win: Selling Your Company Stock To Employees For [some business owners], let's call them the "able but not quite ready to retire" business owners, the thought ... Business -
Appealing Medicare Matters Can You Appeal If Medicare Refuses to Cover Care You Received? Absolutely. Medicare can be a tricky thing. It comes with a ... Elder Law -
Jump-Starting Your Estate Plan Like so many things in life, taking care of your estate planning now is the right step, even if you don't have any ... Estate Planning -
Mental Health And Medicare Coverage On Jan. 1 ... for the first time since Medicare's creation seniors who seek psychological therapy will be responsible for 20 ... Elder Law -
Does Your Trust Need A Tune-Up? All trusts should be reviewed every few years to make sure that they are up-to-date with the law and meet your goals today. ... Estate Planning -
Life, Death, Medical Ethics And The Law Two young females, both brain dead without warning, remain on ventilators while their devastated families challenge the ... Elder Law -
Wealth Transfer Tips For Parents (And Grandparents) People who take good care of their children take good care of their money, and people who take good care of their money take ... Estate Planning -
Are Your Beneficiary Designations Up-To-Date? You may have made a giant estate planning mistake without even knowing it - forgetting to update the names of your ... Estate Planning -
Your Legacy Is Worth More Than Money The economic downturn, steep health-care costs and longer lives may mean less money being left to boomers by their ... Estate Planning -
Protecting Your IRA From Your Kids What if you like the idea of leaving your IRA to your kids-but worry that they'll blow the tax advantages involved? Enter a ... Estate Planning -
Prepping Your Business For Sale You are looking to sell your small business, and you expect the best possible outcome for both you and your company. In order ... Business -
Great Expectations – Inheritance Planning Is A Two-Way Street "These findings show that many Americans expect to leave an inheritance," said Andy Ireland, head of premier ... Estate Planning -
Survivorship Insurance – Making A Comeback Some wealthy people are taking another look at survivorship insurance. The relatively obscure product, also known as ... Estate Planning -
“Super-Funding” College Savings With college costs already astronomical and rising, saving for them isn't just a year-end thing. But if those prices - ... - ... Estate Planning -
Charitable Giving By Purpose For those looking to put their philanthropic urges into action, the challenge lies not in finding a worthy cause, but rather ... Charitable Gifting -
Estate Planning “To-Do” List For many Americans, the task of putting together an estate plan is one of those "to-do's" that never gets done. ... Estate Planning -
Yes, You Need To Initiate “The Talk” With Your Parents Did your mother teach you it's not polite to talk about money? That may be true when you're with strangers or acquaintances, ... Elder Law -
Charitable Challenges – Making A Difference With the holiday giving season in full swing, you may be re-evaluating just how much to give to charitable causes and where ... Charitable Gifting -
Successful Family Business Succession Tips Successful Family Business Succession Tips A family succession is often the most logical and practical way for a small ... Business -
Inheritance Planning – What Should Your Tell Your Kids While having [estate planning] conversations takes a lot of courage, families that speak freely about these delicate issues ... Estate Planning -
Do Not Fumble The Inheritance Passing along assets after death is a tricky business - and subject to error. Aside from the complexity, making a will and ... Estate Planning -
Bankruptcy And The Inherited IRA The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a dispute in the bankruptcy of a small-town pizza shop owner, taking on a case that could ... Estate Planning -
Interpreting The Uninterpretable Families often think a "do not hospitalize" means "do not treat," but that is not accurate. "What it ... Elder Law -
Dealing With The Holiday “Skunks” No one wants to talk about death, illness or divorce. Unfortunately, you may have to raise some unpleasant issues when you ... Estate Planning -
Planning A Special Inheritance For A Special Beneficiary If you are planning to leave assets to a child or other beneficiary with special needs, one of the first things you should ... Estate Planning -
Careless Inheritance Planning May Bolo Financial Aid So often with estate planning, the legal issue is less complicated than the family dynamics at play. We all intend for the ... Estate Planning -
Insurance – Financial Planning Foundation The easiest and most cost-effective way for most people to mitigate these risks is through insurance products, such as ... Estate Planning -
More Than Lipstick – Getting Your Business Saleable The last time I checked, the mortality rate continued to hover right around 100%, which means your business isn't going to be ... Business -
Eleventh Hour Will Pivots When death grows near, the issue of a legacy can come into much sharper focus. As their end of life becomes less abstract, ... Estate Planning -
