Oct 28, 2020 | Estate Planning
We are currently in an extremely generous estate and gift tax environment. The federal estate tax applies to transfers at death. The gift tax applies to transfers made while a person is living. There is also a generation-skipping transfer tax which is an additional...
Feb 14, 2020 | Estate Planning, Retirement, Tax
Late last year, Congress passed bipartisan tax legislation that President Trump promptly signed into law on December 20, 2019. The legislation included the “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act”, which is mainly intended to expand...
Dec 13, 2019 | Charitable Giving, Education, Estate Planning, Personal Finance, Tax
If you give someone money or property during your lifetime, you may be subject to federal gift tax. The federal gift tax exists for one reason: to prevent taxpayers from avoiding the federal estate tax by giving away their money before they die. When it comes into...
Dec 5, 2019 | Estate Planning, Investing, Personal Finance, Retirement, Social Security
After contributing through payroll and self-employment taxes for decades of work, many Social Security beneficiaries are astonished when they learn that their benefits may be subject to federal and sometimes state income taxes. When benefits were first paid in 1940,...
Dec 5, 2019 | Estate Planning, Retirement, Tax
While there are many forms and types of trust, this article highlights some of the various beneficial structures that encompass the use of non-grantor trusts. The use of non-grantor trusts to achieve estate, asset protection and income tax planning should be...
Dec 5, 2019 | Estate Planning, Personal Finance, Retirement
I am often asked whether it is a good idea for elderly parents to transfer their home to their children. I always ask: “Why do you want to do this?” The most common reason is to protect the house in the event one or both of the parents need nursing home care. First, I...
