Alan Gassman, Contributor Sept. 15, 2021 House Democrats provided a not so welcome distraction for high bracket and wealthy taxpayers from the ongoing pandemic this week by releasing their plan to adjust how basic income and estate taxes will work for businesses and families, and the two certainties in life promised by Benjamin Franklin have […]

As part of your retirement plan and your estate plan, there is a good chance that your 401(k) is a big component of your future planning. You’ve spent most of your working life building up your retirement funds and preparing yourself for an estimated retirement age. A new change coming to your 401(k) quarterly statement […]

When you complete your estate planning the core document that you’ll likely complete is a will. In this will you will name a personal representative or an executor who is responsible for estate administration when you pass away. The executor or personal representative is an individual responsible for administering your estate and in creating a […]

Estate planning is a process that should be devised with the help of an estate planning attorney to be aligned with your individual needs. Every person has their own unique situation that should be evaluated as part of the estate planning process and of course, the priorities and strategies may look different for a married […]

As part of your estate plan, you likely want to provide for your beneficiaries like your surviving children and spouse. However, research shows that more people than ever are also including charitable giving in their estate planning strategy. In 2020, for example, individual charitable gifts totaled over $324 billion. This was the highest dollar amount […]

  Wills and trusts are two very different types of controlling and distributing your assets after you’ve passed away. One important distinction between a trust and a will is that you can also create and fund a trust while you are alive. With no will in place the state determines what happens to your estate […]

A family trust is most appropriate as an estate planning tool when you live in a state where probate is very difficult. This is also beneficial for those people who are interested in keeping information about their assets and beneficiaries private, those who have a large estate or a significant number of assets and those […]

In Mississippi, Pandemic-related financial assistance will no longer affect an individual’s eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or the benefit amount, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced.  The assistance includes a long list of pandemic payments, ranging from COVID-19 relief checks to state unemployment assistance. Previously, the SSA had said that COVID relief payments would […]

If you’ve already taken the step to consider creating a financial power of attorney, congratulations. This is an important part of your estate plan and your incapacity plan. Without a financial power of attorney someone in your family will have to go to court to request guardianship or conservatorship of you. In the event of […]

One important component of protecting your family is thinking about how to use life insurance beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are those people who are entitled to receive your assets if and when something happens to you. The primary purpose of purchasing a life insurance policy is to protect your loved ones and give them funds they can […]