There are numerous acronyms that you will see tossed about when you look into the field of estate planning. One of these is the GRAT and in an estate planning context this stands for a grantor retained annuity trust. If you have appreciable securities, you may be able to “zero out” one of these trusts … [Read More]
CRUT For Philanthropy, Tax Efficiency
When you are crafting your legacy it is possible that you may feel some philanthropic urges. If you are in a position to be able to provide something for worthy causes, you are of course giving something back, but at the same time you may be receiving some tax benefits. One estate planning tool that … [Read More]
Pour-Over Will Should Accompany RLT
As you are engaged in your inheritance planning efforts, you’re going to have to consider the different choices that you have. One of the primary decisions that you are going to have to make will involve the vehicle or vehicles of asset transfer that you utilize. Everyone has heard of a last Will and a … [Read More]
What Happens If You Die Without A Will?
Far too many people in America are going through life without a last Will or a Living Will. A Harris survey was conducted in 2009 that included 1022 adults. The survey found that only 35% of the respondents had a last Will in place and only 29% of the people who participated had executed a … [Read More]
The Living Will Explained
If you are one of the many who has never given estate planning a whole lot of thought the term probably conjures images in your mind of the classic estate planning document that you hear people talk about in the old movies: the “last will and testament.” Most people are aware of the fact that … [Read More]
A Look At Charitable Remainder Trusts
When you are considering the manner in which you would like your assets to be distributed after your death you may decide that charitable giving is part of the plan. Doing what you can to help those less fortunate than you is always meaningful, but it takes on an added significance as your twilight years … [Read More]
Minor Children & Estate Planning
One of the reasons why young people who don’t have a lot of assets need to have an estate plan in place is to make sure that their children are provided for should both parents perish together in an accident. You may say that if they don’t have any resources they will have nothing to … [Read More]
A Will For Every Purpose
It could be said that end of life planning contains three distinct components: the physical, the financial, and the philosophical. You can state your wishes concerning these matters by drawing up three different wills. Standard Will When most people hear the term “will” as it applies to estate planning they are going to think about … [Read More]
What Is An Ethical Will?
When you are planning your estate you hear about a lot different legal instruments, but perhaps the most basic and well known among them is the will. This is of course the document that you draw up to elucidate your wishes with regard to the distribution of your assets after your death. There is also … [Read More]
Avoiding Probate With Revocable Living Trusts
On the surface it could seem to the uninitiated as though the exercise of estate planning is something that may sound harder than it is. You have assets, and when you die you want ownership of them to be transferred to the people of your choosing. What is so complicated about that? The answer is … [Read More]
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