Of Wealth And Responsibility There is a responsibility that comes with wealth, and it does not end at death. It starts with proper planning. Hence, here ... Estate Planning -
Blending Families, Blending Finances All couples should have [a] talk [about] finances before they get married. But it's especially important to cover all the ... Blended Family -
When Wills Don’t Work (And Sometimes Why) Most people assume that their wills are the ultimate guide on who gets their bank or brokerage accounts after they die. But a ... Estate Planning -
Giving The Illiquid With the holidays and year-end quickly approaching, now would be a good time to discuss an alternative to a cash charitable ... Charitable Gifting -
Growing Old – Sissies Need Not Apply Sorry, kids, but I was never gracious, and it just gets harder and harder. I want the right, at 86, to play kick-the-can, to ... Elder Law -
“Estate Planning” Described Estate planning is the process of legally structuring the future disposition of current and projected assets. What is estate ... Estate Planning -
MOPM – Managing Other People’s Money If you're handling the finances for an older family member or are about to do so, some sticky challenges can pop up quicker ... Estate Planning -
Family Meetings – More Than Just Fun You don't have to be a blended family with a bunch of teenagers under one roof to need a family meeting (though it could ... Estate Planning -
Leaving Your Business By Design One thing is certain about the relationship with your small business: One day in the future will be the last in your ... Business -
Giving And Deducting Making a charitable donation is not only a chance to make a difference: it's also an excellent way to reduce your tax burden ... Charitable Gifting -
Stewarding An Elderly Loved One’s Assets Millions of Americans are managing money or property for a loved one who is unable to pay bills or make financial decisions. ... Elder Law -
Sharing Your Personal Financial Information – All In The Family To ensure that your heirs have easy access to your financial life, leave them a road map. The best laid plans of mice and men ... Estate Planning -
State Death Tax Gotchas The federal government giveth-and state governments taketh away. That's increasingly the case with estate and gift taxes. The ... Estate Tax -
Cohabitation Financial Complexities pouses and couples who live together without getting married often keep separate bank or brokerage accounts, and they might ... Asset Protection -
Social Security Likes Diet COLA The nation's elderly and disabled Social Security recipients will receive a 1.5 percent increase in payments in 2014. This is ... Medicare -
Interesting Indexing – The Estate And Gift Tax Exemption As many estate planners anticipated, the Internal Revenue Service has raised the limit on tax-free transfers during life or ... Estate Tax -
Trust Funds – Not Just For The Well-To-Do When most people think about trust funds, they envision spoiled rich kids and wealthy families trying to dodge taxes on their ... Estate Planning -
Medicaid Dilemma – Sell Or Keep Your Home? My mother went from private pay to Medicaid pay in her nursing home January 1, 2013. She now has zero money and all of her ... Elder Law -
Donor-Advised Funds – Convenient Giving Tool Selecting a charity that will use your money wisely and effectively isn't easy, particularly during this hectic time of year. ... Charitable Gifting -
Caregiving Challenges Of Blended Families Every year, nearly a half-million adults over age 65 remarry, and a growing proportion of these spouses - usually the wives - ... Elder Law -
Medicare Enrollment Clock Is Ticking If you are covered by Medicare Part D and are not on an employer or group plan, this is critical information. Open enrollment ... Elder Law -
Planning In Advance For Your Advance Health Directive Nancy Wagner, a social worker at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., encounters this frustration at least once a ... Elder Law -
Talking To Your Adult Children About Your Finances Talking to your adult kids about your finances and how you plan to divvy up your money after your death may be one of the ... Estate Planning -
Blended Family Estate Planning Challenges Americans are increasingly cobbling together new families out of earlier broken marriages ... Effective estate planning for ... Estate Planning -
Using Trust Funds To Purchase A Home As interest rates rise, more children of high-net-worth families are likely to tap into their trust funds to buy a home. ... Estate Planning -
Wisdom To Protect Your Windfall If you have substantial assets or are coming into a windfall from a sudden wealth event such as an inheritance, lawsuit, ... Estate Planning -
Medicaid Eligibility When The “Community Spouse” Dies First When one member of a couple moves to a nursing home, we expect that spouse will be the first to die, but this isn't always ... Elder Law -
Alzheimer’s And Dementia – No Time Like The Present To Plan Most people want to talk about these issues, advisors admit. But because so many people with Alzheimer's cannot communicate ... Estate Planning -
Family Reunion Inheritance Incentive Specifically, Albert's trust stipulates that every two years, in August or September, his nieces and nephews must meet for a ... Estate Planning -
