Insight on Estate Planning
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Showing 1–16 of 376 results
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Estate Planning Pitfall – You missed the estate tax filing deadline
August / September 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 232
Abstract: The due date for filing a federal estate tax return varies. Generally, an estate’s executor must file the return within nine months of the date of death. It’s up to him or her to ensure that this obligation is met. This brief article explains the benefits of filing for a six-month filing extension.
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Going through a divorce? Ease the transfer of retirement plan assets with a QDRO
August / September 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 738
Abstract: Despite its unusual sounding name, a QDRO isn’t an alien from a science fiction movie or a geometric equation. In fact, QDRO stands for “qualified domestic relations order.” If a person is in the process of a divorce, a QDRO may provide for the transfer of assets in a qualified retirement plan to a nonparticipant spouse without incurring dire tax consequences. This article explains how a QDRO works.
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Overlooking foreign assets can be detrimental to an estate plan
August / September 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 825
Abstract: It’s critical to disclose all assets in one’s estate plan, including, importantly, any foreign assets. Often, people assume that foreign assets aren’t relevant to their “U.S.” estate plans, so they’re not worth mentioning. That’s not the case. This article provides the answers to several questions regarding accounting for foreign assets in an estate plan.
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Dynasty trust – Create a trust that can span the ages
August / September 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 731
Abstract: For those who want to arrange for a long-lasting transfer of wealth through multiple generations, consider using a dynasty trust. Not only can such a trust avoid tax, it may provide various other benefits and protections for families for an extended period of time, even forever. This article details the estate tax implications of a dynasty trust. A sidebar answers frequently asked question regarding the use of a dynasty trust.
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Estate Planning Pitfall – You’ve relocated out of the country without checking estate tax laws
June / July 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 247
Abstract: It’s perfectly normal to consider moving abroad after retirement. For those going that route, it’s critical to consider the destination country’s estate tax laws. This brief article provides examples of how estate tax laws differ for those who are no longer U.S. citizens.
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Are changes coming for the gift and estate tax exemption?
June / July 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 656
Abstract: Under current estate tax law, taxpayers benefit from the most generous gift and estate tax regime in history. But the good times won’t last forever, or at least they’re not designed to. The increase in the exemption amount brought by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is scheduled to “sunset” after 2025, so changes could be coming soon. This article explores the evolution of estate tax law and provides gifting strategies.
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Asset protection and your estate plan – Preserve and protect your wealth for your heirs
June / July 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 635
Abstract: Asset protection is about preserving hard-earned wealth in the face of unreasonable creditors’ claims, frivolous lawsuits or financial predators. It’s not about evading legitimate debts, hiding assets or defrauding creditors. Thankfully, there are many asset protection strategies available. This article examines several asset protection techniques that range from the simple to the complex.
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SECURE 2.0 eases RMD obligations
June / July 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 1005
Abstract: Generally, it’s advantageous to keep funds in retirement accounts for as long as possible. Indeed, the longer a person refrains from withdrawing funds, the longer the money has to continue tax-deferred growth. This article details how the SECURE 2.0 Act can help individuals save more for retirement, which, in turn, may provide more wealth to share with loved ones. A sidebar further explains how SECURE 2.0 benefits Roth 401(k) plans.
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Estate Planning Pitfall – You haven’t coordinated beneficiary designations with your will
April / May 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 284
Abstract: Often an individual will draft a will that references retirement plan accounts and life insurance policies. But what happens when the designated beneficiaries listed in the will don’t match those listed in the paperwork on file with the applicable financial institutions? This brief article explains that the beneficiary designations in the financial documents supersede those listed in the will.
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Does your estate plan account for generation-skipping transfer tax?
April / May 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 618
Abstract: If an estate plan calls for making gifts to grandchildren or other loved ones more than one generation below, it must address not only gift and estate tax, but also generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax. This article explains how the GST tax exemption works and lists three scenarios that can trigger GST tax liability.
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Glossary of estate planning terms
April / May 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 697
Abstract: Estate planning has a language of its own. While some may be familiar with common terms such as a will, a trust or an executor, they may not be as certain about others. This article provides a glossary of terms a person is likely to come across in his or her estate planning documents.
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SECURE 2.0 may affect your retirement and estate plans
April / May 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 938
Abstract: SECURE 2.0 includes sweeping changes for retirement plans, including changes for qualified plans and IRAs. These changes can have significant estate planning implications. This article highlights many of the law’s provisions and discusses how they may affect one’s estate plan.
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Estate Planning Pitfall – You haven’t made funeral arrangements
February / March 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 210
Abstract: No one likes to contemplate his or her own death but making funeral arrangements is a necessary evil of estate planning. Family members usually are distressed in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death. Thus, they may be hard-pressed to follow through with funeral arrangements that have been stipulated in a will or other document. This brief article suggests ways to ease the burden on one’s family by making clear funeral arrangements.
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Comparing inter vivos and testamentary trusts
February / March 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 584
Abstract: Creating and adhering to an estate plan is no simple task. Generally, the end goal of estate planning is to divide up and transfer assets to loved ones at a minimum or zero tax cost. Of course, a will is a good starting point, but it may be supplemented by various other estate planning techniques, including trusts. Trusts are essentially used to accommodate asset transfers beyond dispositions in a will. This article examines the two main trust types: the inter vivos trust and the testamentary trust.
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Has your buy-sell agreement recently been updated?
February / March 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 868
Abstract: A buy-sell agreement should be a critical part of an individual’s estate plan if he or she has an interest in a business that’s closely held or family owned. The agreement provides for the disposition of each owner’s interest after a “triggering event,” such as death, disability, divorce, termination of employment or withdrawal from the business. This article explains how a properly drafted buy-sell agreement can help address a variety of issues business owners and their families may face when a triggering event occurs.
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Gifting made easy – Max out your annual gift tax exclusion amount
February / March 2023
Newsletter: Insight on Estate Planning
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 793
Abstract: By using the annual gift tax exclusion judiciously, individuals can transfer assets to loved ones and reduce the size of their taxable estates without eroding their federal gift and estate tax exemption. This article details the benefits of making annual exclusion gifts, especially if one wants to transfer significant wealth to family members. A sidebar explains a recent U.S. Tax Court ruling regarding deathbed gifts.