Open Season On Medicare Enrollment Medicare's open enrollment season begins Tuesday October 15. That's when the nation's 50 million Medicare beneficiaries who ... Elder Law -
Legacies, Like Gardens, Take Time And Planning Cultivating a family legacy is not that different from tending a garden: land with poor prospects, at first glance, has to be ... Estate Planning -
The Estate Called “You” Executors of estates for people who owned small businesses, particularly in service areas like law, accounting or medicine, ... Estate Planning -
Making The Most Of Your Business Sale When business owners take these three sets of actions, they're strongly positioning themselves to not only get the best ... Business -
Art Advisory Panel – IRS Valuation Vanguard Officially, they are merely volunteers, members of the obscure-sounding Art Advisory Panel of the Commissioner of Internal ... Estate Planning -
Appealing Denial Of Medicare Treatment If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, your plan may overrule your doctor and refuse to cover a treatment or procedure that ... Elder Law -
Appraisals – There Must Be A Method To Your Madness Sloppiness of an appraisal doesn't matter. Reliability of an appraisal doesn't matter. Even proper application of facts ... Estate Planning -
What To Do When You No Longer Want Your Trust Setting up a trust can be complicated. Now investors are discovering it can be even trickier to unwind one. Trusts are ... Estate Planning -
Roth IRA Inheritance Planning For Grandchildren I have a Roth IRA that I would like used for my great-grandchildren's education. Can it be inherited by minors or a trust ... Estate Planning -
When There’s No One To Bat For You (Health Care Agents) It's an important question: If you don't have relatives or close friends who can serve as your health care proxy or hold your ... -
Prospective Inheritors Not Hopeful Three-quarters of people responding to a new survey said they don't expect to inherit money, but financial experts say they ... Estate Planning -
IRS Sets Value Of Michael Jackson’s Image Documents recently released in litigation between the estate of pop star Michael Jackson and the IRS showed that a large ... Estate Planning -
Easing The Tax Bite When Selling Your Business A lot of small business owners accelerated sales of their companies into 2012 in anticipation of the new higher tax rates ... Business -
Charitable Giving According To The Oracle Of Omaha We're big fans of legendary investor Warren Buffett, so when he announces that he wants to teach us something-for free, no ... Charitable Gifting -
Vacation Home (Inheritance) Headaches Worth Avoiding It sounds like a nice problem to have: handing down a family vacation home from one generation to the next. But the process - ... Estate Planning -
Home Care Or Institutional Care? It might be easier than you think for you, or a loved one, to stay at home as you age... Nine out of 10 Americans say they ... Elder Law -
Avoiding The 2013 Capital Gains Gotcha Last year's historically low capital gains tax rate of 15% is, well, history, but there are still ways around the new higher ... Estate Planning -
Avoiding Medicare “Marketplace Plans” Confusion After reassuring seniors that Medicare is not part of the new health insurance marketplaces, administration officials have a ... Elder Law -
Key Considerations When Selling Your Business While the truth may be painful, an entrepreneur who recognizes the realities they will face when selling a business will fare ... Business -
Successful Successions Require Planning He chose two people he wanted to sell to who were already working in the company. They were young, they were paid well, and ... Business -
Testing The Inheritance Of Test Tube Babies Born Post-Mortem The number of children conceived through in vitro fertilization has doubled over the last decade. The technology that has ... Estate Planning -
Business Succession – A Lesson From The Royals Outside of the world of pomp and circumstance, failure to pass the baton to the next generation before the senior generation ... Business -
Foreign Retirements Attract FATCA Scrutiny A U.S. tax crackdown is coming for foreign retirement plans. The U.S. has been pushing banks and individuals to report ... Elder Law -
Planning To Avoid Inheritance Failures in Torrance California Planning for an inheritance can be thorny. You can be consumed by unrealistic ideas and make a number of missteps that could ... Estate Planning -
The Cost Of Caring For Elderly Loved Ones in Orange County California Faced with the high cost of in-home care, many Americans end up providing care themselves for an aging parent or relative ... Elder Law -
Divorce After 50 in Torrance California etting divorced after 50 can have an enormous affect on your retirement. Marriage and divorce can be messy topics from a ... Asset Protection -
The State Of State Retirement Taxation in Torrance California No matter where you retire, you'll owe the same to Uncle Sam in federal taxes. But your choice of retirement destination ... Elder Law -
Artwork Valuations: In The Eye Of The Beholder? Charitable gifts of artworks almost always present valuation issues. An appraisal by a respected, unbiased expert is key to ... Charitable Gifting -
Charitable Options For “Unnecessary” Life Insurance Here's the situation: You have a whole or universal life-insurance policy that you or your heirs don't really need. What do ... Estate Planning -
A New Tool To Help Determine “Consciousness” Of The Unconscious An experimental tool designed to "peek" into a patient's brain and find signs of consciousness could eventually ... Elder Law -
Essential Estate Planning Is … Well … Essential in Torrance, CA Contrary to popular belief, estate planning is not just about money or taxes. Far from it. Today, it's more about protecting ... Estate Planning -
Roth IRA Power Like the kitchen gadgets advertised on late-night TV that can slice, dice and turn radishes into roses, the Roth individual ... Estate Planning -
State Death Taxes Hinge On Political Winds in Orange County, CA Washington finally declared a truce on the death tax this year, with estates now [federally] taxed at 40% with an exemption ... Estate Planning -
“Fair Or Equal” Inheritance – It’s in the Eye of the Beholder As much as we like to think our relationships can't be defined by money, it happens. If you are planning your estate, or have ... Estate Planning -
Capital Gains Hikes Boost Charitable Trust Appeal in Torrance, CA The higher federal tax rates that kicked in this year have given all these variants of the four-decade-old charitable ... Estate Planning -
Entrepreneurs Asking For An Early Inheritance in Torrance, CA Asking a parent for money to start a business is always a complicated conversation ... asking for an early inheritance can ... Business -
Planning For Retirement Funds In A Post-Nuptial Agreement A recent court case highlights how risky it is when a married couple attempts to use a post-nuptial agreement when trying to ... Asset Protection -
When It Is Time To Return Home From The Nursing Home Napierski says Holmes would not have gone home without this help, buoyed by money the federal government is giving states for ... Elder Law -
Our Summer Place – Estate Planning For The Family Vacation Home In an ideal world, [the vacation home], whether a modest cabin or an elaborate villa, is a symbol of a family's history, ... Estate Planning -
Estate Planning For Your (Adult) Children Once people hit midlife, they typically start focusing on estate-planning issues for themselves and, often, for their elderly ... Estate Planning -
Preventing Inheritance Fights Over Sentimental “Stuff” While fights over cash and stocks after a relative dies are common, families feud just as often over memorabilia and personal ... Estate Planning -
The Joy Of Inheriting Appreciated Property When you inherit property, such as a house or stocks, the property is usually worth more than it was when the original owner ... Estate Planning -
When PODs Go BAD Are payable on death accounts a simple way to pass assets to heirs or are they a mistake? It sure sounds simple. With a ... Estate Planning -
QPRT Considerations Among those with wealth primarily concentrated in their home or investment portfolio, there are two types of trusts designed ... Estate Planning -
Points To Ponder Before Becoming An Expatriate It's no secret that Americans are obsessed with taxes and unhappy with the IRS. Take the IRS crackdown on foreign accounts ... Estate Planning -
GRATs Can Be Great In a low interest rate environment, a grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT) can serve as a powerful estate planning tool to ... Estate Planning -
Business Owner Bankruptcy Pointers I never advocate going all-in on a business, but at the very least it should be something that crosses your mind before ... Asset Protection -
Structured Charity Flexibility It is indeed possible for a charitable gift annuity, a charitable remainder unitrust, a charitable remainder annuity trust, a ... Charitable Gifting -
So, What Will Be Your Legacy? Your legacy is putting your stamp on the future. It's a way to make some meaning of your existence: "Yes, world of the ... Estate Planning -
Beware Of State Estate And Inheritance Taxes, Too Although most people's estates aren't large enough to be affected by the federal estate tax, residents in many states have to ... Elder Law -
Estate Planning For Your “Family” Just as the courts are juggling with multiple definitions of family, so too are families today finding that there's no single ... Estate Planning -
Thinking Beyond Your Last Will If you also have an IRA, you probably named a beneficiary of that account on the custodian's beneficiary form. The IRA ... Estate Planning -
Is Your Business Your Retirement Nest Egg, Too? Many businesses simply cannot be sold, and others end up being sold for far less than expected, said Randy Gerber, founder of ... Business -
Easing Into The Subject Of Conservation Easements An easement is the legal removal of a right of use. Conservation easements generally protect wildlife habitat and ... Charitable Gifting -
The Power Of Portability One of the key provisions of ATRA is to make permanent the so-called portability of the applicable exclusion amount between ... Estate Planning -
At Death, Cash is Still King "While my father had considerable assets, they are illiquid, and the family needs immediate financial assistance for a ... Estate Planning -
Teaching Points From The Estate Of A Soprano Tony Soprano may have been an expert at hiding his money from the feds, but actor James Gandolfini, the recently deceased ... Estate Planning -
When Baby Boomer Retirees Inherit For those retirees who had not planned on receiving an inheritance or are happily surprised at the amount they receive, it's ... Elder Law -
Charitable Intent Key To Easement Success I think that conservation and façade easements are a great idea, but only if you have a sincere desire to help protect your ... Charitable Gifting -
Summer Vacation – Perfect Time For “The Conversation” Chances are good you will be spending some vacation time this summer with older family members. If so, take the opportunity ... Elder Law -
Long-Term Care Insurance – Protection From Living Too Long The biggest mistake often made with long-term care planning is putting it off until health issues can make LTC planning much ... Elder Law -
Life Insurance – Incidents Of Ownership (May) Trigger Estate Taxability When are the proceeds of life insurance policies includible in a taxpayer's gross estate? Fact: the estate tax is set to some ... Estate Planning -
Business Succession Success Hinges On Succession Planning The rocky ownership transition was not exactly a succession plan... "I think in his mind he really was going to live ... Business -
Home Is Where The Estate Is Except in the case of the superrich, [real estate] is most likely the parents' major asset, and their children understandably ... Estate Planning -
College Funding Considerations The Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) and the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) are sometimes called the ... Estate Planning -
Trust But Verify The Status Of Your Charities Charitable giving should be encouraged. Before giving to a charity, however, it is important to ascertain that the charity is ... Charitable Gifting -
Employee Skin In The Game – Family Business Stock Owners want non-family business leaders to behave like owners, and so they give them shares. Trying to align incentives is ... Business -
Income, Not Assets, Determine Obamacare Subsidies This week, I answer readers' questions about how income and other assets will affect health insurance choices and ... Elder Law -
Dementia – Plan Now To Avoid Problems Later Mara has bravely faced what millions of Baby Boomers are facing: their aging parents aren't going to stay financially ... Business -
Why Are Charitable Donors Charitable? Many philanthropic advisers stress that giving is not always this black and white: people need to get the emotional reward of ... Charitable Gifting -
Protecting The Inheritance From And For Your Heirs According to a recent WealthCounsel survey, 35 percent of people are crafting their estate plans to avoid mismanagement by ... Estate Planning -
Annual Gift Exclusion Opportunities Abound Here is some background on what is known as the "annual gift-tax exclusion." You can give away as much as $14,000 ... Estate Planning -
Economy Down, But Generosity Up Lackluster economic growth and stubbornly high unemployment didn't stop Americans from being generous in 2012, according to a ... Charitable Gifting -
Business Succession – Don’t Shoot Your Own Feet What can you do to prevent self-sabotage and improve your company's odds of successful succession? A family is strongest when ... Business -
Giving While You Are Living Increasingly, we've been asked to help them find ways to assist their kids now, rather than waiting to leave them money and ... Estate Planning -
Same-Sex Marriage And The Supreme Court Gay couples have long had second-tier status when it came to their finances... Now that the Supreme Court has struck down the ... Estate Planning -
Incentive Trusts: A Business Succession Formula for Success For many of our affluent clients, their single largest investment is the family business. Unfortunately, the likelihood that ... Estate Planning -
Joint Ownership Risks There are many reasons why an individual would add others names' to the title of his or her property... Except between ... Elder Law -
Investment Properties in Your IRA With taxes going up for most people, you might be paying more attention to your tax-deferred retirement investing options, ... Estate Planning -
Revoking the Irrevocable (Trust) Here's a dirty little secret: It's often possible to terminate a supposedly "irrevocable" trust. What can you do ... Estate Planning -
Warning – Your Ex-Spouse May Inherit Your Life Insurance! When Warren Hillman died in 2008 at the age of 66, his assets included a life insurance policy worth $124,558.03. For the ... Estate Planning -
Make Informed Decisions About Your & Your Loved Ones' Futures Based On Experienced Advice BOB GINSBERG, a retired production manager for an educational publisher, is worried that he does not know any of the logins ... Estate Planning -
Costly Conversations Never Had "Finances tend to be one of the trickiest topics because people do have traditional ideas about what you should and ... Elder Law -
Titling Assets to Avoid Probate Earlier in my career, I saw estate plans consisting of a set of documents drawn and signed, and that was it. There was no ... Estate Planning -
International Love Has Its (Legal) Challenges Love has no borders, of course, which may help explain why it's not just the economy that's gone global. To hear estate and ... Estate Planning -
When is Charitable Giving Elder Abuse? For the last 20 years of her life, Huguette Clark, a wealthy and reclusive copper heiress, lived in a Manhattan hospital ... Elder Law -
Selling Your Company to Your Employees As more entrepreneurs like Cabot approach retirement-about 30% of the nation's business owners are 55 or older, according to ... Business -
Watch Your Language – End-Of-Life Health Care "It's a very vulnerable time," said Amber Barnato... "A turn of phrase by a doctor can make a lot of ... Estate Planning -
Pointers for Avoiding Family Estate Feuds Family litigation occurs not from a lack of trying to solve the issue, but from a lack of planning. When you begin planning ... Estate Planning -
Asset Protection Shell Game Rejected One cannot call the planning here anything like valid asset protection planning. To the contrary, this was just ... Trusts -
Estate Planning for the Family Farm "With the aging of the farm population, and particularly with the rapid appreciation of land values and the assets, ... Estate Planning -
Charging Order Challenges Doubtless a large motivation behind the formation of many LLCs, as with Limited Partnerships ("LPs") is that an LLC ... Asset Protection -
IRS Getting Greedy Over Old “Gifts”? In 1972 ... Sumner Redstone, who wasn't yet a global media mogul, made a taxable gift to his children and failed to file a ... Gifting -
Giving Your IRA For Good The IRA-to-charity strategy is particularly helpful for people who have accumulated a lot of money in their IRAs but don't ... Charitable Gifting -
Don’t “Escheat” Your Family Inheritance Nearly 2.5 million Americans died last year, many without signing a will. One of them was apparently Roman Blum, a Holocaust ... Estate Planning -
Separate Marital Estate Planning Goals, Separate Attorneys? n 1990, in Lawrence Brody's estate planning seminar in the LL.M. program at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, ... Estate Planning -
Your Estate Plan – Time for Some Spring Cleaning WITH the federal tax on estates now kicking in at $5.25 million - or $10.5 million for a couple - it may seem that only the ... Estate Tax -
President’s Budget Proposal Targets Estate Planning Tools A couple weeks ago on April 10, President Obama released his budget proposal for 2014. Although the proposal largely focused ... Estate Planning -
Family Feud Threatens Four Generation Family Business Family businesses can be quite successful, he said, but the managing and intermingling of blood and commerce, insiders and ... Business -
Daughter Experiences Estate Plan Nightmare as Executor In hindsight, as mind-numbing and rage-provoking as the last five years have been for me moonlighting as the sole executor of ... Estate Planning -
The ESOP Way to Business Succession Win-Win As more entrepreneurs, like Ms. Cabot, approach retirement-about 30% of the nation's business owners are 55 or older, ... Business -
529 Education Savings Plans Proliferate Families saving for college poured billions of dollars into U.S. 529 education savings plans over the past five years, even ... Estate Planning -
Credit Shelter Trusts – The Tried and True Tool Credit shelter trusts are a way to take full advantage of state and federal estate tax exemptions. Although such trusts may ... Estate Planning -
Have “The Talk” with Your Children Now Telling heirs how much they stand to inherit can be a subject fraught with emotional land mines for parents ... But waiting ... Estate Planning -
IRS Estate Audits Increase The IRS scrutinized estate tax returns more than any category of individual tax returns in tax year 2011, at close to a 30 ... Estate Tax -
The “Permanence” of Portability The "Permanence" of Portability It certainly is possible that a future Congress could modify today's laws or even ... Estate Planning -
IRAs Targeted in Obama Budget President Obama's budget, just sent to Congress, proposes to cap tax-advantaged savings across all accounts at $3 million in ... Estate Planning -
When HIPAA Happens Privacy deserves to be respected and preserved. But HIPAA [the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 1997] ... Elder Law -
Do You Really Have Enough Life Insurance? Ownership of life insurance policies has been declining over the last couple of decades, leaving 50 million Americans without ... Estate Planning -
The Power of a Power of Attorney If you are elderly, or your parents are elderly and you help them with their finances, you should consider getting a Power or ... Estate Planning -
To Prenup, or Not to Prenup? I see just as many women seeking prenuptial agreements these days as men. I suggest a prenup for those who have sizeable ... asset protection -
Artful Estate Planning Critical for Family Art Collections f a family wants to hold on to artwork that has been collected over a lifetime, there can be a significant liquidity problem ... Liquid Assets -
The Gift that Keeps on Giving? In the countdown to April 15, many people rushing to prepare their individual income tax returns will overlook another key ... Estate Tax -
Estate Mediation – Can’t We All Get Along? Mediation-a way of settling disputes before they escalate into litigation-has grown increasingly popular in the trusts and ... Estate Planning -
Power of Attorney – Power to Steal? It's a standard part of estate planning. It's also, according to experts on elder fraud, a license to steal. It's the power ... Elder Law -
Inherited IRA Gotchas ...You have to be really careful when moving inherited IRA money. If it's not done correctly, the entire IRA will be deemed ... Estate Planning -
The “Conversation”: Have You Discussed Your End-Of-Life Wishes? If you are old enough to be reading this, you should discuss end-of-life issues with family members and prepare your own ... -
Decanting Isn’t Just for Wine, but Irrevocable Trusts Too In the past, if a trustee wanted to alter an irrevocable trust, a costly legal process was the only way. Now, ... Estate Planning -
Later-In-Life Marriage Challenge While love may have felt simple for the two 54-year-olds, the financial part of their relationship was less cut and dried. ... Estate Planning -
The Basis for the Basis of Inherited Stock I just inherited some stock from my uncle, and I know that he bought the stock for more than the present cost. Should I find ... Inheritance -
Same-Sex Adoption Snags Adopting a child can be complicated. It can be even more complicated and fraught with financial and legal risks for same-sex ... Estate Planning -
Trust Your NFA Guns to a Gun Trust In addition to facilitating NFA weapon transfers, an NFA Gun Trust is also an estate planning tool that allows an individual ... Estate Planning -
Will Your Estate be a Blessing or a Curse? Though many wealthy families attend to tax, financial and legal planning, with expert advice and well-developed strategies, ... Estate Planning -
Blended Family Estate Planning – Practical Pointers "Blended" families - which include children from earlier unions - have become the norm. The diplomatic challenges ... Blended Family -
Elderly Loved Ones – Memory Issues & Money If your loved ones are getting up there in years, it makes sense to plan ahead for the possibility that one of them could ... Elder Law -
Mind the Details – Property Insurance Coverage and Estate Planning When it comes to wealth management, the devil is in the details-the minutiae in plans and strategies that may be overlooked ... Business -
Business Succession – Have a Business “Hold” Your Business There are plenty of financial structures that can be used to protect a family business from estate taxes. But those ... Business -
Roth IRA – An Estate Planning Tool? When it comes to saving for retirement, many investors already know how well the Roth IRA fends off Uncle Sam. But what ... Estate Planning -
Are Will and Beneficiary Designations In Conflict? Show your beneficiaries that you love them. Do a beneficiary review and ensure that they get the assets you want them to ... Estate Planning -
Estate Executor? Don’t Go It Alone! If you have been named the executor of a deceased person's estate, you may find yourself with a job that few people are ... Estate Planning -
The Gender Gap Widens for LTCi The gender gap is about to get a little wider as the formerly egalitarian long-term care insurance market starts charging ... Estate Planning -
When to Retire from a Career-For-Life? Pope Benedict XVI's announcement of his resignation ... surprised the world. But while there's only one pope, there are ... Estate Planning -
Are You a Tax-Time Procrastinator? For all you procrastinators, there are now some ready-made excuses not to file your 2012 income taxes as soon as possible. ... Estate Tax -
Asset Protection Planning – Plan Now, or Lose Later Asset Protection is pre-claim planning for those who are concerned that someday they might become liable to creditors ... Asset Protection -
Valuations Matter – Making Your Gifts Count Make no mistake: the IRS has been cracking down on charitable contributions. It's not that they don't want you out there ... Charitable Gifting -
Elderly Parents – Blended Family Challenges "It gets really blurry. Who's going to do what?" Grown children [of parents who remarry late in life] don't have ... Blended Family -
How to Pass On the Family Home Before the days of estate taxes, children simply moved into the family home and took over the master bedroom after their ... Estate Planning -
The Beauty and the Beast of the Estate Tax Rules With the passage of the American Tax Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), Congress finally made the estate tax rules permanent. We ... Estate Planning -
Is Your (Business) Succession Secure? Do you have the ego to deal with succession planning? The reality is that when you start down this path, it is the first ... Business -
When Charitable Giving Goes Global Increasingly, global-minded philanthropists want to support causes overseas, triggering unique legal and tax challenges. ... Business -
Health Care Costs – Location, Location, Location It's no secret that the tab for health care in America is soaring. But did you know that what you pay for health care ... Estate Planning -
Fiscal Cliff Falls on the Charitable “Rich” There is much confusion and misinformation about the impact of the "fiscal cliff" tax law on charitable giving. ... Charitable Gifting -
Charitable Giving Slows for Uberwealthy America's billionaires gave less in 2012 than in 2011, a new Chronicle tally shows. Well in the wake of confetti and ... Fiscal Cliff -
Testing Trustee Temperament When the distribution request is made at the restaurant, trust officer B describes why she would have some difficulty ... Estate Planning -
Joint Tenancy Travails Elderly parents regularly set up bank accounts - checking, savings, certificates of deposit - in joint tenancy with a child. ... Estate Planning -
IRA Charitable Rollover – A Powerful Win-Win in Los Angeles California As part of the "fiscal cliff" deal, Congress has resurrected a popular tax-law provision, known as the "IRA ... Charitable Gifting -
Search for a Long-Term Care Solution The New Year's Day budget agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff includes two key measures that could be critical to people ... Estate Tax -
Fiscal Cliff Deal Revives the Ever Popular Energy Tax Credit If your home needs sprucing up, there's a catch-all $500 tax credit in the fiscal cliff deal that could help blunt the cost ... Estate Planning -
Some Surprising “Winners” in Fiscal Cliff Deal ... On the whole, small businesses fared pretty well in this fiscal cliff deal. They say a true compromise is when everyone ... Fiscal Cliff -
Fiscal Cliff Deal Expands Roth 401(k) Conversion Eligibility "This is a big deal," says Alison Borland, vice president of retirement solutions and strategies for Aon Hewitt. ... Estate Planning -
Fiscal Cliff Deal Opens Door to Last-Minute Charitable Contributions Act fast: the fiscal cliff deal has a special tax break for cash donated by seniors to charity in Jan. 2013. If you are past ... Charitable Gifting -
Federal Estate and Gift Taxes Finally Settled with Fiscal Cliff Deal in Los Angeles California Mostly what Congress did in this arena was to make permanent the (estate tax) system that has been in effect for the past ... Estate Planning -
Does Anyone Know How the Affordable Care Act Will Affect Medicare? As pundits and politicians continue to discuss the deficit, misinformation and confusion about Medicare and the Affordable ... Medicare -
The Perils of Joint Tenancy In Los Angeles and Orange County Eliminating the need for probate is a goal for many clients. Joint tenancy, a form of co-ownership, is one tool that can ... Estate Planning -
The IRS’s Untimely Vacation From Issuing Tax Identification Numbers Estate planners scurrying to set up trusts on behalf of wealthy clients and fund them with tax-free gifts before the end of ... Estate Planning -
Keeping Up With The Joneses …By Comparing Retirement Savings?? Study results showed that nearly two-out-of-ten people already in retirement still want to "keep up with the ... Retirement Planning -
Estate Planning: Not Just For the Rich in Los Angeles and Orange County If you are like many other American families, the current upheaval in Washington regarding the fiscal cliff (and the estate ... Estate Planning -
Los Angeles California To Give or Not to Give Discussions of the looming fiscal cliff have paid scant attention to estate and gift taxes. But wealthy people might do well ... Fiscal Cliff -
A New Game to Help with Charitable Giving in Torrance California Each year at this time, out of some combination of generosity and procrastination, millions of Americans rush to make ... Charitable Gifting -
Retirement Planning: Five Mistakes to Avoid in Los Angeles County There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to saving the right amount for your golden years -- which is part of what makes ... Retirement Planning -
A New Way to Face Retirement in Torrance California "People who see an age-progressed rendering of themselves are more likely to allocate resources to the future." As ... Retirement Planning -
Mixing Business and Friendship Can Be Risky in Los Angeles California In today's highly competitive business climate, startup entrepreneurs want to pursue their most ambitious goals with people ... Business -
Changes on the Horizon for Reverse Mortgage Loans in Los Angeles California Change is needed. Reverse mortgages can serve as financial lifelines by helping seniors leverage their equity without selling ... Loans -
Torrance California Older Workers Improve Their Resumes to Maximize Hiring Potential ... Many colleges and universities have begun offering classes for older workers to help them improve their resumes, learn ... Employment -
Vietnam Veteran’s Benefits for Post- traumatic Stress Disorder in Los Angeles CA More than a quarter million Vietnam-era veterans were discharged under other-than-honorable conditions, and thousands of ... Veteran's Benefits -
Torrance California Extreme Home Makeover: Retirement Style Richard Hayman, 67, and his wife Carolyn are shelling out $110,000 to complete a strategic part of their retirement plan. ... Retirement Planning -
Los Angeles The Fiscal Cliff: A Slippery Slope for Your Health If President Barack Obama and Congress cannot reach an agreement on the fiscal cliff, economic experts agree it would be ... Fiscal Cliff
